The revelation of private messages containing offensive and crude remarks from Tucker Carlson left Fox News executives and board members stunned.
The messages, which Fox lawyers discovered during preparations for the company’s defense against Dominion Voting Systems’ defamation lawsuit, were only brought to the attention of top executives one day before the trial was scheduled to begin, according to The New York Times.
Sources described the messages as deeply offensive and more extreme than Carlson’s already controversial comments on his prime-time show. Their disclosure triggered a crisis within Fox, ultimately leading to the network settling the defamation case with Dominion for a staggering $787.5 million, just days after executives were made aware of the messages.
While the contents of the messages have been redacted in legal filings, a source familiar with the material claimed that one of the messages was particularly offensive, causing significant concern among top-level management.
The outlet also reported that the messages played a pivotal role in dismissing Carlson, who had long been an influential figure in Fox’s evening lineup. The Dominion lawsuit promised to be an embarrassing and costly affair for the network, with the company’s lawyers intending to call prominent Fox News hosts, including Carlson, to testify, and Rupert Murdoch, the Chair of Fox Corporation.
Before the trial, additional text messages from Carlson surfaced in which he derided everyone spreading then-President Donald Trump’s falsehoods about election fraud during the 2020 race. Despite his previous mocking of the myths, Carlson became one of the staunchest supporters of these unfounded claims.
On Monday, the company sent shockwaves through the media industry when it announced that Carlson would leave the network immediately. This news was a surprise, as Carlson had given no indication that he was departing, stating that he would return to the show on Monday. It was later reported that Carlson was only informed of his departure ten minutes before it was made public.
Carlson briefly addressed his departure on Twitter by thanking his supporters without directly referencing his firing or former employer.
