WATCH: Hannity Says “We’re Not Talking About Tucker” While Discussing Don Lemon Ouster
Fox News host Sean Hannity on Monday night attempted to deflect attention away from the sudden departure of his colleague Tucker Carlson, saying he wasn’t informed enough about the situation to have an opinion.
“We’re not talking about Tucker—I don’t really have any details on it, but he had a massive audience and has a huge following. This guy had nobody,” said Hannity in reference to Don Lemon, the CNN morning show host dismissed the same day. Kellyanne Conway, former advisor to President Donald Trump, joined in the jabbing of Lemon.
WATCH:
While talking about Don Lemon’s ousting from CNN, Sean Hannity says:
“We’re not talking about Tucker—I don’t really have any details on it, but he had a massive audience and has a huge following…” pic.twitter.com/zDtIofiUEP
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) April 25, 2023
Twitter was not particularly forgiving over Hannity having nothing positive to say about Carlson, with one commentator suggesting Hannity only gets his audience from Fox viewers who left their televisions on after Carlson’s program concluded.
“Hannity viewers are just people that tuned into Tucker and left the tv on”
Truth from @willchamberlain https://t.co/6f2loyVVnw
— DC_Draino (@DC_Draino) April 24, 2023
Conway, the former Trump advisor, kept the discussion rolling by telling Hannity that not only was Lemon “mean, misogynistic, and unrepentant” but admitted to never preparing for his segments before interviewing guests. In a statement on Twitter, Lemon criticized his former network for the handling of his dismissal, though CNN’s PR team called his statement “inaccurate” and said executives offered to sit down with Lemon and explain his firing.
Spectators widely believe the 17-year media veteran put network leadership over the edge when he made a sexist remark declaring that Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley was “past her prime” before doubling down on the statement an hour later.
Carlson, with three million nightly viewers, was the undisputed leader in conservative media circles and a staple for many who sought out his counsel, especially candidates for office. Where he lands next is the subject of much intrigue, especially in a media landscape that has fragmented beyond the traditional cable news networks. His predecessor Bill O’Reilly, who formerly led the ratings at Fox, launched his own podcast where he remains an influential analyst on news of the day. O’Reilly recently speculated that a slew of lawsuits faced by Fox led its board of directors to call for Carlson’s dismissal.
