Washington: Incendiary host Tucker Carlson, who exited Fox News Monday, repeatedly aired falsehoods on his top-rated show, from anti-vaccine to anti-immigrant propaganda -- and even his departure was wrapped up in conspiracy theories.
Night after night, Carlson launched into what American media pundits and researchers described as divisive, racist and conspiracy-laden monologues to millions of viewers of his 8 p.m. prime-time show on Fox News.
"Tucker Carlson Tonight," a program he described as a "sworn enemy of lying," amplified debunked claims about the safety of Covid-19 vaccines, immigration and the transgender community.
"Tucker Carlson is a dangerous misinformer," said Angelo Carusone, president of the advocacy group Media Matters for America.
"Tucker served as the bridge between Fox News and the most extreme parts of the right-wing base -- laundering anti-trans paranoia, election lies, and venomous rhetoric including the great replacement conspiracy theory nightly."
Last year, Media Matters declared Carlson the "Misinformer of the Year," a designation reserved for the most influential purveyor of misinformation in the American media.
The nonprofit also released what it called a noncomprehensive research file that included more than 350 examples of falsehoods spread by the star anchor.
Carlson sprang to the defense of the rioters who stormed the US Capitol two years ago -- in support of Donald Trump's false claim that the 2020 election was stolen from him. Downplaying the episode, he insisted that it was not an "insurrection."
In a claim debunked by AFP last month, Carlson said police officers "helped" and acted as "tour guides" for a rioter dubbed "QAnon Shaman" for his infamous horned headdress.
That was false -- the rioter, Jacob Chansley, pleaded guilty to a felony crime after videos showed him disobeying police orders.
Carlson also called Ray Epps, a former Trump supporter who participated in the Capitol attack, an FBI informant, according to CBS's 60 Minutes. The FBI denied he ever worked for them and Epps said he received death threats as a result of the false claim.
'Dangerous stuff'
Last year, AFP also reported that Carlson misrepresented government data on Covid-19 vaccines and offered misleading claims on vaccine mandates for schoolchildren.
In 2021, the Anti-Defamation League called for Carlson's firing after he presented an impassioned defense of the "great replacement theory," a hateful notion that white people would be replaced by immigrants and people of color.
"Make no mistake: this is dangerous stuff," ADL wrote in an open letter to Fox News chief executive, warning that the theory had helped fuel a string of mass shootings.
"Carlson's full-on embrace of the white supremacist replacement theory... and his repeated allusions to racist themes in past segments are a bridge too far."
News of Carlson's departure on Monday sparked a string of supportive reactions from right-wing politicians, media figures and conspiracy theorists.
Anti-vaccine propagandist Robert F. Kennedy Jr called Carlson "breathtakingly courageous," linking his ouster to a recent monologue decrying Covid-19 jabs. He offered no evidence to support the claim.
Fox News did not explain Carlson's abrupt exit from the network.
US media linked his departure to a lawsuit filed by former Fox News producer Abby Grossberg, who claimed that Carlson presided over a hostile and discriminatory workplace culture.
Last week, the influential broadcaster agreed to a $787.5 million settlement in a lawsuit by voting technology company Dominion over its coverage of false rigging claims in the 2020 election that Donald Trump lost to Joe Biden.
The lawsuit still revealed plenty of what Fox personalities had been saying about the bogus election claims, including Tucker Carlson, whose departure has turned a spotlight on what he said in depositions, emails and text messages among the thousands of pages Dominion released in the leadup to jury selection in the case.
Carlson's messages lambasted the news division and management, revealed how he felt about Donald Trump and demonstrated his skepticism of the election lies — so much so that Fox attorneys and company founder Rupert Murdoch held him up as part of their defense of the company.
The judge who oversaw the case ruled that it was " CRYSTAL clear " none of the election claims related to Dominion was true.
"Tucker's departure from Fox is mostly remarkable for what he was able to get away with and how long he was able to get away with it," Carusone said.
"If anything, that reign illustrates how committed Fox is to lies and extremism."
Vitrol towards Fox News department
Some of Tucker's most heated vitriol was reserved for colleagues in the news division and included conversations with fellow on-air personalities Laura Ingraham and Sean Hannity.
On Nov. 13, the week after the 2020 election, Ingraham, Carlson and Hannity got into a text message exchange in which they lambasted the news division.
It began with Ingraham pointing out a tweet by correspondent Bryan Llenas, saying he had seen no evidence of widespread voter fraud in Pennsylvania. Carlson replied that Llenas had contacted him to apologize, then added "when has he ever 'reported' on anything."
Ingraham then names another colleague who indicated there was no fraud, with Hannity responding: "Guys I've been telling them for 4 years. News depart that breaks no news ever."
In a subsequent Twitter message seconds later, Hannity says, "They hate hate hate all three of us."
Ingraham responds she doesn't "want to be liked by them" and Carlson chimes in, "They're pathetic."
The conversation continues with Hannity bemoaning the damage that has been done to the brand: "In one week and one debate they destroyed a brand that took 25 years to build and the damage is incalculable."
Another text conversation by the trio three days later had Ingraham telling her colleagues that her anger at the news channel was "pronounced," followed by an "lol."
In response, Carlson attacked two Fox anchors: "It should be. We devote our lives to building an audience and they let Chris Wallace and Leland (expletive) Vittert wreck it. Too much."
Wallace and Vittert have since left the network.
The three hosts then started musing about a path forward after Ingraham says they have "enormous power," and that they should think about how, together, they can force a change.
Carlson's response: "For sure. The first thing we need to do is exactly what we want to do. That's the key. Leland Vittert seems to have the authority to do whatever he wants. We should too."
Supporters wait to hear U.S. Senate candidate Herschel Walker speak during an election night watch party as they watch TV host Tucker Carlson, May 24, 2022, in Atlanta.
(With Inputs from AFP, AP)