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    GM to end production of electric Chevy Bolt, its first mass-market EV, later this year

    General Motors plans to end production of its electric Chevrolet Bolt models by the end of this year, CEO Mary Barra told investors Tuesday.
    The Chevy Bolt EV and EUV, a larger version of the car, make up the vast majority of the company’s electric vehicle sales to date.

    UAW Local 5960 member Kimberly Fuhr inspects a Chevrolet Bolt EV during vehicle production on May 6, 2021, at the General Motors Orion Assembly Plant in Orion Township, Michigan.
    Steve Fecht for Chevrolet

    DETROIT – General Motors plans to end production of its electric Chevrolet Bolt models by the end of this year, CEO Mary Barra told investors Tuesday when discussing the company’s first-quarter earnings.
    The Chevy Bolt EV and EUV, a larger version of the car, make up the vast majority of the company’s electric vehicle sales to date. However, the battery cells in the cars are an older design and chemistry than the automaker’s newer vehicles such as the GMC Hummer and Cadillac Lyriq.

    Barra said a suburban Detroit plant that has produced Bolt models since 2016 will be retooled in preparation for production of electric trucks scheduled for next year.
    This story is developing. Please check back for updates. More

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    General Motors raises 2023 guidance as first-quarter earnings beat expectations

    General Motors on Tuesday raised key guidance for 2023 after reporting first-quarter results that topped Wall Street’s top- and bottom-line forecasts.
    CFO Paul Jacobson said the company felt confident in raising its adjusted earnings guidance after first-quarter results came in above the company’s internal expectations.
    Cost-cutting efforts such as the employee buyout program had an impact on results faster than expected, he said.

    General Motors CEO Mary Barra, center, at the New York Stock Exchange, Nov. 17, 2022.
    Source: NYSE

    DETROIT — General Motors on Tuesday raised key guidance for 2023 after reporting first-quarter results that topped Wall Street’s top- and bottom-line forecasts. Here’s how GM did, compared with what Wall Street expected based on average estimates compiled by Refinitiv:

    Adjusted earnings per share: $2.21 vs. $1.73 expected
    Revenue: $39.99 billion vs. $38.96 billion expected

    For the full year, GM is raising its adjusted earnings expectations to a range of $11 billion to $13 billion, or $6.35 to $7.35 a share, up from a previous range of $10.5 billion to $12.5 billion, or between $6 and $7 a share. GM also raised expectations for adjusted automotive free cash flow to a range of $5.5 billion and $7.5 billion, up from an earlier forecast of $5 billion to $7 billion.

    GM lowered its guidance, however, for net income attributable to stockholders due to $875 million in special charges related to a previously announced employee buyout program during the quarter. The new range is between $8.4 billion and $9.9 billion, down from $8.7 billion to $10.1 billion.
    GM shares rose about 3% in premarket trading following the report.

    GM said revenue during the first three months of this year was up 11.1% from roughly $36 billion a year earlier. Its net income during the first quarter, however, was down by roughly 18% to $2.3 billion compared to a year earlier.
    CFO Paul Jacobson said the company felt confident in raising its adjusted earnings guidance after first-quarter results came in above the company’s internal expectations, including continued demand for high-end models. Cost-cutting efforts such as the employee buyout program also impacted results faster than expected, he said.
    The employee buyouts were part of GM’s plan announced earlier this year to cut $2 billion in structural costs by the end of 2024.

