Tucker Carlson leaves Fox News in surprise announcement

The far-right host Tucker Carlson has left Fox News, it was abruptly announced on Monday.

A spokesperson for Dominion declined to comment. Fox faces a similar $2.7bn defamation lawsuit from Smartmatic, another voting equipment company.

Carlson joined Fox as a contributor in 2009 and became one of its biggest stars after getting his own show, Tucker Carlson Tonight, in 2016. Last year, he became the most-watched host, averaging 3.32 million total viewers, according to the Washington Post. He also had the most viewers in the sought-after 25-54 demographic.

He has also downplayed the January 6 attack, recently airing selectively edited footage as he tried to frame the insurrection as peaceful. He has decried a so-called crisis of manliness, airing a special that promoted using tanning therapy on testicles.

Grossberg, the former producer now suing Carlson, alleges that on her first day of work, pictures of the California Democrat Nancy Pelosi in a plunging bathing suit were placed on her computer screen and around her workspace.

Grossberg also describes a newsroom-wide discussion over whether the Michigan governor, Gretchen Whitmer, or her Republican opponent, Tudor Dixon, was more attractive and which one staffers would rather have sex with.

Grossberg also alleges she was coerced into giving misleading testimony in the Dominion lawsuit. She also released evidence she said Fox had to turn over in the discovery process.

Sam Wolfson contributed reporting