Carlson, the ‘ratings man’ who dropped out of FOX News, earns more than $15 million a year for his appearances

Last Updated on 04/26/2023 by てんしょく飯

One of the most controversial and highest earning stars in the US news media has suddenly lost his job.

On 24 April, FOX News announced the demotion of Tucker Carlson, 53, who was the anchor of the prime time (high evening ratings) slot.

According to sources familiar with contract negotiations at FOX and other broadcasters, Tucker was earning between USD 15-20 million a year for his appearances on Tucker Carlson Tonight, which he had hosted. He was one of the highest paid in the industry. ‘No one else is as influential as he is. Before this (the announcement of his demotion), he could have moved anywhere.”

Carlson’s show has occupied the weekday 8pm ET slot since 2017 and averaged 3.3 million viewers last year, the second highest average for a cable news station. Carlson has worked for FOX News since 2009 and was a political analyst before taking on the anchor role.

In a short statement, FOX News said only that the station and Carlson had “agreed to go our separate ways” and gave no further explanation for his departure.

Carlson’s last appearance on the show was last Friday (21 April), in which he did not announce to viewers that he was ending the programme or suggest that he was leaving; CNN and Vanity Fair reported anonymous sources as saying that Carlson was informed of the decision on Monday morning (24 April), the day of the announcement. The newspapers reported that Carlson was informed of the decision on Monday morning (24 April), the day of the announcement.

FOX News was sued for defamation by voting machine manufacturer Dominion Voting Systems in the US over its reporting on the 2020 US presidential election, and had just last week settled for a payment of USD 787.5 million. According to documents filed in court in the case, top FOX anchors and executives, including Carlson, had repeatedly denounced the station’s reporting of voting fraud claims in private.

■What is his future course of action?

Carlson’s future demeanour and income will depend on what the reasons for his demotion were. According to sources, if the dismissal was for a legitimate reason, FOX will not have to pay a penny to Carlson’s side since his last appearance last weekend. On the other hand, if it was an amicable termination of the relationship, Carlson will not be able to work elsewhere for the duration of his contract, but will receive a salary from the FOX side during that time.

Carlson’s lawyers may negotiate with FOX to allow her to work elsewhere in exchange for a lump sum of only part of the full amount stipulated in her contract.

It is unclear how much time Carlson has left on his contract. Newscasters’ contracts are usually three to four years at a time, but according to Vanity Fair, Carlson was negotiating a contract renewal for an extension until 2029.

The parent company has blown nearly USD 700 million in market capitalisation.

In any case, Carlson’s life will be safe for a while, thanks to FOX News’ hefty paycheck and other factors. According to Forbes, Carlson owns homes on the lakefront in Woodstock, Maine, and in the beach resort of Boca Grande, Florida. According to luxury property news website Dirt, Carlson and his wife Susan Andrews bought their first property in Boca Grande for $2.9 million, followed by the neighbouring property in summer 2022 for $5.5 million.

Before becoming an anchor at FOX News, Carlson co-founded the conservative news and opinion website The Daily Caller in 2010, which he sold to co-founder and college roommate Neil Patel in 2020. The amount of the sale has not been disclosed.

Following the announcement of Carlson’s demotion by FOX News, parent company Fox Corporation’s Class A shares temporarily fell 5.6% on the US stock market on 24 December, losing USD 700 million in market capitalisation.