Megyn Kelly blasts Fox News over Tucker departure: 'massive error'

"I think this is a massive misjudgment of what their audience wants," she said.

By Ben Whedon

Published: April 24, 2023 4:53pm

After Fox News announced on Monday that it had parted ways with primetime host Tucker Carlson, Megyn Kelly, a former Fox personality herself, slammed the development as a poor decision on the part of the network, suggesting it may present an opportunity for Carlson to to bolster his career.

"I think this is a massive error. I think this is a massive misjudgment of what their audience wants," she said on her podcast.

Carlson hosted "Tucker Carlson Tonight" since 2016. His last show was Friday, April 21. The network did not identify a reason for the controversial host's ouster, though the move follows a settlement with Dominion for $787.5 million related to defamation allegations. Carlson was a central figure in that litigation.

Kelly, for her part, suggested that the departure was possibly unrelated to the suit, given that other prominent network figures also played a role in that dispute.

"If this is a reaction to the Dominion lawsuit why is Maria Bartiromo there? Why is Jeanine Pirro still there? Why is Suzanne Scott still there? The CEO of Fox News," she questioned. "She got them in far more trouble with her executive emails panicking about Dominion and the audience than anything Tucker did."

The network's stocks plunged in the aftermath of the decision. Carlson's show was the top-rated cable show on television. The network will rotate hosts until it names a permanent replacement.

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on Twitter.