    “All-in-all we’re feeling confident about 2023,” Jacobson said during a call with reporters.
    GM’s first-quarter results included adjusted earnings of $3.8 billion, down 6% from a year earlier. The company’s net income attributable to stockholders, which excludes some dividend payouts, was down by 18.5% to about $2.4 billion from the first quarter of 2022. In addition to the employee buyout program, GM spent $99 million on buying out Buick dealers during the quarter.
    GM CEO Mary Barra in a letter to shareholders Tuesday also highlighted turnarounds in the company’s international operations, excluding China, which has experienced significant declines in recent years.
    GM’s equity income from China was $83 million during the first quarter, off 64.5% from a year earlier. The automaker’s other international operations increased earnings by 5.8% to $347 million. North America generated roughly $3.6 billion for the automaker to begin the year, up by 13.8% from the first quarter of 2022.
    Wall Street analysts will be listening to the automaker’s earnings call Tuesday morning for any new information regarding the company’s electric vehicle production, which has been slow to ramp up.
    Jacobson told reporters GM doesn’t believe it needs to match or follow recent price cuts on EVs from automakers such as Tesla. He said officials “feel good about where we’re priced right now.”
    Separately on Tuesday, GM said it plans to invest more than $3 billion with South Korea-based Samsung SDI to build a new battery cell manufacturing plant in the United States that is targeted to begin operations in 2026. A location for the plant has not been decided.
    The plant, which is GM’s fourth announced battery facility for the U.S., is expected to produce “nickel-rich prismatic and cylindrical cells.” The batteries differ from the pouch cells that are used in GM’s newest U.S. EVs.
    The announcement coincides with a visit to the United States by South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol.
    This story is developing. Please check back for updates. More

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    JetBlue posts quarterly loss but forecasts profit thanks to strong travel demand

    JetBlue Airways posted a loss for the first three months of the year.
    It forecast a profit for the second quarter thanks to strong travel demand.
    JetBlue struck a deal to buy Spirit Airlines last year, but the DOJ is seeking to block the acquisition.

    A JetBlue plane at LaGuardia Airport.
    Leslie Josephs/CNBC

    JetBlue Airways posted a loss for the first three months of the year but joined other carriers in forecasting a profit for the second quarter thanks to strong travel demand.
    JetBlue estimated per-share earnings of 35 cents to 45 cents for the current quarter, ahead of analyst estimates with revenue up 4.5% to 8.5% on the year and capacity up 4.5% to 7.5% from 2022. The second quarter coincides with the start of the peak travel season.

    “For the second quarter, we expect strong revenue growth to continue as demand remains robust and as we see continued momentum from our commercial initiatives,” CEO Robin Hayes said in an earnings release. “We are forecasting a solidly profitable quarter, and we remain confident in our full-year earnings outlook.”
    Shares were up close to 1% in premarket trading on Tuesday.
    Here’s how JetBlue performed in the quarter ended March 31 compared with Wall Street expectations based on Refinitiv consensus estimates:

    Adjusted loss per share: 34 cents vs. 38 cents expected.
    Revenue: $2.33 billion vs. $2.32 billion expected.

    In the first three months of the year, JetBlue lost $192 million, or 58 cents a share, an improvement from a net loss of $255 million, or 79 cents per share, in the same quarter of 2022. Revenues jumped 34% in the first quarter to $2.33 billion, slightly ahead of estimates. Average fares rose more than 9% in the quarter from 2022 to $214.07.
    However, expenses rose more than 22% to $2.57 billion, with the fuel bill alone up 34% from a year earlier. Adjusting for one-time items, JetBlue had a loss of $111 million, or 34 cents per share, better than the loss of 38 cents a share analysts expected.

    The New York-based airline struck a deal to buy budget carrier Spirit Airlines in July for $3.8 billion in cash, but the Justice Department sued to block the acquisition last month.
    JetBlue executives will face questions from analysts about that deal during a quarterly call scheduled for 10 a.m. ET. They are also likely to be asked about JetBlue’s partnership with American Airlines in the Northeast, which the Justice Department also sued to undo. A judge has not yet ruled in that case.
    JetBlue’s CEO told CNBC last month that the carrier is among the airlines that plans to cut back some of its schedule in the New York area this summer because of a shortage of air traffic controllers, part of a plan with the Federal Aviation Administration to reduce congestion. More

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    PepsiCo raises outlook as quarterly results beat expectations

    PepsiCo raised its outlook for the year.
    The beverage and snacks giant posted earnings and revenue that topped Wall Street’s expectations.

