Late-Night Hosts React to Tucker Carlson’s Fox News Exit: ‘What an Absolutely Delightful Shock This Is’
Late-night comedians had a field day with Tucker Carlson and Don Lemon’s cable news ousters on Monday, including Jimmy Kimmel, who took the opportunity to joke that he’d also been abruptly let go from his hosting job.
Just as Kimmel was recapping Carlson and Lemon’s respective exits from Fox News and CNN, Kimmel’s sidekick Guillermo cut in with a mock announcement that “ABC TV has decided to part ways with host Jimmy Kimmel. This was a mutual decision… And, on a personal note, I would like to say to Jimmy: Don’t let the door hit your ass on the way out. Loser!”
Elsewhere in his monologue, Kimmel joked that “this is more like an episode of Succession than last night’s episode of Succession,” as Carlson’s departure was reportedly Fox Corp. boss Rupert Murdoch’s decision.
“What a shock,” Kimmel added. “What an absolutely delightful shock this is.” (You can watch his full monologue below.)
Elsewhere on late-night TV…
Late Night host Seth Meyers gleefully recounted the news in an extensive “A Closer Look” segment, who asked: “Does this mean that Fox News has gone… woke?” (That word was accompanied by a scary thunderclap and the laugh of an evil witch.) He then compared his reaction to a series of Tucker Carlson faces and suggested that perhaps “the new green M&M” might take over his old time slot. (The Tonight Show‘s Jimmy Fallon got in on the M&M jokes, too, quipping, “It’s easy to make jokes about Tucker being gone, but now who’s going to tell me which M&M is most woke, y’know?”)
Over on The Daily Show, guest host Desi Lydic couldn’t help but find a little irony in Carlson’s ouster: “I can’t believe a network that’s so opposed to gender-affirming surgery just cut off their own d—k,” she said.
And Late Late Show host James Corden, who will be stepping down from his late-night post at the end of this week, had a different theory for why Carlson and Lemon left their networks so suddenly. “They’re getting out while the going’s good,” he suggested. “Because soon, the only reputable news source in America will be gone on Thursday. It’s us. We break the news, they just take the news.”
Fox News parted ways with Carlson on Monday morning. Interestingly, there was zero indication of Carlson’s exit the previous Friday, when at the close of what would be his final episode he said to viewers a typical, “We’ll be back on Monday.”
Word that CNN terminated Lemon came less than an hour later. At the time, Lemon said he’d been told he was let go by his agent, not by anyone at CNN. Shortly thereafter, the cable news network issued a terse response challenging its ex-employee’s interpretation of events.
“Don Lemon’s statement about this morning’s events is inaccurate,” CNN Communications tweeted. “He was offered an opportunity to meet with management but instead released a statement on Twitter.”
Carlson’s termination comes in the wake of Fox News Channel reaching a settlement in a $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit filed by Dominion Voting Systems, just as their much-publicized trial was about to get underway. Dominion claimed it was owed damages resulting from Fox News’ airing of false claims about its role in the 2020 election. In the past few months, emails and texts gathered for the trial from Fox executives and anchors — Carlson and Sean Hannity included — hinted that people working at the company knowingly put forth false information about the election and Dominion’s involvement in it.
Lemon’s firing, meanwhile, comes three weeks after our sister site Variety published an exposé in which more than a dozen of his former and current colleagues outlined a pattern of allegedly misogynistic, inappropriate and “diva-like” behavior at the cable news network, and more than two months after he received backlash for a sexist statement he made on CNN This Morning in February.
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Politics is an opinion, it is your take on issues.
You are not the good guy, and the opposite take is not the villain. You feel one way about something, others feel different.
It is such a shame that we cannot have rational dialogue anymore and have reached a point in society where people cheer free speech being shut down.
I know I am going to get replies with people saying, “But Tucker is DIFFERENT, he is not a typical Republican.” Maybe so, but that’s the point. You don’t get to decide what the other side should do. I am a Red Sox fan. I don’t get to say, “I’m with the Yankees playing Anthony Rizzo, but they shouldn’t put Aaron Judge in tonight.” That’s their team and their lineup and they can do whatever they want with it.
For all your logic fails, mentioning free speech is the worst one.
No one is free of consequences for what they say. I’m just going to ignore freedom of speech meaning in the US that the govnetment can’t come after you…
While Tucker’s topics are politics, a lie is a lie. He helped cost Fox News hundreds of millions in costs due to lawsuits as a result of his lies.
Because defamation and harming third parties by saying things you admit are lies is the opposite of any rational thought.
But I also believe in accountability…,
I am not arguing the legality of free speech, I am arguing for the practicality of it.
Tucker says thing you don’t like. Fine. Don’t watch. That is what a normal person would do in this scenario. Just like a crazy person shouting on the street. You walk away or you help them, those are your choices.
A normal person doesn’t try to get them arrested, and a normal person doesn’t applaud someone losing their job.
I want EVERYONE at Faux News to lose their jobs… their money… their reputations (sullied as they already are)! I’ll settle for nothing less than complete degradation!
Say it again louder for the cheap seats!
Milly Dowler.
May that angel rest in heaven and may those devils burn in hell…
Crazy people shouting on the street don’t have a national pulpit reaching millions of viewers. As a normal person, I can feel sorry for the crazy person shouting on the street, and rejoice that the crazy person screaming misinformation on a national network has lost his job. They are very much not the same situation.
.
Also the things he was saying were provably false and cost his network three quarters of a *billion* dollars. It’s hardly surprising that they decided to part ways with him after that.
TFW your “free speech” is curtailed by your employer, and your employer is Fox News….
The First Amendment promises that the *government* will not infringe upon your right to speak freely. Not your employer or your spouse or your HOA – just the government.
Why is this concept so hard for people to understand?
