What Tucker Carlson's On-Set Behavior Was Reportedly Like At Fox News
Throughout his career, Tucker Carlson has been at the center of many controversial moments that extend beyond what audiences see on-screen, having faced accusations of questionable behavior during his time with Fox News.
Carlson's history with the network dates back to 2009 he first joined as a commentator. He quickly gained fame, and it wasn't long before the network decided to develop a show surrounding his viewpoints titled "Tucker Carlson Tonight." Although Carlson gained considerable support from conservative followers, he has undoubtedly made outlandish statements involving women, race, and climate change. Even so, Carlson became a fan-favorite on the network.
In April 2023, the network dropped a bombshell statement announcing that Carlson was finished at Fox News. A copy statement shared by the Los Angeles Times stated, "Fox News Media and Tucker Carlson have agreed to part ways. We thank him for his service to the network as a host and prior to that as a contributor." Carlson's departure came as a shock to many, as "Tucker Carlson Tonight" had aired — with its titular host — a week before. While the cable news giant declined to detail the reasons for Carlson's sudden departure, speculation certainly pointed to the host's previous on-set behavior.
Tucker Carlson and his show are being accused of sexist behavior
Tucker Carlson's history of exhibiting sexist behavior is well documented. Media Matters, a progressive media watchdog, compiled a video of past comments made by Carlson about women, including describing them as "primitive" and "dogs," among other things. Unfortunately, Carlson's sexist behavior reportedly extended to behind the scenes of his show.
Abby Grossberg, a former Fox News producer, is suing Carlson and the network for alleged sexism she faced while working there, according to Insider. Grossberg worked as a news producer for both Carlson's show and Maria Bartiromo's. The producer alleges that other executive producers at the network referred to Bartiromo using derogatory terms such as "menopausal" and a "crazy b**ch.
The shady behavior didn't end there. Grossberg she claims that when she joined Carlson's team in 2022, she was surrounded by sexist behavior. The lawsuit claims, "[Grossberg] was shocked to be greeted by many large and blown-up photographs of Nancy Pelosi in a plunging bathing suit revealing her cleavage." Allegedly, the work environment was filled with misogyny as staffers openly debated which female guests were more "f***able." Grossberg claimed, "In these discussions, no woman, whether she was a Republican politician or a female staffer at Fox News, was safe from suddenly becoming the target of sexist, demeaning comments, such as being called a 'c**t.'"
Tucker Carlson wasn't on Fox News' good side
In the days leading to his departure from Fox News, Tucker Carlson was involved in a lawsuit settlement with Dominion Voting Systems. According to the Associated Press, Carlson, along with a few other talking heads, had alleged that Dominion's voting machines were rigged to change the outcome of the 2020 presidential election.The network settled this lawsuit by forking over $787.5 million to the voting business. Quite the pretty penny for comments Carlson and other hosts had made on-air. Still, it didn't seem to be the primary reason for his departure from the network.
Amidst the Dominion lawsuit, some of Carlson's text messages and emails were made public via court filings. According to The Wall Street Journal, what Carlson said behind the scenes is reportedly what ended his tenure at Fox News. The talk show host called an executive producer at the network a "c**t." This information ended up being redacted from the filing, and while you think Carlson would have breathed a sigh of relief, he actually felt the exact opposite. The right-wing host apparently hoped that the derogatory statement would remain in the filing because he wanted the producer to know how much he disliked them.
This incident was reportedly the final straw for Fox News and its relationship with Carlson. Apparently, the journalist's increasing fame and disregard for authority figures on the network ultimately led to his departure.