While everything appears to be settling back into normalcy at Fox News following its shocking split with the widely popular Tucker Carlson, a report published this week claimed the cable channel was set to start making some pretty audacious scheduling changes. In particular, it was stated that Sean Hannity’s eponymous primetime series was being eyed to take over the time slot previously filled by Tucker Carlson Tonight, in which the replacement show Fox News Tonight is currently airing. Further alleged scheduling details seemed to indicate that The Ingraham Angle host Laura Ingraham would no longer have any primetime real estate. Those claims have been contested by the channel, however, which called them “highly inaccurate.”
Is Hannity Changing Time Slots?
When Tucker Carlson parted ways with Fox News in April, his program was the higher rated in all of cable news, and was averaging around 3.25 million viewers in March. Those dominant ratings have faltered since his exit, even if its replacement is still holding its own against the competition on CNN, MSNBC, and others. (And with a bunch of returning advertisers, no less.) In any case, Drudge Report alleged that the network would be trying to build that audience back up by shifting Hannity up from 9:00 p.m. ET to the 8:00 p.m. ET slot. Not the wildest idea, and possibly one that's being considered behind closed doors, but it's apparently not an idea that's actually being put into action.
According to Deadline, Fox News released a statement that ran counter to what was claimed, basically saying nobody's minds are made up about it. According to a spokesperson:
No decision has been made on a new primetime line-up and there are multiple scenarios under consideration.
By all means, it also wouldn't be such a bonkers idea for the status quo to continue, with Fox News Tonight and its rotating slate of popular hosts: Brian Kilmeade, Kayleigh McEnany, Lawrence Jones, and Will Cain. The program is still regularly topping All In with Chris Hayes, its closest competitor, though there's reason to believe that shrinking lead could crumble further in the near future. Which would be bad news for its follow-up Hannity, which has seen its numbers dip after Carlson's exit. The Rachel Maddow Show's most recent Monday ep managed to eclipse Sean Hannity's show, which may have played into the scheduling rumors.
Is Laura Ingraham Being Taken Off The Schedule?
Within the same story about Hannity’s reported shift, it was also claimed that Sean Hannity’s time-adjusted program would be followed up by shows hosted by Jesse Watters and Greg Gutfeld, with no specific spot in place for The Ingraham Angle, which currently airs at 10:00 p.m. ET. But that also sounds like it won’t be the case, with Fox News offering up a second statement of response hours after the first was shared, saying:
Reports based on various tweets by left wing activists are wildly inaccurate — Laura Ingraham, the top-rated woman in cable news, is now and will continue to be a prominent host and integral part of the Fox News lineup.
Interestingly enough, the response only denies the notion that Ingraham will be leaving the network, and doesn't address whether or not she'll still be keeping her current time slot. It could be that the choice hasn't been made firm yet, without anything further to share. But for now, let it be known that she's not going anywhere far, even if the show does get moved.
A longtime-ish co-host on The Five, Jesse Watters previously hosted the monthly-turned-weekly series Watter’s World, which ended in January 2022 and was followed a week later by the debut of Jesse Watters Primetime, which holds down the fort in the 7:00 p.m. slot. Meanwhile, Greg Gutfeld has played a part in shaking up late night talk show viewerships with his ongoing chat show Gutfeld, which airs at 11:00 p.m. ET. It wouldn't be a necessarily bad or surprising move if Fox News execs wanted to give either of thoes guys a more central spot in the primetime lineup. But unless these shows start getting split into 30-minute airings, I don't think we'll see both of them jumping around.
For now, take comfort in knowing no other big changes are happening in the aftermath of Tucker Carlson's exit, even if tomorrow may tell a different story.
