After Tucker Carlson’s sudden exit from Fox News, the network suffered a loss in ratings on Monday night.
The network’s 8 p.m. hour had a noticeably smaller audience on Monday night, according to the Hollywood Reporter. The debut of a replacement program, “Fox News Tonight” that was hosted by Brian Kilmeade, pulled in 2.6 million viewers, or about 20 percent below the average for “Tucker Carlson Tonight” over the past two months or so.
Kilmeade is the first of what Fox News said is many rotating hosts who will be featured on the program until a replacement is named. Normally, Kilmeade hosts Fox’s morning program.
“As you probably have heard, Fox News and Tucker Carlson have agreed to part ways,” he told viewers on Monday night, adding: “I wish Tucker the best. I’m great friends with Tucker and always will be. But right now, it’s time for Fox News Tonight, so let’s get started.”
MSNBC saw 1.51 million viewers during the same time slot, while CNN saw 728,000 viewers, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Newsmax saw an increase in viewership for its 8 p.m. ET timeslot program, “Eric Bolling the Balance,” which netted 531,000 viewers.
For years, Carlson’s show has dominated cable news and, in recent months, was bested only by another Fox News program, “The Five,” which recently saw an uptick in viewership. Analysts said that Carlson’s exit will have a sizeable impact on Fox News—not just ratings.
“It’s a huge deal,” said Matthew Tuttle, the head of Tuttle Capital Management, an investment firm that is betting against Fox Corporation shares, according to Reuters. “The 8 pm slot is important and they will lose viewers in that spot.”
He then issued a warning to Fox: “They need to find another Carlson, that is going to be the problem. They need to pull a rabbit out of the hat.”
A company spokesperson told Reuters that Fox News has been number one for 22 years and that Monday’s show was not only top across the board, but grew from the last show hosted by Carlson, pointing to Nielsen data that showed it pulled in about 2.6 million viewers.
