Tucker Carlson’s Twitter Show Plummets After Controversial Fox News Departure
Earlier this year, Tucker Carlson, once Fox News’ most popular primetime host, experienced a dramatic turn of events, going from
Nik Richie
Earlier this year, Tucker Carlson, once Fox News’ most popular primetime host, experienced a dramatic turn of events, going from a prominent television personality to a fired ex-employee. Despite initially appearing to recover with the launch of his new show, “Tucker on Twitter,” recent metrics show a staggering decline in viewership, raising questions about his future in the media landscape.
“Tucker on Twitter” debuted in June with what seemed to be promising ratings, boasting over 26 million “video views” for its first episode on the social media platform. However, the reliability of this metric as an indicator of actual viewership has been contested, as it counts anyone who watches a video for more than 2 seconds, potentially including casual scrollers.
Over the course of the subsequent eight shows, Carlson’s video views experienced an alarming 86% drop, with his most recent episode garnering a mere 3.8 million views. Although Carlson’s video views were previously accessible to the public, they are now obscured due to a Twitter policy change. Matt Binder, a reporter with Mashable, managed to access these metrics using an older version of the Twitter app for Android.
Fox News’ decision to part ways with Carlson in April further fueled the controversy surrounding his new show. The network terminated his contract just days after settling a lawsuit with Dominion Voting Systems concerning the dissemination of false information about the 2020 election. While the specifics of Carlson’s firing were not disclosed, prior to the settlement, Dominion released texts from him and his colleagues criticizing the network’s election coverage.
From its inception, “Tucker on Twitter” faced accusations of violating Carlson’s contractual obligations with Fox News, which allegedly forbids him from appearing in competing media until the end of his contract in 2025. The legal dispute only added to the uncertainty surrounding Carlson’s future in media and the direction of his Twitter show.
As the decline in viewership raises concerns, Tucker Carlson’s career trajectory remains uncertain. The controversial departure from Fox News and the struggles of “Tucker on Twitter” pose significant challenges for the renowned conservative television personality as he navigates the ever-changing media landscape.