    Pepsi sodas displayed for purchase at a Walmart SuperCenter on December 06, 2022 in Austin, Texas.
    Brandon Bell | Getty Images

    PepsiCo on Tuesday boosted its outlook for the year as it posted earnings and revenue that beat expectations.
    Here’s what the company reported compared with what Wall Street was expecting, based on a survey of analysts by Refinitiv:

    Earnings per share: $1.50 adjusted vs. $1.39 expected
    Revenue: $17.85 billion vs. $17.22 billion expected

    For the period ended March 25, PepsiCo reported net income of $1.93 billion, or $1.40 a share, compared with $4.26 billion, or $3.06 a share, in the year-earlier period. Excluding one-time items, the company posted $1.50 in earnings per share.
    Net sales rose 10.2% to $17.85 billion. Organic revenue, which doesn’t include the impact of acquisitions and divestitures, rose 14.3%.
    Volumes rose 1% in PepsiCo’s beverage business, while they declined 3% in its food segment. Overall, volumes were down 2% across all categories, while prices were up 16% overall.
    Frito-Lay North America reported an organic revenue increase of 16%, fueled by market share gains and double-digit net revenue growth across key brands like Lay’s, Doritos, and Cheetos, as well as brands such as Sun Chips and PopCorners.
    PepsiCo Beverages North America’s organic revenue increased 12%, with with Pepsi delivering double-digit net revenue growth and brands like Gatorade and Aquafina delivering high single-digit net revenue growth.

    The company said it expects its full-year 2023 organic revenue to increase 8%, up from 6%, and core constant currency EPS to increase 9% up from 8%.
    Earlier this month, the company also set a goal to design 100% of its packaging to be recyclable, compostable, biodegradable or reusable by 2025.
    “These things are hard, they’re not easy, but what I would tell you is we’re fully committed to it,” PepsiCo Foods North America CEO Steven Williams said at the time. More

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    McDonald’s earnings beat estimates as U.S. traffic grows despite price hikes

    McDonald’s first-quarter earnings and revenue topped Wall Street’s estimates.
    The fast-food chain’s U.S. traffic rose for the third consecutive quarter, bucking the industry trend of slipping traffic.
    All three of McDonald’s divisions reported same-store sales growth of 12.6%.

    Delivery couriers are seen near McDonald’s restaurant in Krakow, Poland on April 12, 2023. 
    Jakub Porzycki | Nurphoto | Getty Images

    McDonald’s on Tuesday reported quarterly earnings and revenue that topped analysts’ expectations as U.S. consumers keep buying Big Macs and Shamrock Shakes.
    Shares of the company rose about 1% in premarket trading.

    Here’s what the company reported compared with Wall Street expectations, based on a survey of analysts by Refinitiv:

    Earnings per share: $2.63 adjusted vs. $2.33 expected
    Revenue: $5.9 billion vs. $5.59 billion expected

    The fast-food giant reported first-quarter net income of $1.8 billion, or $2.45 per share, up from $1.1 billion, or $1.48 per share, a year earlier.
    Excluding $180 million in restructuring charges and other items, McDonald’s earned $2.63 per share.
    Net sales rose 4% to $5.9 billion. All three of its divisions reported same-store sales growth of 12.6%.
    In its home market, higher menu prices and increased traffic fueled same-store sales growth, which topped StreetAccount estimates of 7.9%.

    McDonald’s U.S. traffic rose for the third consecutive quarter, bucking the industry trend of slipping traffic as menu prices rise. Historically, fast-food chains like McDonald’s have fared well during times of economic uncertainty as consumers trade down to its cheaper meals.
    Outside the United States, McDonald’s also saw better-than-expected sales. Its international operated markets, which include the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Australia, beat StreetAccount estimates of 8.5% same-store sales growth.
    Its international developmental licensed markets segment, which includes China and Japan, topped same-store sales expectations of 10.5%.
    This is breaking news. Please check back for updates. More

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    Sony teases 2023 film slate, including R-rated ‘Kraven The Hunter’

    Sony Pictures’ upcoming “Kraven the Hunter” would mark the first R-rated Marvel film produced by the studio.
    Sony showed 14 minutes of “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” — due out June 2 — to CinemaCon audiences.
    Josh Greenstein, chairman & CEO of Sony’s Motion Picture Group, teased that the company would release 23 movies in 2023.

