While Monday’s news of Fox News Channel and Tucker Carlson parting ways was a bombshell, the fallout from that abrupt split is manifesting in the network’s tanking ratings.
As RedState noted on Wednesday:
They had Fox host Brian Kilmeade stand in for Carlson on Monday night and for now intend to have rotating hosts. It’s safe to say that did not go well. With some rubberneckers tuning in to see what would go on, he got 2.6 million people. But then the next night on Tuesday, it dropped like a stone to 1.7 million.
It’s only gotten worse from there. Wednesday’s 8:00 pm Eastern slot garnered just 1.3 million viewers. That’s a 50 percent drop off from Monday night, the first show post-breakup, with Brian Kilmeade subbing in as viewers were still reeling from the stunning news. And it’s a near-60 percent drop from Tucker’s average viewership of 3.2 million.
As a corollary, NewsMax is experiencing a ratings boost.
But Wednesday, Fox saw a catastrophic drop to just 1.3 million viewers — a 59% drop from Carlson’s average rating.
Fox has not announced a new host for the slot and appears to be rotating popular network figures such as Brian Kilmeade.
While Fox is hemorrhaging viewers, Newsmax is the primary beneficiary.
Within the cable universe, Newsmax saw its average audience at 8 p.m. with “Eric Bolling The Balance” soar by 261% to an average 534,000 viewers.
But Newsmax notes that it’s available in 24 million fewer cable homes than Fox, making its viewership even more impressive for its cable distribution.
Meanwhile, Tucker appears to have an added spring in his step — an almost unbearable lightness in his being, if you will. As Jennifer Van Laar noted following his reemergence Tuesday evening:
If the smile on Tucker Carlson’s face is any indication, he is going to be just fine after his sudden departure from Fox News. Carlson was spotted by Daily Mail Tuesday evening near his home in southwest Florida, riding in a golf cart with Susan, his wife of 30 years. The two were headed to dinner when he briefly spoke to the outlet.
‘Retirement is going great so far,’ chuckled Carlson, 53, as he emerged from his $5.5 million beach home in Boca Grande, Florida on Tuesday night.
‘I haven’t eaten dinner with my wife on a weeknight in seven years.’
Pressed on his future, the flame-throwing former host of Tucker Carlson Tonight flashed a broad smile and joked: ‘Appetizers plus entree.’
Then, on Wednesday evening, Tucker released a video on Twitter with a hopeful message:
When honest people say what is true, calmly and without embarrassment, they become powerful. At the same time, the liars who’ve been trying to silence them shrink. They become weaker. That’s the iron law of the universe. True things prevail. Where can you still find Americans saying true things? There aren’t many places left, but there are some, and that’s enough. As long as you can hear the words, there is hope. See you soon.
So Tucker seems like he’ll be fine. NewsMax is over the moon. It’s Fox that appears to be feeling the worst aftershocks of the split. Now the question becomes: When — if ever — will their ratings recover?