Tucker Carlson Leaps to Top of Cable News Ratings Following Controversy Over BLM
Fox News host Tucker Carlson topped all comers in cable news ratings on Monday after a week in which the conservative pundit lost advertisers over comments he made about protests following the death of George Floyd.
Carlson drew nearly 4.2 million viewers during Monday’s 8 p.m. Eastern prime-time slot, coming in ahead of fellow Fox News personality Sean Hannity, who normally enjoys the largest news audience on cable, TVNewser reported.
Hannity drew approximately 3.7 million viewers at 9 p.m. Eastern and FNC’s “The Five” came in third, with about 3.3 million.
MSNBC’s “The Rachel Maddow Show” was the top drawer among non-Fox programming, with an audience of 2.7 million at 9 p.m. Eastern.
TV RATINGS: Monday June 15, Fox News was America’s no.1 cable channel in total viewers. Top shows: @TuckerCarlson; @SeanHannity; @TheFive; @IngrahamAngle; @Maddow; @BretBaier and @MarthaMacCallum. https://t.co/bjPFsM6bAR pic.twitter.com/D19QTJZeL4
— TV News HQ (@TVNewsHQ) June 16, 2020
Carlson lost some high-profile advertisers last week after he said the protests following the death of George Floyd are “definitely not about black lives.”
Among those pulling ads were ABC, whose parent company is Disney, T-Mobile and Papa John’s Pizza.
In a segment that aired on June 8, Carlson said regarding the protests, “No matter what they tell you, it has very little to do with black lives. If only it did.”
“If Democratic leaders cared about saving the lives of black people — and they should — they wouldn’t ignore the murder of thousands of black men in their cities every year.”
“They wouldn’t put abortion clinics in black neighborhoods,” Carlson said.
“They would instead do their very best to improve the public schools and to encourage intact families.”
He concluded, “This may be a lot of things, this moment we are living through, but it is definitely not about black lives and remember that when they come for you, and at this rate, they will.”
The hashtag “IStandWithTuckerCarlson” was trending on Twitter on Friday.
BlazeTV host Elijah Schaffer was among those voicing his support.
“The mob will stop at nothing to destroy the lives of anyone who criticizes them,” he wrote.
“Advertiser exodus is the new book burning, canceling anyone you disagree with,” Schaffer added.
On the streets & online
The mob will stop at nothing to destroy the lives of anyone who criticizes them
Be prepared when they come after you
It will happen eventually
Advertiser exodus is the new book burning, canceling anyone you disagree with https://t.co/uRs3HKeKmv
— ELIJAH SCHAFFER (@ElijahSchaffer) June 12, 2020
Fox News contributor Lisa Boothe tweeted on Wednesday that she believes Carlson is drawing such a large audience because people are looking for independent thinking.
“I think there is a reason Tucker Carlson and Joe Rogan are thriving right now in the current media landscape,” Boothe wrote.
I think there is a reason Tucker Carlson and Joe Rogan are thriving right now in the current media landscape. People are hungry for fearlessness and independent thinking when so many engage in groupthink.
— Lisa Boothe (@LisaMarieBoothe) June 17, 2020
“People are hungry for fearlessness and independent thinking when so many engage in groupthink.”
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