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Yet another guess about why Rupert fired Tucker

Published on 21 Comments on Yet another guess about why Rupert fired Tucker

I guess this is as good a theory as any:

21 thoughts on “Yet another guess about why Rupert fired Tucker”

    2. cmayo

      I imagine it was probably a combination of all those factors, but I wouldn't have been surprised if Fox kept him onboard despite the Dominion discovery texts and the discrimination suits.

      I would really like this to be true - that he got canned from a job he was desperately terrified of losing not because of anything he did (although at any sane workplace he would've been fired for any of a million valid reasons), but because his all-too-powerful piece of human shit boss simply wanted to get one over on his ex.

  2. Rattus Norvegicus

    I'm still of the 787,500,000 reasons as the top contender, but this seems petty and personal, so yeah, it's in the running.

  3. kkseattle

    Nah. Tucker Carlson is simply uninsurable.

    Murdoch no doubt had hundreds of millions of dollars of coverage for the inevitable defamation lawsuit (since all he sells is lies). But his insurers won’t pay out twice.

    That’s why you won’t see Carlson on another network. He’s toast.

    1. shapeofsociety

      Indeed. In the past, Fox hosts like Glenn Back and Bill O'Reilly have gotten canned because their advertisers bailed, making them unprofitable. Tucker has been canned for another version of the same reason. Really, if getting the company sued for three quarters of a billion dollars is not a firing offense, what is?

  4. iamr4man

    It may not be the reason he was fired but it’s the best one I’ve seen so far (only because it’s the funniest).

  6. KawSunflower

    Another report is that Carlson sealed his fate by giving a speech with similar religiosity at the Federalist Society on Friday night.

    So if Murdoch decided then, Carlson had reason to believe that he would be returning on Monday.

    1. gVOR08

      The Federalist Society is a Koch fueled group. They do the guns and god stuff to help elect GOPs, but they're more concerned with taxes and regulatory relief. I don't think they'd be all that receptive to fundie religiosity. There may have been complaints reaching Rupert's ear, from people Rupert listens to.

      Things tend to have multiple causes. I think it may just have been that Rupert and Lachlan thought they had to make a show of somebody prominent going under the bus. That pretty much means Hannity, Carlson, Lachlan, or Rupert. And Lachlan and Rupert got to decide. Any number of things may have influenced the coin flip between Hannity and Carlson.

  7. ruralhobo

    The hubris of powerful old persons is astounding. So Murdoch wanted to marry at age 92, AND call the shots at one of the most powerful media companies in the world. And Diane Feinstein wanted to remain senator at age 90. And Ruth Bader Ginsburg didn't resign from Scotus when she should have. And Joe Biden wants to remain president until he's 86. So irreplaceable, right. How could younger people ever take over.

    I don't think we'll ever know precisely why Tucker Carlsson was able to stay at Fox as long as he did, or why he was suddenly fired, because the brains of old people can't handle everything anymore and the result is quirks.

  8. D_Ohrk_E1

    The engagement lasted all of one month. I think the explanation is off.

    I think the simplest answer is that Rupert got jealous and thought Smith was infatuated with Carlson.

    And like I keep saying, it's always been about Rupert's personal feelings regarding Carlson. It has nothing to do with Carlson's effect on the bottom line, or anything else related to the operations of Fox News.

    To reiterate, Carlson was in contract negotiations at the time of his sudden firing. This is a telltale sign of a capricious decision.

  9. George Salt

    "Australians really hate this shit."

    Poppycock.

    Religious fundies may not be as numerous in Australia as they are in the US, but they certainly exist and they are active in politics. A quick web search turned up this:

    "How the religious right is trying to take over the Liberal Party"
    https://www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/news/politics/2021/06/26/how-the-religious-right-trying-take-over-the-liberal-party/162462960011952#hrd

    "Religious right roadmap to Liberal Party control revealed as internal ructions over church groups increase"
    https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-11-07/religious-right-roadmap-infiltrate-liberal-party/101611840

    "Australian Christian Lobby, religious parties seek to gain influence in SA election"
    https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-03-12/christian-parties-seek-to-gain-influence-in-sa-election/100898042

  11. Special Newb

    Yeah but they look to be facing much more opposition from the libs than the GOP ever dreamed of putting up.

    1. cld

      Just put that out as a poster and the birth rate will drop to zero.

      I may never be in the mood again.

      Thanks, kahner, for a life altering message.

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