    Tom Holland is Spider-Man in the Sony-Marvel film “Spider-Man: No Way Home.”

    LAS VEGAS — CinemaCon kicked off Monday with a major announcement from Sony Pictures — its upcoming “Kraven the Hunter” would mark the first R-rated Marvel film produced by the studio.
    The reveal came during the company’s presentation at the annual convention for Hollywood studios and movie theater owners in Las Vegas, in which Sony unveiled new footage and trailers from its upcoming slate, including “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,” “Gran Turismo” and “No Hard Feelings.”

    “F— yes, it’s rated R,” said Kraven himself Aaron Taylor-Johnson in a pretaped teaser for the film before Sony showed the first trailer for the profane and bloody action flick.
    Kraven wouldn’t be the first R-rated superhero flick to hit theaters in the last decade. Fans of the genre have been treated to “Logan,” “Deadpool,” “Watchmen” and “The Suicide Squad” in recent years from 20th Century Fox (now owned by Disney) and Warner Bros. Discovery. But it opens the door for Sony to develop darker, bloodier and more mature films within the Spider-Man universe — namely, around the fan favorite character Venom.
    Sony currently owns the film rights to Spider-Man and his cavalcade of villains and has found success in alternative universe productions that fall outside Disney’s Marvel Cinematic Universe. The companies have partnered on three MCU standalone Spider-Man films featuring Tom Holland in the spidey suit and have granted Disney permission to use the character in its ensemble films.
    In 2023, the studio will have a sequel to its Oscar-winning animated feature “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.” On Monday, the company shared an extended look at “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,” in which Miles Morales reunites with Gwen Stacy after becoming Brooklyn’s full-time friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.
    He’s catapulted into the Multiverse where he encounters a team of Spider-People charged with protecting it. When the heroes clash on how to handle a new threat, Miles finds himself pitted against the other Spiders.

    Sony showed 14 minutes of the film — due out June 2 — to CinemaCon audiences, who laughed and cheered for the uniquely animated feature.
    Josh Greenstein, president of Sony Pictures’ Motion Picture Group, teased that the company would release 23 movies in 2023, after being introduced via video by Will Smith and Martin Lawrence, who are currently filming “Bad Boys 4.”
    Sony showed the opening clip of “Dumb Money,” a film by Craig Gillespie about how an everyday investor played by Paul Dano flipped the script on Wall Street, placing all his savings into GameStop in 2021. The film due out in October also stars Sebastian Stan, Seth Rogen, Pete Davidson, Shailene Woodley, America Ferrera, Anthony Ramos, Vincent D’Onofrio, Dane DeHaan and Nick Offerman.
    It followed with trailers for “Insidious: The Red Door,” due out in July, “The Machine,” coming in May and “Gran Turismo,” hitting screens in August.
    Sony also showcased a clip from Jennifer Lawrence’s upcoming R-rated drama “No Hard Feelings” to raucous applause. It also teased an R-rated comedy “Anyone But You” starring Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell as well as a sequel to “Ghostbusters: Afterlife.”
    After accepting CinemaCon’s Lifetime Achievement Award, Denzel Washington brought on stage Antoine Fuqua and Dakota Fanning to show a trailer of “The Equalizer 3.”
    “You can see at Sony we are not f—ing around,” said Tom Rothman, chairman and CEO of Sony Pictures’ Motion Picture Group, closing out the presentation.
    He revealed that Apple and Ridley Scott’s “Napoleon” will be distributed by Sony. The film, due out at Thanksgiving, will have a “robust window,” Rothman promised.
    “Hold onto your tri-cornered hats,” he teased before showing the first footage of the war epic, which recieved thunderous applause. More

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    NBCUniversal faces a set of company-defining decisions as CEO Jeff Shell departs

    Jeff Shell announced he was resigning as NBCUniversal CEO on Sunday after an inappropriate relationship with an employee.
    NBCUniversal faces several key decisions in the coming 12 to 24 months around Hulu, the NBA and a potential merger with Warner Bros. Discovery.
    Comcast CEO Brian Roberts will have to decide if he wants to replace Shell with an internal or external CEO or leave the job with current Comcast president Mike Cavanagh.

