Washington: Hours after Tucker Carlson exited from Fox News, Russian state-run media organization Russia Today offered the primetime host to join its organization.
Tucker has been widely praised by the Kremlin for being critical of US support for Ukraine and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky.
When Russia Today was asked why they want to host Tucker Carlson, the state-run media outlet told Newsweek: “We already had the pleasure of working with the greats like Julian Assange and the late Larry King, and had extended an invite to President Trump in 2020, and we continue to welcome outspoken, diverse personalities on our network.”
A report by Newsweek also said that Vladimir Solovyov, who hosts Evening With Vladimir Solovyov on Russia-1 in a Telegram post also offered Tucker Carlson a role on his show.
“Tucker, come join us. You don’t have to be afraid of taking the p*** out of Biden here,” Solovyov said.
FIRED BY RUPERT MURDOCH
A separate report by the Los Angeles Times said that the decision to part ways with Tucker Carlson was taken by Rupert Murdoch, the 92-year-old Fox owner, with input from senior Fox officials. Another report by the Wall Street Journal said that Carlson came to know about his firing 10 minutes before Fox went public with the news.
The Washington Post said that the news of Carlson’s firing was taken by Rupert Murdoch’s son and Fox Corp CEO Lachlan Murdoch and Fox News CEO Suzanne Scott.
It should also be noted that Carlson’s exit came after the Murdoch-owned news channel settled a defamation lawsuit with Dominion Voting Systems for $787.5m.
The decision was taken after Abby Grossberg, a former senior booking producer on Carlson’s show, said she faced sexism and a hostile work environment.
The Murdochs were also concerned because Carlson gave space to the idea that the January 6 Capitol Hill riots was instigated by the government.
Tucker Carlson first joined Fox as a contributor in 2009 and after he got his own show, Tucker Carlson Tonight, in 2016, he became one of the biggest stars of the network.
He became the most-watched host averaging 3.32 million total viewers, according to the Washington Post. Carlson also has the most viewers in the sought-after 25-54 demographic.