Furthermore, the broader concept of free speech – not just the 1st Amendment – does not excuse or condone lies. Why do you think Fox folded like a cardboard box in the face of Dominion’s lawsuit? AND paid almost $800 million in a settlement. Why do you think Lindell and Jones (Alex) have multi-million dollar libel judgments against them?
The biggest tragedy is that Colbert is on vacation. 🤣🤣🤣
I know, right!
Stephen not airing new shows this week was honestly, truly the very first thought I had after hearing that lying Tuckems had been canned. I recorded ALL of the late night talk shows just to hear their takes on this most splendid of announcements. Please come back soon, Stephen! I crave your sophisticated snark!
Long overdue but karma finally came for Carlson. For the most part every bad or questionable person in this world finally pays the price for their actions.
I agree. It may come much later but Karma will have it day.
I guess Don Lemon was past his prime. Or maybe CNN was trying to make lemonade. On Tucker Carlson, I know a lot of people that are going to miss him. Maybe our media is self-righting after all.
You mean people actually watch late night tv.
Probably more viewers of specific clips posted to YouTube than actually watch the shows in full or when they air.
Yep. Or watch stream it on a network online service like Peacock, Hulu, Paramount etc.
Ah yes because Jimmy Kimmel has a spotless record and is above reproach. I don’t like Lemon or Carlson just as much as the next guy but he does have black face and disgusting misogynistic jokes hanging over him. It’s like throwing stones at a glass house.
I’m not crazy about Kimmel either but, sincere question. do you think there should be a higher standard for people who claim to be journalist or who report the “news” and stand-up comedians? I do, but I’m old enough to remember when we had real journalist reporting the news. I see few of these on any of the cable channels and just read the news on the AP site now.
I think networks and comedians/journalists should all at least be held to the same standards that they preach about to the “common man”and that they hold us to. I do believe Tucker and Don should have been fired given their track record. I don’t necessarily think Kimmel should be fired but I think he needs to be careful how he handles things when his past can come back to haunt him. Black face is never a good idea and his has not been scoured from the internet but he yells and cries at us about political standards.
False equivalencies. Not making an excuse for Kimmel’s prior bad acts (for which I believe he has apologized many times), but you are comparing a comedian’s distasteful and/or inappropriate jokes with a “journalist” KNOWINGLY misleading the public about a presidential election. One of them is wrong, the other one is a danger to democracy.
Colbert and Kimmel have ACTED like journalists since the 2016 election and during the pandemic. They haven’t been funny, they’ve been preachy and insufferable and very one-sided in their approach to “jokes”. Also, Jimmy Kimmel would call for the cancellation of anyone he didn’t like if they did the things he did. No matter *checks* notes, if they apologized. When you say “I’m not making excuses BUT” you are making excuses. In my opinion, both go hand in hand. The others just get away with it for being so called “comedians”.
Lol ok, sure. You win I guess
I think they’ve been hilarious!. My opinion, just like you think they haven’t been funny. Comedy is subjective.
From the comments I have read, I assume that all of you are quite liberal. The election was rigged and I guess the truth hurts. Look who our beautiful country got stuck with for President: Biden. The night shows hosts are nothing but losers.
Everyone isn’t a liberal or conservative, Sue. Trump lost because his inability to govern or speak beyond a 4th grade level turned off independents that voted for him in 2016. The election wasn’t stolen – go put on your tin foil hat and join the Fox News message boards.
If by truth you mean there has been zero evidence it was rigged, which Trump, Tucker, Rupert and most everyone involved has admitted either publicly or behind closed doors or in depositions and also was validated via recounts and then lost court cases, well, then you don’t understand what truth is.
Haha.
I’ll bet you $787.5 million that it wasn’t “rigged”. The only “rigging” seemed to go on with false electors, threatening Mike Pence, and Republicans voting as their dead family members.
Trump lost. Get over it.
Its literally impossible to rig an election without leaving legitimate irrefutable evidence which could stand up to scrutiny in court. As of yet nothing to that extent had been produced by the MAGA cult.
If you have proof, then please show it. If you don’t have any more actual proof than Trump & Co. then please kindly shut it.
Well thank you for your KIND words, but I don’t have to “shut it” just because you don’t like my words. FREEDOM OF SPEECH.
So, freedom of speech for you means condoning all the lying and subterfuge? I’m just saying.
Absolutely right! The election was rigged and the citizens of our country are paying the price. We were in great shape when Trump was in office not like now when our country is a laughing stock for the rest of the world and all of us regular folks are and will pay the price for the incompentcy of our lack luster Biden. God forbid we have to try TRY to survive another 4 years of Biden IFwe manage to get through the year and a half we have left. I will miss Tucker and not bother to watch Fox any more … it was good to hear the other side for a change and allowed to make up our own mind.
Who cares what these hacks think? Did any of them mention Lemon? If they did, did they make fun of that scumbag? Yeah, probably not. I could care less for Tucker. He’s a douche, too, but let’s be fair here in doling out the abuse.
Or better yet, don’t even mention it. Why give any of them the free publicity?
A true patriot fired for telling the truth. And shame on tvline for mocking him. Disgusting. When our President is rightfully reinstated you will be licking his boots
How is someone telling the truth spouting lie after lie?
TOTALLY AGREE, JUST HOPE IT WILL NOT BE TOO LATE TO SALVAGE WHATS LEFT OUR OUR STANDIND ON THE WORLD STAGE. RIGHT NOW WE ARE WAY DOWN ON THE TOTUM POLE, THANKS BIDEN.
Well, you might get your wish. Looks like good ole Tucker is being urged to run for president. What will you all do then? Trump or Tucker, guess heads will explode at having to choose.
Of course then you’ll have to convince the rest of Americans, especially us Independents. to vote for them and their lunacy…