Ron DeSantis Breaks Silence on Tucker Carlson Firing After Criticism

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis broke his silence on Friday about the firing of Fox News personality Tucker Carlson.

Carlson, who hosted the conservative news network's 8 p.m. ET program starting in 2016, was abruptly let go from the company on April 24 for reasons that have still not been officially explained. Subsequent reporting has suggested that a racist text message turned up during the discovery phase of Dominion Voting Systems' defamation lawsuit led officials at the company to push for his ouster, or that it was related to a lawsuit filed by a former staff member alleging that Carlson fostered a misogynistic workplace.

The text message in question, which Carlson sent on January 7, 2021, shows him discussing how he had watched a video showing at least three "Trump guys" beating an "Antifa kid."

The text from Carlson goes on to state that "jumping a guy" is "dishonorable" and "not how white men fight." Carlson added that he found himself "rooting for the mob" against the man being attacked, "hoping they'd hit him harder, kill him," before being dismayed in himself at this reaction.

Dominion was seeking $1.6 billion in damages from Fox, claiming the company damaged its reputation during coverage of the 2020 election by repeatedly amplifying false claims that Dominion machines were used to rig ballots in favor of Joe Biden over Donald Trump.

Meanwhile, Carlson's departure has been celebrated and decried along party lines, with left-leaning observers cheering the end of his show, which often platformed fringe extremist ideas, and right-leaning ones condemning Fox for cutting loose its biggest ratings draw and most influential voice.

For a time, DeSantis' voice was not among those on the right discussing Carlson's firing. Given his prominent standing in the GOP and the fact that he is widely expected to be planning a 2024 presidential bid, his silence felt notable to many, with the likes of Donald Trump Jr. calling him out for a lack of "courage."

"It's been almost a week since Fox News fired Tucker Carlson & Ron DeSantis STILL hasn't found the courage to say a word about it," Trump Jr. tweeted last Sunday.

DeSantis finally broke his silence during a Newsmax interview on Friday, going out of his way to praise Carlson as "fantastic," suggesting that his ousting had less to do with the host himself and more to do with things happening behind the scenes at Fox News that he did not specify.

"Tucker Carlson is a fantastic individual," the Florida governor said. "I think the show was fantastic. I think it's terrible that he was fired. I think there's more to it. I don't really think that it was about Tucker, I think it was about some of this other stuff that's going on with Fox. But you know, he was someone who was willing to speak out and challenge the prevailing orthodoxies...I guarantee you, whatever he does [next], he's going to be successful."

Carlson has yet to announce what his next move will be as he moves on from Fox News. Some reports have suggested that Newsmax, a rising competitor to Fox in the conservative media realm, has made a substantial offer to the host, including his own show and the authority to program the entire channel.

Newsweek reached out to an attorney for Carlson via email for comment.