Late-night hosts react to Tucker Carlson and Don Lemon firings
Jimmy Kimmel, Desi Lydic, Jimmy Fallon and other comedians poked fun at Tucker Carlson’s split with Fox News during their shows April 24. (Video: Julie Yoon/The Washington Post)
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America’s TV news journalists and nighttime talk-show hosts found plenty to talk about after Fox News split with Tucker Carlson and CNN fired Don Lemon. ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live’ Wp Get the full experience. Choose your plan ArrowRight On “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” the host joked about how Fox News has “severed bow ties” with Carlson, who was known for wearing the accessory. Calling the news an “absolutely delightful shock,” Kimmel said this “wasn’t the only dramatic cable news beheading announced today,” referring to Lemon. “This is like if Ronald McDonald and the Burger King got fired on the same day,” he said.
After a facetious “news flash” where Kimmel gets fired, he went back to Carlson, joking about the Fox News host ordering a sausage and pineapple pizza during his last episode on the network.
“He should have been fired on the spot for that alone,” Kimmel said.
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Carlson’s “probably not done poisoning old people’s brains,” Kimmel said. “The question now is where will he do it next? Will he go to OAN [One America News], will he go to Newsmax?”
To send him off “in style,” the comedian introduced a sizzle reel of Carlson highlights, giving “one last dance with one of the most despicable mother Tuckers ever to appear on American television.”
‘The Daily Show’
On “The Daily Show,” guest host Desi Lydic mused about how Carlson “spent so many years saying that Mexican people were coming to take our jobs away” but was forced out by Rupert Murdoch. “Turns out they should have been worrying about Australia,” she said, adding that the move would “leave a huge white-power vacuum at Fox.”
The “Daily Show” correspondent said she was a bit nervous about what Carlson would do next. “You know, it’s like after Papa John got fired,” referring to John Schnatter, the founder of the pizza company who stepped down after making controversial statements. “You just knew he was out there somewhere working on a pizza that gives you even worse diarrhea.”
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Lydic then nodded at the other termination of the day, saying CNN “just fired Don Lemon after 17 New Year’s Eve blackouts.”
‘Late Night with Seth Meyers’
Seth Meyers said he was glad Carlson is gone but admitted there was one problem: “At least when he had a show we knew where he was.”
Meyers said Lemon was ousted for alleged sexist behavior. He quipped: “Does anyone have an opening for a sexist? Oh, right.”
He returned to Carlson in his “A Closer Look” segment. He said the Fox News anchors who read the news of Carlson’s departure seemed like they didn’t actually like Carlson. “Wow, I’ve seen more convincing reads on North Korean TV,” Meyers said.
Meyers said Carlson posed “ludicrous hypotheticals” framed as just asking questions, which Meyers said was dangerous.
‘The Late Late show with James Corden’
On James Corden’s last episode of “The Late Late Show,” he too chimed in on the biggest media news of the day, joking that with “Fox & Friends like these, who needs enemies?”
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He added that Carlson — who has worked at MSNBC, CNN and Fox News — was running out of options. “Soon he’s just going to be on the Weather Channel, saying that hurricanes are caused by drag queens.” He briefly alluded to Lemon being forced out of CNN.
Earlier in the evening, the cable news shows covered the news with a more serious tone.
Fox News
All eyes were on prime-time Fox News to see whether the channel’s anchors and hosts mentioned Carlson during their shows. Bret Baier’s show did not mention Carlson, nor did “Jesse Watters Primetime.”
But “Fox & Friends” anchor Brian Kilmeade filled Carlson’s old prime-time slot and addressed the former host out of the gate.
“As you probably have heard, Fox News and Tucker Carlson have agreed to part ways. I wish Tucker the best,” he said. “I am great friends with Tucker and always will be.”
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On “Hannity,” anchor Sean Hannity did not mention Carlson but did hold a segment about Lemon, whom he deemed “fake news.”
Newsmax with Trump
On Newsmax’s “Greg Kelly Reports,” former president Donald Trump said he was surprised by Carlson’s departure from Fox News, calling the former host a “very good man” with “very high ratings” who had been “terrific to me.”
The former president said he didn’t know whether Carlson was fired or left because he wanted “free rein.”
CNN
Anderson Cooper led his CNN show with Carlson’s ousting, discussing the news with guests who speculated on the role the Dominion case might have played in the move. Cooper also wondered about the fate of other Fox News hosts implicated in the Dominion suit.
“I can’t imagine that Maria Bartiromo is sleeping well tonight,” Cooper said. “I mean, if they’re willing to let go of Tucker Carlson with his ratings, why wouldn’t they jettison her?”
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At the end of the segment on Carlson, Cooper mentioned Lemon’s firing, repeating the company’s statement: “Don will forever be a part of the CNN family.”
MSNBC
MSNBC star Rachel Maddow started her 9 p.m. show by placing Carlson in the larger context of right-wing media figures dating back to radio journalist Father Charles Coughlin in the 1930s and through Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck.
She said Carlson has less influence than any of them because the role of the No. 1 conservative firebrand has diminished. Now, conservatives for some reason got rid of Carlson, she said.
“They have lopped off one of their episodically dominant figures,” Maddow said.
Ali Velshi filled in for Lawrence O’Donnell at MSNBC’s 10 p.m. spot, during which he said that Carlson’s ouster is good for democracy but that Fox News would probably replace him with someone even more extreme because that’s what the business model dictates. NBC disinformation reporter Ben Collins said during the show that Carlson often dredged hate-filled online forum 4chan for content.
“Tucker was essentially a composite character of a 4chan” user, Collins said.
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Source: The Washington Post
