Another statement was released by Fox News to address prospective alterations to its primetime lineup, this time regarding Laura Ingraham’s situation.
A representative for the network stated, “Reports based on various tweets by left wing activists are wildly inaccurate — Laura Ingraham, the top-rated woman in cable news, is now and will continue to be a prominent host and integral part of the Fox News lineup.”
The most recent Fox News statement denies social media rumours that she is leaving her 10 p.m. ET time slot, but it does not specifically address whether she will continue in that time slot.
After the Drudge Report revealed that Fox News was going to change its primetime lineup, with Hannity heading the 8 p.m. hour and shows anchored by Jesse Watters and Greg Gutfeld filling the later spots, rumours concerning Ingraham began to circulate. What would ultimately happen to Ingraham remained to be seen.
A statement from the network earlier in the day said, “No decision has been made on a new primetime line-up and there are multiple scenarios under consideration.” Following the network’s decision to cancel Tucker Carlson’s 8 p.m. show last month, Fox News Tonight has been staffed by a variety of guest hosts in the hopes of naming a permanent host.
Since 2017, Ingraham has hosted The Ingraham Angle.
With the departure of Carlson, Fox News has experienced a drop in primetime ratings, but the network’s lineup of Fox News Tonight, Hannity, and Ingraham has consistently outperformed competitors in terms of overall viewers. The Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC did defeat Hannity on Monday, but Maddow only has a weekly show.
Prior to Tucker Carlson’s departure, Fox News stated that it was exploring changes to its primetime roster, but it claimed that a rumour that Sean Hannity would take his place was unfounded.
A network representative stated that “no decision has been made on a new primetime line-up and there are several scenarios under consideration.”
The announcement followed a prominent article on Drudge Report stating that Hannity was getting ready to take over the time slot and that Jesse Watters and Greg Gutfeld were also getting ready for primetime spots. It’s not obvious where that leaves Laura Ingraham’s show, which airs at 10 p.m.
With an average of 3.25 million viewers overall in March, his final full month on the air, Carlson was the most popular cable news personality in primetime before being fired by the network last month.
A rotating cast of hosts, including Brian Kilmeade, Lawrence Jones, Kayleigh McEnany, and Will Cain, will be on Fox News Tonight during that time slot. Although they have consistently outperformed their competition throughout that time period, MSNBC’s All in with Chris Hayes has closed the gap dramatically. The departure of Carlson appears to have affected viewership of Hannity, the programme it preceded at 9 p.m. ET. Although the programme often wins its time slot, The Rachel Maddow Show defeated it on Monday, giving MSNBC a rare primetime victory. The catch: Maddow only has a show once a week, with Alex Wagner hosting the other three days.
Since the beginning of their respective shows, Watters and Gutfeld have become two of the network’s most popular hosts, taking the place of newscasts during their respective time slots. At 7 p.m. ET, Watters airs, and at 11 p.m. ET, Gutfeld. They both frequently appear on The Five, the most popular cable news programme, which airs at 5 p.m.
Fox Corp. CEO Lachlan Murdoch praised the network’s ability to maintain a top ratings position despite the departure of notable characters like Glenn Beck, Megyn Kelly, and Bill O’Reilly at the MoffettNathanson conference on Wednesday. He avoided talking about Carlson’s exit’s circumstances and refrained from discussing Fox News’ programming choices.
