(NewsNation) — Conservative political commentator Tucker Carlson is leaving Fox News in the wake of the Dominion defamation lawsuit against the news outlet.
“FOX News Media and Tucker Carlson have agreed to part ways. We thank him for his service to the network as a host and prior to that as a contributor,” Fox News confirmed in a statement.
Carlson was Fox’s most popular personality, as well as the source of repeated controversies. He replaced Bill O’Reilly in Fox’s primetime lineup with his show “Tucker Carlson Tonight” in 2016.
The announcement comes less than a week after Fox settled a $787.5 million defamation lawsuit by Dominion Voting Systems for the network’s 2020 election coverage.
Dominion had argued Fox helped spread claims of election stealing, which producers, hosts and executives knew were false.
Pre-trial procedures turned up several damaging correspondence — most notably a text from Carlson saying, “I hate him (Trump) passionately.”
Carlson and other Fox hosts were expected to be called to testify had the network gone to trial.
“This is a bombshell that that no one saw coming,” NewsNation media contributor Colby Hall said.
“I don’t believe that it is directly related to the Dominion settlement,” Hall added. “But I will say that Tucker Carlson, in the run up to the Dominion lawsuit, really slotted the corporate goals and was doing reports that many criticized as being misleading.”
Carlson’s last show was the one that aired Friday, April 21.
“Fox News Tonight will air live at 8 PM/ET starting this evening as an interim show helmed by rotating FOX News personalities until a new host is named,” the network announced Monday.
This is a developing story.