Tucker Carlson, Don Lemon and why you're furious (or relieved) at their downfall

David Oliver, USA TODAY

April 25, 2023 at 11:41 AM·4 min read

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Tucker Carlson has "parted ways" with Fox News, and Don Lemon was fired – or not fired, depending who you ask – from CNN. The exact circumstances of their exits have yet to surface, though both Carlson and Lemon have each dealt with recent controversies.

Regardless of the limited information we have at this point, emotions about Carlson and Lemon's departures run the gamut from furious to relieved, and experts say all these reactions reflect the intense partisan divisions in the U.S.

Millions upon millions saw the news on social media. Lemon's tweet announcing his "firing" had 38,000 replies and 13,600 quote-tweets as of Tuesday morning, and the hashtag #TuckerCarlson has more than 730.3 million views on TikTok.

Interest is so high because "many people root for or against public figures. People like Tucker Carlson or Don Lemon can serve as symbols of larger movements or values," says Kimberly Vered Shashoua, licensed clinical social worker. "Many people saw Carlson as a symbol of everything that was wrong with American media. Others saw Carlson as a leader and an inspiration."

Tucker Carlson (left) has "parted ways" with Fox News. Don Lemon (right) was fired – or not fired, depending who you ask – from CNN.

The shock of Tucker Carlson leaving Fox News and Don Lemon's CNN exit

Lemon had been accused of making offensive comments about women on air in the past, and Carlson regularly spouted anti-immigrant and anti-LGBTQ rhetoric and was implicated in a recent lawsuit against Fox News regarding false election claims and conspiracy theories connected to the 2020 presidential election. But fans could always be found for these news anchors.

Carlson and Lemon's back-to-back departure announcements sent shockwaves across the, well, airwaves.

They "caused many viewers to psychologically experience the emotions of disenfranchised grief such as shock, confusion, anger, sadness and maybe for some an unspoken grief emotion – relief," says Chase Cassine, licensed clinical social worker.

Most people in the country likely felt joyful about one of the announcements.

"We are living in a time where cancel culture promotes and celebrates the termination of those who utter thoughts and ideas that are construed as racist, misogynistic, discriminatory or otherwise offensive," says Laura Petiford, a licensed marriage and family therapist. "And the definition of offensive is informed in part by political persuasion."

Why we care so much about cable news anchors

TV news personalities often eat dinner with us. Laugh with us. Cry with us.

"These people can become almost like a family member, so when they achieve great gains we applaud and with great losses we mourn," Cassine says.

That also means "when things end abruptly it evokes a sense of abandonment because of not allowing time to process the termination," Cassine adds. "People are left with unanswered questions and with no sense of closure."

The political stances of these stars adds a further layer to our emotions about their time on air coming to an end. In the case of Lemon: "Many far-right culture warriors consider CNN to represent a threat to their values. Don Lemon is a useful symbol to rail against, and his firing likely would make far-right activists feel victorious," Vered Shashoua adds.

Carson's cancelation practically made liberals cry with joy. Jimmy Kimmel, for instance, said Carlson is "probably not done poisoning old people’s brains" and likened him to Satan.

It's tempting to consider Carlson and Lemon as polar opposite figureheads, but it's not so black-and-white.

"Americans are often addicted to oversimplification and easy answers, and so Carlson and Lemon's dismissals are a tempting way for some to diagnose the 'state of America,' 'the woke wars' or whatever one's favorite trigger happens to be," says David Schmid, associate professor of English at the University at Buffalo.

He adds: "Rather than attempting a structural analysis that would see these news anchors as symptoms of much larger and more complex issues – for example, although Carlson is gone, the audience he's created isn't going anywhere – we prefer to individualize and personalize whenever we can because it makes things more comprehensible."

It's easier to do that because we crave stability and certainty. "As a result of this hardwiring, we fear the opposite – uncertainty and unknowns," Cassine says. "When things happen to shake the equilibrium of our existence and world around us it creates anxiety, worry and panic."