An analysis of primetime ratings shows that Fox News has seen an approximate decline of 1 million total viewers on average for its primetime lineup after the departure of Tucker Carlson in late April.
In the four weeks before Carlson left the network, Fox News’ primetime hours averaged some 2.6 million total viewers. But in the four weeks after his departure, those hours are down to just 1.6 million viewers, a decline in 39 percent, according to an analysis from Mediaite.
The 8 p.m. hour that Carlson used to have also declined significantly, according to ratings. Carlson had averaged some 3.2 million viewers in the weeks before he left, but the replacement show—”Fox News Tonight”—is down to 1.49 million viewers on average.
When announcing Carlson’s exit, Fox News signaled that the new program would be temporary and would include a rotating cast of hosts. Brian Kilmeade, Lawrence Jones, Will Cain, Kayleigh McEnany, and former Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) have hosted the 8 p.m. show in the meantime.
“Fox News Tonight” saw a bump in ratings on May 23 after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis appeared on the show and gave an interview with Gowdy, coming after the Republican governor announced his 2024 presidential bid. That interview saw about 1.96 million viewers and also drew 186,000 in the key 25–54 advertising demographic, according to Nielsen ratings.
Just minutes before, DeSantis appeared in a Twitter event alongside CEO Elon Musk, where he announced his White House run. It came after months of speculation about the Florida Republican’s presidential aspirations.
Despite the drop in the primetime viewership since Carlson’s departure, data shows that Fox News is still the No. 1 cable news channel in terms of overall ratings.
And the latest ratings for Fox News, released on May 24, show that “The Five” was the No. 1 show, generating 2.4 million viewers. However, none of Fox News’ other shows—or other shows on other cable news channels—for that day eclipsed the 2 million mark.
