Fired by Fox, Tucker Carlson 2.0 is now free to be the worst version of himself

Now is not the time to dance on Tucker Carlson’s grave.

Fox News fired its biggest star on Monday. Why? The network did not explain. And Mr. Carlson, who has spent years running his yap like an outboard motor on the high seas of bad ideas, is currently set to silent mode.

Was the shocking termination related to last week’s settlement, in which Fox News paid Dominion Voting Systems $787.5 million (U.S.) over false allegations of a rigged election? Did this have something to do with an ongoing discrimination lawsuit filed by Abby Grossberg, a former producer for Carlson, who is alleging a toxic workplace rampant with bullying, sexism and antisemitism?

Whatever the reason, news that Tucker was deep-sixed on cable sent shock waves across the conjoined worlds of media and politics. His inconsolable fans cursed the universe. His critics doubled over in laughing schadenfreude. But doing the cha-cha-cha Carlson once performed on “Dancing With the Stars” is gravely premature.

There might not be a body in that coffin.

Carlson is huddling with lawyers. He may be gone for now. But he will return to haunt us again. This termination is different from past humiliations. When CNN parted ways with Carlson in 2005, he had zero prospects. He ended up on MSNBC, only to be fired three years later. Carlson then became a Fox nomad, a weekend contributor until he replaced the also fired and disgraced Bill O’Reilly.

Media critics predicted Carlson would never match Loofah Bill’s ratings. He surpassed them. He also increased ad buys in his slot, despite relentless threats of boycotts.

It sounds like I’m suddenly praising Tucker. I’m not. I’ve been pretty clear over the years. In my opinion, Carlson is a bloviating and polarizing dipstick who panders to the lowest-common denominator of political discourse. He never makes the world better.

“Tucker Carlson Tonight” was always a petri dish of xenophobic spores.

But on Fox, Carlson had overlords and corporate guardrails, which is why his plans to further whitewash the Jan. 6 insurrection were cut short. He was still free to wink-nod talking points for white nationalists, which is why both David Duke and Richard Spencer love him. Carlson never educated his audience — he pandered to their seething ignorance, conspiracies and irrational fear of “others.” He didn’t just lean in to lies. He dry-humped those lies, night after night, and now his fans are convinced dirty immigrants are replacing them, crime is at an all-time high, globalist elites are drinking the blood of children, the FBI is a racket of false-flag operations, M&Ms are lesbians, Vladimir Putin is a folk hero and real men should tan their testicles.

Imagine what he’ll say when there are no shareholders or overlords.

Carlson’s critics are popping champagne this week. It’s foolish and premature. Independent media is now a stomping ground for those with Carlson’s global following. The landscape has changed. When his contract was not renewed at CNN, podcasts were cultural zygotes. When MSNBC whacked Carlson, there was no Substack. He could now snag a camera at Best Buy, record grievance-fests in a fishing shack, upload them to YouTube and generate more revenue than most newspapers.

Tucker Carlson, the ghoulish cable incarnate, may be gone. But Tucker Carlson 2.0, the human HateGPT of punditry, will soon return to a screen near you. And this unplugged Tucker is going to scare the bejesus out of all decent and sensible people.

One of the most intriguing parts of the Dominion lawsuit against Fox was the private texts and emails made public. Carlson railed against his own execs and colleagues who had the journalistic temerity to call out Donald Trump’s election lies. He thought this was bad for business, even though he knew they were lies. Carlson became the opposite of a whistleblower. He chose to amplify and monetize delusions for ratings.

That’s why his termination is not a dream come true — it’s a new nightmare.

Fox gave Carlson a coveted perch on cable. He then transcended cable. To those on the far right, Carlson is a kingmaker. He is a demigod, a fearless warrior. But if you go back and watch old “Crossfire” segments on CNN, co-hosted by Carlson, he doesn’t seem nearly as strident and unhinged as he does today.

The devolution is striking. Tucker Carlson’s brain was eaten by Tucker Carlson’s hate.

There are two kinds of cable anchors: 1. Those who are watched because of the channel they are on. 2. Those who are watched because of who they are. Don Lemon, also fired on Monday by CNN, belongs to the former. Carlson is in the latter. He could go on the speaking circuit this summer and sell out Madison Square Garden.

And once Tucker Carlson 2.0 rumbles to zombie life, all bets are off.

If you thought this Swanson heir in his Harry Potter neckties was a frozen TV dinner before, just wait until he’s a babbling vat of salmonella on indie media. After getting turfed by CNN, MSNBC and now Fox News, Carlson is done with having bosses.

He will now be animated by an impulse to say things that were too crazy for Fox.

He is now free to double down on anti-immigration, anti-globalization, anti-feminism, anti-trans, anti-multiculturalism, anti-Lindsey Graham, anti-(blank). He is free to be the worst version of himself.

Tucker Carlson was not fired this week.

He was given a greenlight to become an even more despicable human being.

Vinay Menon is the Star’s pop culture columnist based in Toronto. Follow him on Twitter: @vinaymenon