Fox after O’Reilly to feature Carlson
The abrupt and onceunthinkable defenestration of Bill O’Reilly leaves Fox News without the toprated host in cable news — and with a potentially farreaching shake-up in the channel’s vaunted evening lineup.
Tucker Carlson, a conservative provocateur who joined Fox News’ prime-time ranks only three months ago, has been tapped to replace O’Reilly at 7 p.m. Central, beginning Monday, the network said. Carlson has become, seemingly overnight, one of the network’s most vital players, a remarkable turnaround for a pundit whose bow-tied heyday had seemed behind him.
Fox News’ afternoon ensemble show, “The Five,” which features a round table of hosts, will take over Carlson’s 8 p.m. slot.
The network must navigate the drastic on-air overhaul at a rare moment when it is facing a challenge from its rivals. Last month, Rachel Maddow of MSNBC surged past Carlson at 8 p.m. in the coveted 25- to 54-year-old age bracket. CNN just announced a prime-time test next week for Jake Tapper, a journalistic star of the moment.
The new prime-time lineup will also test whether Fox News viewers are loyal to particular anchors or to the network at large. When Megyn Kelly left the network in January, her audience did not; Carlson has had higher ratings at 8 p.m. than did Kelly. But O’Reilly had cultivated a huge fan base that reliably tuned into his show for more than a decade, making him not only a TV star but also a best-selling author.
“Fox News has demonstrated again and again the strength of its talent bench,” the head of the network, Rupert Murdoch, said in a memo to staff members Wednesday. “We have full confidence that the network will continue to be a powerhouse in cable news.”
The only remaining member of Fox’s longtime four-hour stretch of nighttime programming is Sean Hannity, who draws huge ratings and will continue to command his 9 p.m. slot.
The channel said it would give Eric Bolling, who has been a substitute anchor for O’Reilly and a host of “The Five,” his own afternoon program at 4 p.m. beginning on May 1.
In its new prime-time incarnation, “The Five” will add a regular panelist: Jesse Watters, a protégé of O’Reilly’s who recently interviewed Trump. Watters is best known for prankster-style antics and was heavily criticized last year for a segment that trafficked in offensive stereotypes about Asian-Americans.
Rounding out the lineup of “The Five” will be Kimberly Guilfoyle, Dana Perino, Bob Beckel, Greg Gutfeld and Juan Williams. The show will be broadcast live, as will “Tucker Carlson Tonight,” which gives Fox News back-to-back hours of live cable news in prime time.
Fox News will keep Martha MacCallum in the 6 p.m. slot, which she was awarded on a temporary basis in January. Her show will be called “The Story With Martha MacCallum” and will also be live.