There was never any doubt that the unceremonious ouster of Tucker Carlson was always going to be bad for Fox News.
The question, then, was just how bad it would be, or could get, for the cable network.
Well, all sorts of numbers have begun trickling in since Carlson was yanked from his primetime television slot last month — and none of them spells good news for Fox News.
In fact, if you’re an investor or executive at Fox News, some of these numbers should downright terrify you.
Carlson had already sent shockwaves through the establishment media landscape Tuesday when he announced he would be bringing his show (or some iteration of it) to Twitter, of all places.
We’re back. pic.twitter.com/sG5t9gr60O
— Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) May 9, 2023
But what good is a seismic announcement if nobody’s around to hear it?
That’s not a concern for Carlson based on some eye-popping metrics that tweet has garnered.
The video itself has amassed over 25 million views by Thursday morning. (Per Twitter’s definition, a video view is anytime the video is in view for at least two seconds.)
The tweet with the video, meanwhile, has been seen more than 122 million times.
Those are massive social media numbers that most television networks would do unspeakable horrors to achieve.
Compare that video’s views with some other certifiably viral stories in recent memory, and you can see how significant those figures are.
A video tweet from retired NBA legend Dwyane Wade regarding his Hall of Fame announcement has 1.5 million video views and just a tick under 9 million tweet views.
1st ballot. ?? Thank you to the @Hoophall and the voters for the honor. pic.twitter.com/dLwChbAwaX
— DWade (@DwyaneWade) April 1, 2023
This now-legendary tweet of Kid Rock obliterating stacks of Bud Light has amassed 11.2 million video views and 52.6 million tweet views.
WARNING: The following video contains language the viewer may find offensive.
— KidRock (@KidRock) April 4, 2023
There’s this viral tweet showing how a McDonald’s McRib is supposedly made: It has garnered 8.5 million video views:
Can this even be considered food? A McDonald’s worker decides to reveal how a McRib is made. pic.twitter.com/yFraU7JGhp
— Mike Sington (@MikeSington) October 25, 2022
That’s the NBA, Kid Rock, and McDonald’s — all being easily trounced in views and reach by Carlson’s aforementioned tweet. Those are not @joesmith12345 and @Anon9876 that Carlson is crushing — his tweet blew away some legitimate cultural touchstones.
In case you thought it was a fluke or a matter of Carlson capturing lightning in a bottle, here’s the first tweet he put out after his Fox News ouster:
Good evening pic.twitter.com/SPrsYKWKCE
— Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) April 27, 2023
That video from Carlson has over 24.5 million video views and 83.3 million tweet views.
If you’re anyone in charge of anything over at Fox News, how can you not look at those staggering numbers and not feel the weight of what you just lost?
It’s not based on a ton of evidence — at least until Carlson’s new show properly launches — but it seems rather clear that Fox News needs Carlson far more than Carlson needs Fox News, at least in the arena of Twitter.
Fox News videos on Twitter are struggling to generate a tenth of the traction that Carlson’s videos are garnering, and there’s little reason to think any sort of miraculous salve is on the horizon — which is to say nothing of the struggles the network has had to fill Carlson’s former time slot.
Look, if Carlson were gearing up to ride off into the sunset and just collect a hefty paycheck from Fox News not to work, maybe you just look at his reach and shrug as you think about what could’ve been.
But Carlson has no such designs.
If anything, he’s reportedly champing at the bit to get back into the thick of things, even if it means leaving money on the table with Fox News.
And frankly, that should scare Fox News just as much, if not more, than those roaring metrics under Carlson’s tweets.
A man with reach and influence is one thing.
A man with reach and influence and an ax to grind? Few things are scarier.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.