Fact Check: Did Tucker Carlson die? Viral CNN article debunked

Fox News has ousted conservative political commentator Tucker Carlson. Soon after the news emerged on April 24, 2023, a digitally edited article was shared on Twitter. It featured a fake headline that claimed that Tucker had died from suicide. It was evidently fake news.

If Tucker had died, it would have made major headlines all over the news. There has also been no official confirmation from the commentator’s family and representatives.

The first hoax tweet came from Twitter user @Ollie_XVX on April 24, where he simply wrote that Tucker had died. The second tweet, which contained the digitally altered screenshot of an article, was shared by user @goatedtranny on April 25. The screenshot was from a CNN article by Oliver Darcy and Marshall Cohen. The original headline by CNN read:

"Tucker Carlson out at Fox News."

The hoax tweet used a screenshot of the same article written by the same authors, but only with a false headline.

Digitally edited fake headline on CNN's article. (Image via Twitter/@goatedtranny)

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Tucker Carlson was accused of bullying and se*ism

On Monday, April 24, Fox News released a short statement about Tucker's departure without an elaborate explanation and said:

“We thank him for his service to the network as a host and prior to that as a contributor.”

The network only added that Tucker's last show on Fox News was on Friday, April 21. The announcement stunned both the media and political worlds. Tucker has been the highest-rated single host on the network. However, he did not respond to any requests for comment.

Tucker's departure from Fox News came a week after the network settled a defamation lawsuit for $787.5 with Dominion Voting Systems over its dissemination of election lies.

Tucker was also exposed in the lawsuit for disparaging his coworkers. His former booker also filed another lawsuit against the host for alleged se*ism and bullying on his nightly political talk show, Tucker Carlson Tonight.

The decision to oust the host was made on Friday by Lachlan Murdoch, the chief executive of Fox Corporation, and Suzanne Scott, the chief executive of Fox News. Tucker Carlson was informed of the network’s decision on Monday morning.

Tucker has been hugely popular with viewers during his time on the network. He was frequently accused of racism and spreading the great replacement theory, which states that immigrants are replacing Americans.

Tucker Carlson has launched himself into stardom in recent years by constantly promoting radical rhetoric and conspiracy theories. Aside from repeatedly sowing skepticism about the legitimacy of the 2020 election, Tucker also propagated conspiracy theories about coronavirus vaccines.

The head of the Anti-Defamation League, Jonathan Greenblatt, praised Fox News’ decision to oust the host, saying that it was about time and that Tucker had used his show to spew racist, anti-Semitic, anti-LGBTQ, and xenophobic hate at millions for far too long.

Some of Tucker’s internal critics at Fox News rejoiced upon learning the news. They told CNN that it brought them a lot of relief, and they were also surprised that the network had the nerve to finally do it. They also said they hoped for a cultural change inside the network now that Tucker has been removed.

Although Tucker Carlson did not die in reality, many people on social media said that Fox News would be dead without the prime-time host as Tucker had already made a loyal audience who tune in to the network nightly for right-wing discussions.

However, this is not the first time the political commentator has been the subject of fact checks. Earlier in 2017, another death hoax surrounding Tucker surfaced online. At the time, rumors spread that he was killed in an automobile collision.