WSJ: Carlson’s “Vulgar Messages Sealed His Fate”

The Wall Street Journal reports:

Several weeks ago, as Fox News lawyers prepared for a courtroom showdown with Dominion Voting Systems, they presented Tucker Carlson with what they thought was good news: They had persuaded the court to redact from a legal filing the time he called a senior Fox News executive the c-word, according to people familiar with the matter.

Mr. Carlson, Fox News’s most-watched prime-time host, wasn’t impressed. He told his colleagues that he wanted the world to know what he had said about the executive in a private message, the people said. On Monday, Mr. Carlson’s famously combative stance toward members of Fox News management and other colleagues caught up with him, as the network abruptly announced it was parting ways with him, just minutes after informing Mr. Carlson of the change.

The private messages in which Mr. Carlson showed disregard for management and colleagues were a major factor in that decision, according to other people familiar with the matter. Although many portions of the Dominion court documents are redacted, there is concern among Fox Corp. executives that if the redacted material were to become public it would lead to further embarrassment for the network and parent company.

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Tucker Carlson’s vulgar messages about colleagues and combative stance toward members of Fox News management were major factors in the network’s decision to part ways with him https://t.co/eT5jfbSS7O

— The Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) April 26, 2023