Popular Fox News personality Tucker Carlson is often at the center of controversy, yet his salary is substantial. According to reports, Carlson has earned as much as $20 million in a single year while working for Fox News.
Carlson has risen to prominence in television news because of his controversial viewpoints and devoted fan base. How did he manage to amass such a massive income, though? Let’s look at the rise to fame and fortune of one of America’s most prominent media figures.
Tucker Carlson Salary: The Shocking Amount He Makes in a Year
One of the news industry’s most divisive and well-compensated stars has been fired. On Monday morning (24 April 2023) , Fox News said they had fired Tucker Carlson from his primetime show.
Carlson, 53, was making between $15 million and $20 million a year hosting “Tucker Carlson Tonight,” Fox News’ staple one-hour-long nightly talk show, according to a person familiar with contract negotiations at Fox and other networks.
This person said that salary makes him one of the highest-paid people in the industry. “He has more leverage than anyone else,” they said. “He could pick up and go anywhere … before this.”
Carlson’s show, aired at 8 p.m. ET since 2017, averaged 3.3 million viewers for each episode in 2018, making it the second most viewed cable show behind only Fox News’s “The Five.” Carlson has been with Fox News since 2009, first as a political analyst before landing the evening spot.
Fox News released a brief statement explaining that Tucker Carlson has “agreed to part ways” with the network and its top anchor but offered no more context for Carlson’s departure. The statement claims that his final performance was on April 21. Carlson did not say goodbye to fans or hint at his departure in that episode.
According to reports from CNN and Vanity Fair, who cited unnamed sources, Carlson learned of the plan to fire him on a Monday (24 April 2023). A Fox News representative would not go beyond the statement in the press release. Reported Carlson attorney Bryan Freedman had not responded to requests for comment as of press time.
The abrupt news follows Fox’s unprecedented defamation deal with Dominion Voter Systems last week, in which the former agreed to pay the latter $787.5 million. In March 2021, Dominion filed a defamation lawsuit against Fox for $1.6 billion, claiming the network promoted false charges of election fraud using Dominion’s voting devices in 2020.
During the case, court filings revealed that prominent Fox anchors and executives, including Carlson, had publicly criticized the same voting fraud accusations that the network had advanced privately. On Thursday (20 April 2023), Fox News also parted ways with Dan Bongino, anchor of the Saturday (22 April), night program Unfiltered with Dan Bongino.
In his podcast, controversial commentator Bongino explained that he and the network “couldn’t come to terms on an extension.” There is no grand plot afoot, as such.
Former producer Abby Grossberg filed suit against Carlson and Fox Network last month. Grossberg claims that Fox compelled her to give a false deposition in the Dominion case and that Carlson created a hostile, “overtly misogynistic” work environment.
What comes next for Carlson is up in the air until we find out why he quit. A source familiar with Fox News’ contract discussions said that if the anchor were dismissed for a reason, the network would not be obligated to pay him any more compensation for his Friday (21 April) appearance.
However, when separation is “amicable,” Carlson may continue to get compensation for his contract, even if prohibited from taking other employment.
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Bryan Freedman, Carlson’s attorney, has a slew of celebrities on his client list, including Bachelor host Chris Harrison, director Quentin Tarantino, and CNN’s Don Lemon, so he may try to negotiate with the network for a lump sum payment in lieu of the full amount specified in Carlson’s contract, allowing him to leave Fox News and work elsewhere.
Carlson’s remaining time on his current deal is unknown. Around the time of the 2020 election, most prominent hosts renegotiated their contracts. A person familiar with such agreements stated that their duration could range from one to six years, with agreements lasting three to four years being the norm.
On Monday (24 April), Vanity Fair claimed that Carlson had been caught off guard while finalizing negotiations to extend his contract through 2029. Carlson probably has a comfortable emergency fund thanks to his high salary at Fox News. Forbes found that Carlson had two properties. The one is a home in Woodstock, Maine, on a four thousand square foot site near a lake.
The other is a home in Boca Grande, Florida, that he built by merging two adjacent lots. He and his wife, Susan Andrews, allegedly spent $2.9 million on their first Florida mansion, which is “hidden down a private lane,” and another $5.5 million on the property next door in the summer of 2022, as reported by the excellent real estate news site Dirt.
Before gaining his primetime show on Fox News, Carlson cofounded the conservative news and commentary site The Daily Caller in 2010. In 2020, he parted ways with his college flatmate and eventual business partner, Neil Patel, for an undisclosed fee. Patel declined to comment for this piece.
Keep checking theactivenews.com for updates as more information on Tucker Carlson’s salary becomes available.
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