Fox News host Lawrence Jones will fill the time slot vacated by Tucker Carlson next week as the network relies on a series of hosts to try to replace its former top-rated prime-time star.
Page Six reported that Jones will relieve Brian Kilmeade, the first to anchor “Fox News Tonight” in Carlson’s absence and to sinking ratings.
Jones, 30, currently hosts the Saturday night program “Lawrence Jones Cross Country.”
“It is significant that they have chosen Jones to step up so soon after Tucker’s departure,” a person described as a “media insider” told Page Six.
Jones has not commented on the network’s decision to tap him for a week in prime time.
Fox abruptly terminated Carlson, who had been with the network since 2009, in a statement that turned the world of cable news upside down on Monday.
“Fox News Media and Tucker Carlson have agreed to part ways,” the network said. “We thank him for his service to the network as a host and prior to that as a contributor.”
Fox’s ratings for the 8 p.m. ET hour have cratered following the announcement.
According to Mediaite, Wednesday’s episode of “Fox News Tonight” was only watched by 1.3 million people, roughly one-third of the audience Carlson attracted on average. MSNBC’s Chris Hayes won the hour while CNN’s Anderson Cooper came in a distant third.
Carlson tweeted a short video on Wednesday in which he spoke publicly for the first time since he was booted by Fox without directly addressing the firing. The video was watched more than 22 million times in less than 48 hours.
“Where can you still find Americans saying true things? There aren’t many places left, but there are some, and that’s enough,” Carlson said at the end of the video. “As long as you can hear the words, there is hope. See you soon.”
Carlson has reportedly retained entertainment attorney Bryan Freedman. So too has CNN’s Don Lemon, who announced on Monday that he also had been fired.
Freedman is credited with helping Megyn Kelly walk away from NBC News with $69 million and is currently representing Chris Cuomo in a lawsuit against CNN, according to The New York Times.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.