(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Social media was abuzz Wednesday with rumors claiming Fox News was firing conservative primetime host Laura Ingraham. The speculations, primarily fueled by leftist mouthpieces, gained traction after Drudge Report announced that the conservative-leaning network was eyeing a primetime shakeup following the ousting of famed former host Tucker Carlson.
In response to the rumors, Fox News dispelled claims that Ingraham was departing her show The Ingraham Angle, which airs daily at 10 p.m. A spokesperson for Fox News said in a statement to Deadline, “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.”
One of the individuals accused of spreading the lie was Jon Cooper, a self-proclaimed national finance chair of Draft Biden, who claimed in a now-deleted tweet that Ingraham had been fired. Known for spreading leftist misinformation, the MeidasTouch Twitter account originated the rumor on a tweet that has gained approximately 1 million views.
Amid the speculations, attorney Bradley Moss took to Twitter to say that there was no concrete evidence of the alleged firing. “There is speculation based on a reported schedule lineup change. Don’t spread gossip.”
Justin Baragona, senior media reporter at the Daily Beast, similarly cautioned against spreading the rumor, saying that there was no official reporting on the news.
Citizen Free Press addressed the rumors directly, “Laura Ingraham has NOT been fired by Fox News,” while also calling out the originator of the rumor.
Laura Ingraham has NOT been fired by Fox News.
The rumor is running wild, well because that's what people do on twitter. The original source for the rumor was simply this guy, speculating.https://t.co/NpU2HhiJan pic.twitter.com/jPETNgmCRQ
— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) May 17, 2023
Fox News’s statement, however, did not address whether Ingraham would remain among the primetime line, as reported Deadline.
Fox News has faced a decline in viewership after the infamous firing of Carlson, who is allegedly in a legal dispute with the conservative outlet about a non-compete clause in their contract.
Carlson, however, took to Twitter to announce a new show, which is expected to be hosted on the Elon Musk-owned platform.
UPDATE: Fox has released a new statement:
“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."
There is…
— MeidasTouch (@MeidasTouch) May 17, 2023