    (L-R) Michael Cavanagh, then-chief financial officer of Comcast, talks with Brian Roberts, chief executive officer of Comcast, as they arrive for the annual Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference, July 9, 2019 in Sun Valley, Idaho.
    Drew Angerer | Getty Images

    As the shock wears off on the sudden departure of NBCUniversal Chief Executive Officer Jeff Shell, executives at NBCUniversal’s parent company, Comcast, will need to make decisions on a handful of major items that will determine the company’s future in the next 12 to 24 months.
    Shell announced he was departing the company immediately Sunday after admitting to an inappropriate relationship with an NBCUniversal employee. Mike Cavanagh, Comcast’s president, will run the NBCUniversal division, though it’s unclear for how long. While Cavanagh has been at Comcast since 2015, serving as the company’s chief financial officer before his promotion to president in October, his background isn’t running large media businesses. Cavanagh was a banker for more than 20 years before joining Comcast.

    Shell’s departure comes at a particularly crucial time for the future of the news and entertainment company. While Shell was never the ultimate decision-maker at Comcast — that job falls to CEO Brian Roberts, whose family controls the company — his input and vision helped dictate the company’s pathway through streaming, sports rights and acquisitions.
    NBCUniversal is staring at big decisions in all three of those categories in the coming months.

    The Hulu decision

    In 2019, NBCUniversal agreed to an unusual deal with Disney, allowing it to sell its 33% stake in Hulu in January 2024 at a valuation of at least $27.5 billion. But comments from Disney CEO Bob Iger earlier this year have put Disney’s motivation to buy the remainder of Hulu in doubt.
    “Everything is on the table,” Iger told CNBC’s David Faber in February, suggesting Disney could buy the remainder of Hulu or sell its 66% stake — conceivably to Comcast.
    Shell was a big fan of Hulu and thought it could supercharge NBCUniversal’s streaming efforts, according to people familiar with his thinking. Hulu ended 2022 with 48 million subscribers, more than doubling the number of customers paying for NBCUniversal’s flagship streaming service, Peacock, which topped 20 million in January. Both streaming services are U.S.-based. Uniting Hulu’s ownership could allow a media company to extend the brand globally, adding tens of millions more subscribers.

    Acquiring Hulu’s 66% stake from Disney could cost Comcast more than $20 billion. Roberts will continue to be the ultimate decider on such a move. Losing NBCUniversal’s top operator may give Roberts some pause on a deal. Or, perhaps, it could spur Roberts to find new leadership through a large acquisition.

    NBA rights

    NBC Sports is interested in bringing the National Basketball Association back to NBC, its broadcast TV home from 1990-2002, CNBC reported in February.
    It’s unclear if NBC will actually get a shot at buying the rights, as Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery have exclusive negotiating rights with the NBA until early next year. But if the NBA decides it wants NBC as a partner, the media company will have to pay billions per year for the privilege. The NBA is looking for a substantial increase in current rights payments, which are $1.4 billion annually for Disney and $1.2 billion for Warner Bros. Discovery.
    NBCUniversal also owns several regional sports networks, whose own long-term business is in question as the NBA and Major League Baseball rethink how to broadcast local games amid the bankruptcy of Sinclair’s Diamond Sports Group.
    Mark Lazarus was promoted to head of NBCUniversal Television and Streaming in May 2020. He has overseen NBC Sports Group for more than a decade. Roberts and Cavanagh can continue to rely on Lazarus and head of NBC Sports Pete Bevacqua for future media rights moves.

