A conservative titan takes a stand against a once-prominent news network, exposing a rapid decline in viewership and signaling a shocking power shift in the world of cable news.
Megyn Kelly, the ex-Fox News star and current host of a successful SiriusXM podcast, made a jest at her former employer’s expense by dubbing the network “Foxweiser” on Friday. The nickname comes after a significant decline in Fox News ratings since the abrupt removal of Tucker Carlson from their lineup, which has led to the once-dominant cable news network losing ground to left-wing MSNBC for the first time in years.
Fox News’ primetime viewership plummeted by a staggering 29.6 percent in just one week after Carlson’s departure, as Slay News reported. Kelly’s “Foxweiser” moniker likens the situation to the recent decline in Bud Light sales following their ill-fated partnership with transgender activist and biological male Dylan Mulvaney, who identifies as a woman.
My audience is calling them #Foxweiser. https://t.co/39K4AwE7JY
— Megyn Kelly (@megynkelly) May 5, 2023
During her podcast, Kelly highlighted the gravity of Fox’s ratings crisis, stating that the network is now left with only “about a third of their audience.” She called the situation “stunning” and pointed out that primetime programming, the network’s primary revenue source, has been severely impacted.
The ratings decline has affected Hannity, which follows Carlson’s time slot, as well as other shows. Kelly emphasized that primetime is what truly matters at Fox News, as it pays the bills.
Wow, Fox’s entire primetime lineup down 30% in its first post-Tucker week. Not just Tucker’s slot, the entire block. Fox did not have a single program in the top 10 for the week and only three in the top 20. This is indeed a blood bath.https://t.co/NEHMN5sLut
— Megan Basham (@megbasham) May 4, 2023
In the aftermath of Carlson’s firing, Fox News’ cable news reign has crumbled. The program “Fox News Tonight,” which took over Carlson’s time slot, experienced a nearly one million viewer drop. None of Fox’s programs have reached the 3 million viewer benchmark that Carlson had consistently maintained. Even Rachel Maddow’s 9 pm program on MSNBC has surpassed Fox’s former 8 pm time slot in viewership.
Kelly previously referred to the situation at Fox as a “bloodbath” and compared it to the desperate attempts of Bud Light to give away its beer in hopes of enticing people to drink it. According to the Los Angeles Times, Fox News Channel’s prime-time programming viewership dropped to 1.449 million viewers, ranking it third among cable networks.
In a tweet last Friday, Kelly, a law school graduate, suggested that Carlson should “walk away” from his current Fox News contract and accept the financial consequences in order to freely pursue his next venture. She stated that Fox taking Carlson to court over the matter of silencing him for the remainder of the election season would only further alienate their already dwindling audience.
Tucker should walk away & forfeit the pay. Let Fox take him to court over the sole issue of silencing him for the rest of the election season (!)-the man they fired & smeared relentlessly while he stayed silent. See how their dwindling audience repays them for
that. https://t.co/hLQv6buXJe— Megyn Kelly (@megynkelly) May 6, 2023
Kelly’s remarks came in response to a tweet from former CNN media analyst Brian Stelter, who noted that Carlson is subject to a “pay or play” clause, meaning that Fox doesn’t have to air him as long as they pay him for the remainder of his contract. Stelter questioned whether Fox would allow Carlson to exit on relatively permissive terms during the ongoing exit negotiation.
Sources: Conservativebrief, Slay News, LA Times
