Here's the Next Host to Take Over Tucker's Old Prime-Time Spot as Audience Is Cut in Half
Fox News host Will Cain will host “Fox News Tonight” this week as the network will begin a fourth week without former host Tucker Carlson.
TheWrap first reported on Friday that Cain, a “Fox & Friends Weekend” host, will take over Carlson’s old time slot from May 15 to May 19.
Former White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany hosted the hour last week.
She was unable to help the network bring the time slot back to relevancy just as Lawrence Jones was unable to make the hour impactful the week before.
Network host Brian Kilmeade sat in for Carlson during the first week after his show was pulled by the network, and he was cut without explanation.
Fox News announced on April 24 that it had parted ways with cable’s highest-rated host.
Neither party has addressed the decision directly, but audiences have spoken on the matter.
“Fox News Tonight” brought in roughly 1.4 million total viewers last week with McEnany at the desk, which is a fraction of the more than 3 million people who tuned in to an average episode of “Tucker Carlson Tonight.”
Carlson has announced he will bring some variation of his show to Twitter soon.
But it remains to be seen if Fox News will be able to overcome the loss of such a powerful voice in prime time as it had previously been able to do.
Fox overcame the losses of Megyn Kelly and Bill O’Reilly arguably in large part due to the popularity of Carlson.
He steadied a ship that was navigating uncharted waters two years ago when Fox News viewers left in droves after the network eerily decided to call Arizona early for Joe Biden during the 2020 election.
Now, the network has a credibility problem with conservatives and is without a voice that people trusted to offer them unfettered truth and criticism of their elected officials in both parties.
Carlson’s absence has created opportunities for Fox News’ competitors and has opened up the network to criticism from every direction.
The widow of former longtime network CEO Roger Ailes, who helped launch the channel in 1996, attacked Fox News on Monday morning while she celebrated what would have been the late media executive’s birthday.
“Happy Heavenly Birthday Roger Ailes,” Elizabeth Ailes tweeted.
She concluded, “It took you 20 years to build Fox News into the powerhouse that it was and only 6 years for the Murdochs to wreak havoc. Rupert thought he could do your job. What a joke. He has the checkbook but could never come close to your genius. RIP.”
Happy Heavenly Birthday Roger Ailes. It took you 20 years to build Fox News into the powerhouse that it was and only 6 years for the Murdochs to wreak havoc. Rupert thought he could do your job. What a joke. He has the checkbook but could never come close to your genius. RIP. pic.twitter.com/UqQHhS5Uvz
— ELIZABETH AILES (@ELIZABETH_AILES) May 15, 2023
Ailes died in 2017 three days after his 77th birthday.
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