Tucker Carlson Breaks Silence After FOX News Departure

Former FOX News anchor Tucker Carlson spoke publicly for the first time since the network announced it had "agreed to part ways" with the conservative political commentator.

Carlson shared a video of himself on his Twitter account addressing his sudden absence, though not mentioning FOX News directly.

"One of the first things you realize, when you step outside the noise for a few days, is how many genuinely nice people there are in this country and decent people who really care about what's true," Carlson said via USA TODAY. "The other thing you notice when you take a little time off is how unbelievably stupid most of the debates you see on television are."

"They're completely irrelevant," he continued. "They mean nothing. In five years we won't even remember that we had them. Trust me, as someone who's participated.”

Carlson then claimed that major political parties in the United States and their donors conspire to shut down discussions on "undeniably big topics" that "will define our future."

"This moment is too inherently ridiculous to continue, so it won't," Carlson added. "When honest people say what's true calmly and without embarrassment, they become powerful. At the same time, the liars who've been trying to silence them shrink, and they become weaker."

Carlson then stated that there are few remaining places for Americans to speak honestly, before promising his fans that he would see them soon, though not specifying his future plans.

“Where can you still find Americans saying true things?” Carlson said. “There aren't many places left, but there are some, and that's enough. As long as you can hear the words, there is hope. See you soon.”

FOX News Media announced it and Carlson had "agreed to part ways," in a news release obtained by Mediaite.com on Monday (April 24).

"We thank him for his service to the network as host and prior to that as a contributor."

Carlson's tenure as host of FOX News Tonight concluded with last Friday's (April 21) live broadcast and the company will have "an interim show helmed by rotating FOX News personalities until a new host is named," according to the news release.

The announcement comes days after FOX News Media reached a $787.5 million settlement with Dominion Voting Systems over its personalities amplifying former President Donald Trump's false voter fraud claims during the 2020 election. Text messages released through the Dominion lawsuit revealed that Carlson, who had publicly supported Trump on FOX News Tonight throughout his presidency and during his voter fraud claims, texted an unknown recipient, "I hate him passionately," when referring to Trump on January 4, 2021, two days before the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Carlson was cable news' highest-rated prime time host, with FOX News Tonight averaging 3 million viewers per night. The conservative political commentator joined FOX News in 2009, having previously contributed to CNN (2000-05), PBS (2004-05) and MSNBC (2005-08).