Fox News’ $787.5 million settlement with Dominion Voting Systems earlier this month revealed messages from the cable network’s former prime time star Tucker Carlson that included demeaning statements toward women, according to reports.
Dominion’s suit accused Fox News of airing claims by hosts and guests that Dominion was partially responsible for rigging the results of the 2020 U.S. presidential election for Joe Biden’s benefit. In the process of combing through communications from key Fox talent and executives, several of Carlson’s messages were brought to the attention of Fox lawyers. The Wall Street Journal reported that Carlson called a senior executive at Fox the “c-word,” while The New York Times stated it had obtained video showing Carlson discussing his “postmenopausal fans” and whether they would approve of his appearance, while another video purportedly showed him describing a woman he found “yummy.”
While it was never clear if or how such comments would have factored in to the Dominion case had it gone to trial, various Left-wing outlets, including The New York Times, The Associated Press and National Public Radio, are intent on exposing the redacted material related to Carlson, the Times acknowledged.
Other communications from Carlson reportedly angered Fox’s top brass. In private messages, Carlson had expressed his disapproval of Fox News after the 2020 election was called for Biden, “Do the executives understand how much credibility and trust we’ve lost with our audience?” Other messages stated, “Those f****** are destroying our credibility,” “A combination of incompetent liberals and top leadership with too much pride to back down is what’s happening,” and “We’re playing with fire, for real … an alternative like Newsmax could be devastating to us.”
Carlson was not the only Fox News host to rail against the network calling the election for Biden; in a group text sent on November 12, 2020, Sean Hannity wrote to Carlson and Laura Ingraham: “In one week and one debate they destroyed a brand that took 25 years to build and the damage is incalculable.”
On the same night, Fox reporter Jacqui Heinrich, fact-checked a tweet by former President Trump involving claims against Dominion in which she said, “There is no evidence that any voting system deleted or lost votes, changed votes, or was in any way compromised.”
Carlson texted Hannity and Ingraham: “Please get her fired. Seriously … What the f***? I’m actually shocked. It needs to stop immediately, like tonight. It’s measurably hurting the company. The stock price is down. Not a joke.”
After Carlson’s exit from the network earlier this week, multiple people came forward on social media to speak of Carlson’s personal kindnesses over the years.
“When I first moved to DC, [Tucker Carlson] heard it was my first Thanksgiving away from home. I had just gone through a divorce and my kids were on the other side of the country. He invited me to his home and I enjoyed Thanksgiving with his father, his wife, his children and his dogs,” radio personality Larry O’Connor wrote.
“They treated me like I was a part of the family. It turned what would have been a sad and lonely day into one I’ll never forget. His family is full of joy and love and laughter. Tucker is the winner today.”
“Tucker Carlson is genuinely one of the kindest, most down to earth people I have ever met in my life. When I had the opportunity to meet him a few months ago, he greeted me as if we had been best friends for a lifetime,” Jaimee Michell, founder of Gays Against Groomers, tweeted.
Related: Twitter Flooded With Stories About Tucker Carlson’s Kindness In Wake Of Fox News Exit
