It appears as if the gaping void left behind by Tucker Carlson in the wake of his as-of-yet-unexplained ouster from Fox News isn’t being filled — it’s sucking others in.
A new report from Rolling Stone magazine is painting a picture of a workplace rife with paranoia and confusion, and two big names are also worried that they will go the way of Carlson at Fox News.
According to the outlet, Maria Bartiromo and Judge Jeanine Pirro have been telling their respective inner circles that they are worried they will be fired like Carlson and perhaps for the same undisclosed reasons.
It’s hard to imagine a workplace in a more chaotic state when some of its most tenured stars are openly fretting about their futures at the company.
And yet, that’s where Fox News finds itself after the abrupt and unceremonious firing of Carlson.
To be fair to Bartiromo and Pirro, this doesn’t appear to just be paranoid rambling.
As Rolling Stone reports, Fox executives have already met to discuss Bartiromo’s long-term future at the news network. The magazine noted that Bartiromo’s statements were a part of the Dominion voting system lawsuit, which Fox News settled for $787.5 million last month.
Pirro’s statements were also used in the Dominion case.
That entire Dominion legal entanglement has been suggested as a reason for Carlson’s firing.
But aside from any concerns that prominent names may have and what Dominion’s specter could mean, the report further paints a titanic news network plunged into chaos with employees scrambling to cut off potential leaks and head off “their spies.”
“Their spies” is how one unnamed Fox News source described to Rolling Stone the employees who were tattling on anyone who may be leaking information about Carlson’s clandestine firing to the press.
Indeed, the number of theories being reported on — and there are a number of them — suggests that quite a few people who have some inkling of what’s going on are trying to work the channels to get the real story out.
Both the Dominion lawsuit and Carlson’s faith have been suggested as reasons for the now-former Fox News host’s abrupt departure.
But another fascinating theory being offered up is that Rupert Murdoch, Fox News boss and the man with final say on Carlson’s firing, is actually preparing his news channel for a massive sale.
As evinced by a potential sale, legal troubles, threats of exposure, and alleged issues with people of faith, it’s little wonder that people are worried about heads rolling at the network.
Adding to those concerns, however, are the reports circulating that Fox News is a vindictive ex-employer.
A separate Rolling Stone report notes that Fox News actually has an “oppo file” on Carlson, filled with dirt on him, to make sure he stays muzzled and quiet in any potential counter-punch to the network.
On top of that, there is also increasing chatter that Fox News may contractually sideline Carlson until deep into 2024 — and after the next general election.
Removing Carlson appears to have been a dubious decision in hindsight, given the way in which Fox News ratings have plummeted since Carlson’s firing.
Removing Carlson without a proper explanation appears to be a calamity in its own right, plunging the network and its roster into a state of paranoia.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.