Was an ex-producer’s discrimination lawsuit against Tucker Carlson the final straw?

A discrimination lawsuit brought against Tucker Carlson by a former booker may have been the death knell for the lightning rod host, who was fired without warning yesterday after years of ruling the network.

Carlson – who will be paid the remainder of his $20 million a year contract – has yet to comment on his sudden departure from the network. According to The Wall Street Journalhe found out he was let go just ten minutes before it was announced externally in an emotionless statement.

His departure comes just five days after Fox settled a massive defamation claim filed by Dominion Voting Systems, which claimed the hosts knew they were pushing false information about voter fraud, but did it anyway for ratings.

It also comes amid criticism of Carlson’s reporting on Jan. 6 — he claimed that Republicans and Democrats were exaggerating the scale of the day’s violence, and presented surveillance footage from the U.S. Capitol to prove it. It fell flat among many in Washington, but his die-hard fans lapped it up.

None of these controversies are believed to have single-handedly determined his fate.

Instead, insiders say a recent lawsuit over bullying, sexism and anti-Semitism among his senior staff, coupled with his own “disparaging” comments about senior News Corp executives, would have pushed Rupert Murdoch over the edge.

The lawsuit was filed last month by Abby Grossberg, a former booking producer who worked on both Maria Bartiromo’s and Carlson’s shows.

Most of the allegations are not against Carlson, but against his senior staff.

However, the lawsuit says he fostered an environment in which “unprofessional behavior predominated and staff distaste and contempt for women permeated nearly every work day.”

She claims she was personally a victim of anti-Semitism by senior producer Alexander McCaskill for installing a “ridiculous Christmas” display in the booking area despite knowing she was Jewish, along with a sign reading ” Hanukah bush’ that she took as a personal insult.

According to the lawsuit, McCaskill also harassed another Jewish employee for buying lunch at Breads Bakery, whom Grossberg claims he called the “Jewish bakery.”

She alleges in a 79-page discrimination allegation that producers, including Justin Wells — Carlson’s senior executive producer who also left Fox yesterday while setting the framework for Carlson’s primetime show — chose female guests based on their appearance and made inappropriate comments about female colleagues.

She claims their office was “plastered” with “bloated photos of Nancy Pelosi in a plunging bathing suit revealing her cleavage.”

“The images were pasted on her computer and elsewhere in the office. Apparently, the “joke” was that Speaker Pelosi looked awful in a bathing suit.

“The ‘joke’ was that Speaker Pelosi looked awful in a bathing suit,” the lawsuit reads.

She claims she was dragged into Wells’ office the next day, where he asked if Bartiromo was “f*****g Kevin McCarthy,” and that there was a “pervasive” culture of misogyny throughout the show.

Grossberg says she was “ignored” when she suggested balancing segments by adding female guests.

She described a “crass and sexist discussion” about whether Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer was “hotter or f****bler” than her Republican rival Tudor Dixon, and also claims that there were frequent discussions in which “unprofessional action prevailed’.

Grossberg also claims she was pressured by Fox lawyers not to share incriminating information while being grilled as part of the Dominion lawsuit.

That particular claim has been vigorously refuted by Fox.

She complains that she was discriminated against on the basis of gender while working on both Carlson’s and Maria Baritomo’s show, and was paid less by male counterparts.

Grossberg’s lawsuit wasn’t just against Carlson.

The aforementioned producers are also named as defendants, along with Fox as a corporation.

Carlson’s firing was a direct order from Rupert Murdoch, according to sources quoted by The Los Angeles Times yesterday.

A network insider told DailyMail.com that staff were baffled by the decision.

Tucker still hasn’t received any indication as to why he was taken off the air. His producer Justin Wells was also fired.

“We think Rupert wants to sell the company and it’s harder to find an institutional buyer with Tucker as the lead.

“Tucker gone makes it a more attractive media company to buy.”

Shares in Fox Corp, the company that owns the news network, fell as much as 5 percent yesterday.

Grossberg’s lawyers claimed victory yesterday after Carlson’s firing.

In a statement they speak of an ‘admission’ of guilt by Fox.

“This is a step toward accountability for the election lies and unsubstantiated conspiracy theories being spread by Fox News, something I have seen firsthand on the network, as well as for the abuse and harassment I endured as I became head of Booking and Senior Producer was for Tucker Carlson Tonight. Grossberg said.