The Real Reason These Fox News Anchors Were Nixed From The Network

There are some veteran journalists that news lovers never expect to get the axe from being on network television or writing killer headlines and fact-filled stories. But, the truth is, a long journalistic career in a prominent position does not guarantee absolute job security, as was seen with several anchors from Fox News who lost their jobs.

Between the late 2000s and early 2020s, employment in the journalism industry has steadily declined. These losses resulted from several factors, including a change in how civilians consume their news and even a shift in interests, among other things — and this did not just affect small or local news publications and networks, but major news networks, too. In early January, the Washington Post let go of about 100 staff members, and HuffPost relieved 30 of its editorial positions. Later that month, CNN announced it was releasing about 200 staff members, while the Chicago Sun-Times said they would offer buyouts to reduce staff.

From 2017 to 2024, Fox News parted ways with some of its most well-known news anchors, including Tucker Carlson and Megyn Kelly. These journalists' departures from the established network came as a shock, sparking rumors about why they left. Here are the real reasons why they and other Fox anchors were nixed from the network.

Eight years after Tucker Carlson joined Fox's network in 2009 as a contributor, he landed a dream role as host of his own show, "Tucker Carlson Tonight." Carlson had come to the network with years of journalistic experience as he had worked with major networks like PBS, CNN, and MSNBC — where his career there ended abruptly. His unfiltered commentary on political, immigration, and other social topics led many to believe the anchor was racist and misogynistic, yet his talk show never lacked viewership. It's believed that the show's success made Carlson think he had a shield of immunity that would protect his job, but in April 2023, he received an unexpected email from the Fox News Media CEO notifying him of his new unemployment.

That email did not provide Carlson with the reason behind his firing, but Vanity Fair's Brian Stelter revealed that it was the host's larger-than-life attitude that got him axed from the network. "In truth, Carlson had alienated so many people, instigated so many internal and external scandals, fanned so many flames of ugliness, that his firing was inevitable," Stelter wrote in Vanity Fair. "That's why Fox dropped Carlson ... he committed the cardinal Fox sin of acting like he was bigger than the network he was on." Even his producers knew his attitude was going to lead to the show's demise. "It was always going to end badly. We knew we were burning too bright," one of the show's producers told the media outlet.

After leaving the network, Carlson continued to share his often controversial views on X, formerly Twitter. He also runs "The Tucker Carlson Show" via his website.

Unlike Tucker Carlson, journalist Megyn Kelly wasn't fired from Fox — she decided to walk away to join the team at NBC. Kelly joined the Fox network in 2004 and quickly made a name for herself, covering important news, including U.S. presidential elections. Between 2010 and 2013, she anchored the breaking news show "America Live," and from 2013 to 2017, she hosted "The Kelly File," which gave her the room to be more opinionated. Despite her success, she walked away from Fox in 2017 and set her eyes on NBC, where she started on top with her own show "Sunday Night with Megyn Kelly" and later "Megyn Kelly Today."

The journalist clarified on "The Ellen Show" that Donald Trump played a major role in her decision to leave Fox. Specifically, she said tweets he made about her following a debate solidified the need to leave a toxic work environment. "Bill O'Reilly, of all people, told me when I got to cable news primetime that cable news primetime is a snake pit," Kelly told Ellen Degeneres (via Variety). "And that's how it felt, and I didn't want to be in the snake pit, I just wanted to cover the news." However, Kelly contradicted her feelings about Trump in 2024 when she defended some of his bizarre claims about immigrants as he campaigned to be President of the U.S., leading many to believe she was desperate for his attention.

Kelly's run with NBC ended in 2018 when the network canceled "Megyn Kelly Today" after the show host made controversial remarks about blackface, alleging that it wasn't racist. She now keeps up with the news via her podcasts, "The Megyn Kelly Show" and "AM Update with Megyn Kelly."

Similar to Megyn Kelly, seasoned journalist Neil Cavuto walked away from Fox in December 2024 on his own terms. Cavuto spent 28 years with Fox; before then, he worked with CNBC, NBC, and PBS. While at Fox, he served as host of several news shows, including, "Your World with Neil Cavuto," "Cavuto on Business," and "Cavuto: Coast to Coast." Despite his many contributions to the network, an ineffective salary negotiation pushed the tenured journalist away from his long-time job. Cavuto and the network seemed to part ways amicably as they wished him a "heartfelt farewell and all the best on his next chapter" in their announcement about his departure (via USA Today).

As Cavuto prepared to leave the network, he emphasized to his viewers that he spent his time doing what he loved — reporting the news. "Not call names, just call balls and strikes, following the news, hold truth to power and fairness to all. That's it, that's me," he said (via People). While many people struggled to see Cavuto leave Fox, Donald Trump was relieved since the journalist frequently criticized him. "GOOD NEWS FOR AMERICA! Neil Cavuto, the Lowest Rated Anchor on Fox, by far, is leaving – Should have happened a long time ago," Trump said on Truth Social following the announcement that Cavuto was leaving Fox (via People).

The Fox network is widely recognized for its conservative views, which is a major turn-off for some news lovers. Their line of thinking and framing of news stories became too much for Chris Wallace, leading him to walk away from the network in 2021. Wallace joined Fox in 2003 after having worked with other leading networks in the U.S., including NBC and ABC. At Fox, he hosted "Fox News Sunday" for almost two decades and frequently covered breaking news stories. 

Though he enjoyed his job, "I just no longer felt comfortable with the programming at Fox," Wallace told the New York Times after he left Fox. "I'm fine with opinion: conservative opinion, liberal opinion ... But when people start to question the truth — Who won the 2020 election? Was Jan. 6 an insurrection? — I found that unsustainable," the journalist further explained.

He then made a surprising career change and joined the team at CNN to host a show on their streaming service CNN+. "I look forward to the new freedom and flexibility streaming affords in interviewing major figures across the news landscape—and finding new ways to tell stories," the journalist said in a statement about his next steps with CNN (via Axios). After three years with CNN, Wallace left the network to try covering news on a different platform, like a podcast. CNN wished the journalist well after he parted ways with them, and Wallace told the Daily Beast, "I have nothing but positive things to say. CNN has been very good to me."