Former Fox host appears to make first public comments about his sudden departure from the network
Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson appeared to publicly speak about his departure from Fox News for the first time, saying that he’s still not sure why the company parted ways with him.
During an interview posted to X, formerly known as Twitter, Mr. Carlson criticized his former network for the rule against President Trump appearing on the channel, alleging that its owner, Rupert Murdoch, doesn’t favor the former commander-in-chief. Because the former president and current GOP frontrunner wasn’t being featured on the network, Fox News essentially was “not really covering the news anymore,” he said.
“The Murdochs never got in my way. They were always good to me,” Mr. Carlson said in the Aug. 30 interview, which featured Barstool Sports owner Dave Portnoy. However, he added there were apparently “small-minded” individuals running the channel.
“It’s a company run by fearful women, you know what I mean?” he stated.
When it announced his departure, Fox News said in a news release that it had “parted ways” with Mr. Carlson. The company has never publicly said whether it fired him or not.
Debate Speculation
Meanwhile, Mr. Carlson addressed speculation that he was trying to upstage his former employer by releasing a video of his interview with former President Donald Trump during the same time as the first GOP presidential debate, which aired on Fox News.
Mr. Carlson, whose sudden departure from Fox in April upended the cable news landscape, said in a recent episode that the timing wasn’t up to him.
“To me, the Trump interview seemed like something—it looked like you guys were sticking it to Fox,” Mr. Portnoy stated in the episode.
“I would never want to stick it to Fox,” Mr. Carlson said, smiling. However, the ex-host became more somber and stated: “No, I’m not mad at Fox. I’m really not.”
Elaborating on the move, Mr. Carlson said, “Well, it was the night of the debate, but the reason that it was, is because he didn’t want to do the debate. I didn’t make that decision for him.”
