Fox News Responds to Rumors of ‘Ambitious’ New Schedule After Tucker Carlson Exit

An advertisement features Fox News personalities, including Tucker Carlson and Sean Hannity, in New York City, on March 13, 2019. Drew Angerer/Getty Images

A Fox News spokesperson responded to rumors and reports claiming that the network is slated to make sweeping changes to its primetime lineup, including one asserting that Sean Hannity will take over the 8 p.m. ET timeslot after Tucker Carlson’s sudden exit last month.

“No decision has been made on a new primetime line-up and there are multiple scenarios under consideration,” a Fox News spokesperson told The Epoch Times on Wednesday.

A headline posted on the Drudge Report Wednesday blared: “WORLD EXCLUSIVE: FOXNEWS SETS NEW SCHEDULE” and eventually said that Hannity would take over the 8 p.m. timeslot and that both Jesse Watters and Greg Gutfeld would be moving into primetime. It means that Hannity, who has been at Fox News for decades, would be taking over the slot previously held by former host Carlson.

The website also wrote: “FOXNEWS preparing to announce ambitious new schedule, the DRUDGE REPORT has learned, a schedule where every hour of primetime will change! TOP SOURCE: ‘IT’S OUR BOLDEST AND MOST FEARLESS LINE-UP EVER.'” It did not indicate how the Drudge Report, a website founded by Matt Drudge who conservatives have said has taken a markedly left-wing approach in recent years, learned of the lineup changes.

On social media and elsewhere, Hannity has not responded to Drudge’s unconfirmed claims.

In late April, Fox News confirmed in a news release that Carlson would be exiting the network. Neither Fox nor Carlson have issued any details about why the former host departed, if he was fired, or if he is still under contract.

After his exit, Fox News’ 8 p.m. hour saw a dip in ratings after creating a new program, “Fox News Tonight,” to replace Carlson’s formerly top-rated program. Other Fox primetime shows, including the 9 p.m. one currently held by Hannity and Laura Ingraham’s program, have suffered, too.

“Fox News Tonight” drew 1.3 million total viewers and 136,000 demographic viewers, Nielsen ratings show. In March, Carlson averaged more than 3 million viewers each night, in part bolstered by his coverage of never-before-seen footage from the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol breach that he said busted mainstream narratives that the incident was a “violent insurrection.”

The newly minted show, which Fox said was temporary, features a rotating cast of hosts. Last week, Trump-era press secretary Kayleigh McEnany hosted the show, and this week, Fox’s Will Cain has the hosting duties.

Other Ratings Updates

CNN’s primetime ratings have crashed back to normal following a single-day boost caused by the network’s decision to host a town hall event with former President Donald Trump.

While the 8 p.m. ET town hall event a week ago, on May 10, drew about 3.3 million people, the network’s ratings dropped to fourth place behind Newsmax, a conservative-leaning channel, among cable news networks, according to Nielsen data. CNN averaged just 335,000 viewers and 87,000 viewers in the coveted 25-54 age demographic on Friday, May 12, between 8 p.m. and 11 p.m.

Former President Donald Trump speaks at a CNN Town Hall at St. Anselm College in Manchester, N.H., on May 10, 2023, in a still from video. CNN/Screenshot via The Epoch Times

Newsmax, in comparison, generated some 357,000 viewers and 45,000 in the 25–54 demographic on average across the May 12 primetime hours, according to Nielsen. Generally, Fridays tend to draw fewer cable news viewers than other weeknights.

CNN was also behind MSNBC and Fox News, which averaged 1.08 million and 1.44 million total average viewers, respectively, during the May 12 primetime hours, the data shows. That night, CNN’s “Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace” drew its lowest ratings since it launched on the network in September 2022, drawing about 263,000 viewers, according to Nielsen ratings cited by Mediaite.

Friday’s programming of the Anderson Cooper-hosted “AC360” at 8 p.m. drew about 447,000 viewers. It came a day after Cooper told his viewers that they have “every right” to never watch CNN again, although he defended the cable channel’s decision to air the Trump town hall special.

A CNN spokesperson told the New York Post on Tuesday that the drop in CNN’s ratings after the Trump event were not connected to the Newsmax surge. He claimed that Newsmax has drawn more viewers since Carlson’s exit from Fox News late last month.

“The phenomenon you’ve identified is not related to CNN,” CNN spokesperson Matt Dornic told the paper. “Fox News viewership is down double digits as their viewers jump to Newsmax in huge numbers.”

Dornic added: “CNN is entirely focused on the 25–54 demo, which was actually up versus the previous four Fridays while both Fox and MSNBC were down." The Epoch Times has contacted CNN for comment.

After the town hall, CNN executive Chris Licht reportedly told staffers in a conference call that he believes the network served the nation well by hosting the Trump town hall, noting that half the American electorate supports the former president. He previously noted that polls have shown Trump is the leading GOP candidate.

Trump, too, has taken notice of the recent primetime changes. In a recent interview, the 45th president said that he is “disappointed with Fox,” adding: “I thought the firing of Tucker [Carlson] was a tremendous mistake. I was very disappointed.”