Fox News host Greg Gutfeld explained Friday how Daily Caller co-founder and former Fox News host Tucker Carlson survived after he was fired.
Gutfeld told comedian Russell Brand that advertisers were responsible for Carlson’s ousting from the network in an episode of “Stay Free with Russell Brand.”
“Galvanizing advertisers against you over time will, is meant to destroy you. It’s meant to censor you,” Gutfeld said.
Gutfeld said that pressure against Carlson by advertisers was “building and building,” stating that groups like Media Matters “targeted him” until he was fired on April 24, 2023.
“That’s what happened to Tucker,” Gutfeld said. “Over time, you know, they just wore it down. And for him to survive, and everybody who is, I would say, interesting, has an original point of view, for them to survive, it has to be untethered from advertising. It has to be. Because advertisers are now the censors.”
Tonight🔥 @greggutfeld pic.twitter.com/SkTKMVCIi7
— Russell Brand (@rustyrockets) January 12, 2024
Carlson said in December that his new media outlet, Tucker Carlson Network (TCN), could not rely on advertisers alone. The Daily Caller co-founder explained that TCN operates with a subscription model rather than relying solely on advertisement revenue, stating that “it’s a fickle world.”
Gutfeld said that Fox News never prevented him or Carlson from saying anything. He recalled mentioning Carlson’s name on his Fox News shows after Carlson was fired, contrasting the shocked reactions he received from viewers to the lack of concern from the network. (RELATED: Tucker Carlson Issues Dire Warning For Donald Trump’s Future)
“Advertisers hate the customer, which is so strange. They really hate the customer. They think you’re stupid,” Gurfeld said.
“Those with the most advertising tend to have the emptiest editorial. There’s no perspective, there’s nothing that like interests you,” Gutfeld continued. “And once you get interesting or you dare to get outside this circle, then it flips on you, and they come after you.”