Rocked by the loss of its top-rated opinion leader Tucker Carlson, Fox News has overhauled its primetime lineup in an effort to reverse the recent drop in ratings.

Rupert Murdoch’s conservative news outlet has announced that Jesse Watters, who has hosted an Eastern program since January 2021 at 7 p.m., will move to the 8 p.m. slot formerly held by Tucker Carlson. Watters will continue to co-host ‘The Five’.

Fox News also moves Greg Gutfeld’s talk show “Gutfeld!” an hour earlier, until 10 p.m. Eastern. The program is often the most watched show on the network among the 25 to 54 age group coveted by advertisers.

Laura Ingraham, the Conservative host who has held the 10 p.m. Eastern slot, moves to 7 p.m. Sean Hannity’s nightly schedule remains at 9 p.m. Eastern.

The new lineup will take effect on July 17.

the

Planning moves

Are

rare on the top-rated cable news channel

other

were entered by

the

Carlson’s sudden resignation just days after Fox News reached a $787.5 million settlement with Dominion Voting Systems over the network’s false statements about voter fraud in the 2020 election.

Carlson, an influential right-wing voice whose inflammatory comments on race and immigration made him a magnet for controversy, was pushed out amid the legal troubles facing Fox News.

The host and the network are being sued by a former producer who

claims because

she was subjected to a hostile work environment while working on Carlson’s program. Evidence in the Dominion case showed that Carlson made derogatory comments about Fox News colleagues and management.

But since Carlson’s departure, Fox News has seen a dramatic drop in the 8 p.m. hour, losing half of the 3 million viewers who tuned in each night. The loss has hurt the rest of Fox News’ lineup, even as it stays ahead of its top competitors CNN and MSNBC.

Watters, 44, has long been popular with Fox News viewers. “The five,”

a round table program

where he occupies the center seat

on the roundtable program

is the network’s most-watched show, and its 7 p.m. Eastern schedule draws approximately 2 million viewers.

The Fox News personality Waters

got his start on Bill O’Reilly’s Fox News program, doing ambush interviews with figures targeted by the host who left in 2017. Watters often plays his role as a provocateur with a wink and is prone to making outrageous statements.

In late 2021, Watters made inflammatory comments about Dr. Anthony Fauci at Turning Point USA’s Americafest, a right-wing conference. He used violent language when he told audiences to confront infectious disease experts with questions about the origins of the coronavirus.

Now you go for the fatal shot, Watters said, according to a video clip of his performance. The kill shot with an ambush, deadly, because he doesn’t see it coming. This is when you say, Dr. Fauci, you funded risky research in a shoddy Chinese lab, the same lab that brought this pandemic to the world.

In describing the impact of such a confrontation, Watters said, Boom! Hey is dead! Hey is dead! It’s finished!

The network stood by Watters after the comments were denounced by Fauci and other critics.

After Carlson’s departure, Fox News tried a number of hosts on the 8 p.m. Eastern Hour, but none came close to the ratings Watters was getting at 7 p.m.

Fox News has a history of

effective

replace hosts that leave the network. The media industry expected a downturn after O’Reilly was ousted over sexual harassment allegations. But Carlson, a cable news geek when he arrived, pumped up his rhetoric and became a polarizing star.

Carlson

the future is uncertain. Hi

is still paid by Fox News, which could keep him off the air with his contract running until 2024. He announced earlier this month that he plans to relaunch his show on Twitter, but no other details have emerged come.