Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch had phone calls with President Zelensky on the anniversary of Fox reporters’ deaths in March — after senior Ukrainian officials complained about Tucker Carlson’s war coverage
- Tucker was fired in April after spending a year covering the war in Ukraine on his show
- He was unreserved in his criticism of Zelensky, whom he called a “dictator.”
- Fox has not provided a specific explanation for Carlson’s sudden departure
Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch both spoke to President Zelensky in March this year on the anniversary of two Fox reporters killed in a war zone, as Tucker Carlson continued to blast the war effort on his now-defunct show.
Carlson was unceremoniously fired by Fox in April after running his most popular show for seven years.
Fox has yet to explain the move, but insiders say it was largely due to growing impatience among bosses over Tucker’s insubordination — he blasted senior executives in private text messages that were revealed as part of the Dominion lawsuit.
His view of the war in Ukraine and America’s steadfast support for Zelensky was unfavorable and prompted senior Ukrainian officials to file a complaint, according to a report in Semaphore Today.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky last week. He spoke to both Rupert Murdoch and Lachlan Murdoch in March
The calls are said to be mainly about the deaths of two Fox News reporters last March. Lachlan (left) also spoke with Zelensky
According to Lachlan and Rupert, neither Lachlan nor Rupert mentioned Carlson during their conversations with Zelensky in March Semafor’s sources.
Instead, the discussions instead focused on the deaths of Fox News reporters who were killed while reporting on the conflict.
Pierre Zakrzewski, 55, and Oleksandra Kuvshinova, 24, were killed when their vehicle was hit.
Carlson was unreserved in his criticism of Zelensky on air.
While the rest of the media largely flattered him, Carlson called him a “dictator” in a December broadcast.
In fact, Zelensky is much closer to Lenin than to George Washington.
Tucker was fired in April after spending a year covering the war in Ukraine on his show, though his views on the conflict were not what prompted his firing. However, he was unreserved in his criticism of Zelensky, whom he called a “dictator.”
Pierre Zakrzewski (left) and Oleksandra Kuvshynova (center) were killed in Ukraine while traveling in a vehicle involved in the same attack that injured a British journalist
He is a dangerous authoritarian who has used $100 billion in US tax dollars to create a one-party police state in Ukraine,” he said.
It remains unclear what News Corp senior executives thought of his approach.
His firing is largely attributed to text messages that were private but became public as part of the Dominion Voting Systems lawsuit against Fox.
Carlson railed at bosses in those posts, calling them a “c**t,” according to some reports, and was prepared for those comments to go public.
Tucker has not given an explanation for his firing.