This resounding departure comes in a turbulent context for Fox News, forced last week to agree to pay nearly $ 800 million to avoid an embarrassing defamation lawsuit on its coverage of the 2020 presidential election.

"Fox News Media and Tucker Carlson have agreed to part ways," Fox News said in a terse statement. "We thank him for his services to the channel as a host and, before that, as a consultant," the channel added.

Fox Corporation shares lost nearly 4% on Wall Street around 16:30 GMT.

'Enemy of lies'

At the head of "Tucker Carlson Tonight" since 2016, the fifty-year-old had become one of the most influential voices in conservative America, accused by some of popularizing conspiracy theories and racists.

His Friday show was the last, and he must be replaced on Monday on this strategic slot, at a prime time, says the channel, owned by Rupert Murdoch's media empire.

Opposed to abortion, a great defender of the right to bear arms, the presenter has never hesitated to expose his opinions in a program that claims, on his site, "the sworn enemy of lies", promising to "ask the questions you would ask - and to demand answers".

Despite the accusations, he was supported at all costs by Fox News. Until Monday.

Salty addition

Fox News did not give a reason for Tucker Carlson's departure.

But a week ago, the chain had to sign a $787.5 million deal with electronic voting machine company Dominion, to avoid a defamation lawsuit on the 2020 presidential election.

The same evening, Tucker Carlson devoted his usual monologues to the Democrats, who would incite young people to violence, before conducting an interview with the boss of Tesla and owner of Twitter, Elon Musk.

At the time of Donald Trump's indictment, Tucker Carlson denounced "a political purge", dropping this sentence: "This is probably not the best time to part with your AR-15 (assault rifle)".

Fox News, launched in 1996 to compete with CNN, remains firmly established in the first place of cable in terms of audience rating.

Timing coincidence? CNN also announced Monday that it is parting ways with one of its star anchors, Don Lemon. The latter had caused controversy by suggesting that Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley, 51, was "on the return".

© 2023 AFP