    Merging with Warner Bros. Discovery

    The elephant in the room with NBCUniversal is the frequent speculation in media circles that a merger with Warner Bros. Discovery could be coming in the next two years. Warner Bros. Discovery must wait two years before completing a sale for tax purposes following AT&T’s divestiture of WarnerMedia into Discovery Communications.
    If a Comcast-Warner Bros. Discovery deal were to happen, Shell may not have had a role at the future company. Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav could run the combined media assets.
    Warner Bros. Discovery board member John Malone told CNBC in 2021 “there’s no question” Roberts wanted to buy WarnerMedia but didn’t because of regulatory pushback.
    “My comment to Brian was that this is the pickle out of the jar,” Malone said in 2021. “If the regulatory environment permitted, down the road, all kinds of relationships could be contemplated between this enterprise that we’re creating and Brian’s enterprise. I think there are many opportunities for this Discovery-[WarnerMedia] enterprise to work with NBCUniversal to develop successful businesses.”
    It’s possible a Republican presidential administration could be more welcoming to the idea of a merger. Market dynamics have also shifted since 2021, potentially helping to convince Roberts and Zaslav to attempt a merger. Both Comcast and Warner Bros. Discovery are smaller companies after losing substantial value in 2022.
    Given Cavanagh’s background in finance, rather than operations, Roberts may signal his plan to merge NBCUniversal if he keeps Cavanagh in the role rather than finding an outside replacement. It may make little sense for Roberts to choose a new leader for NBCUniversal if that person will simply steer the company into a merger.
    Disclosure: Comcast owns NBCUniversal, the parent company of CNBC.
    WATCH: CNBC’s ‘Squawk on the Street’ crew share their thoughts following ouster of NBCU CEO More

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    Tucker Carlson leaves Fox News in wake of Dominion defamation settlement

    Fox News announced it parted ways with right-wing host Tucker Carlson. His last program aired Friday.
    The host is leaving Fox News days after the network reached a settlement with Dominion Voting Systems in its defamation lawsuit.
    Carlson’s program, “Tucker Carlson Tonight,” has long been one of Fox’s top rated programs.

    Right-wing prime-time host Tucker Carlson is leaving Fox News immediately, the cable network announced Monday.
    The announcement came days after Fox News’ parent company settled Dominion Voting Systems’ defamation lawsuit for $787.5 million. The company’s hosts were not required to talk about the lawsuit, or make an apology for it, as part of the settlement, CNBC previously reported.

    “FOX News Media and Tucker Carlson have agreed to part ways,” the company said in a statement Monday. “We thank him for his service to the network as a host and prior to that as a contributor.”
    There will be no send-off for Carlson, as his last program aired Friday. Carlson had signed off Friday saying he would be back Monday. Carlson’s program, “Tucker Carlson Tonight,” has long been one of Fox’s top rated programs.
    The company wouldn’t comment beyond the release, or around whether Carlson was being taken off air in response to the Dominion defamation case. Fox News did not offer a statement on Carlson’s behalf.
    Fox Corp. Class A shares closed down about 3% on Monday.
    News of Carlson’s exit came on the same day that CNN anchor Don Lemon said he’d been fired from the network and a day after NBCUniversal CEO Jeff Shell was dismissed for having an inappropriate relationship with an employee.

    Carlson, 53, was among the Fox hosts and executives who were questioned as part of the Dominion lawsuit. Several of his emails and texts were part of the evidence released before the settlement, as well. In addition, Dominion’s attorneys had listed about 20 episodes that appeared on Fox’s networks as evidence of defamation, with Carlson’s among them.
    Other hosts who were deposed and part of the evidence included Maria Bartiromo, Jeanine Pirro, Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham, as well as former host Lou Dobbs.
    Dominion sued Fox and its networks, arguing the networks “intentionally and falsely” blamed Dominion for the 2020 loss of former President Donald Trump to President Joe Biden by airing unsubstantiated claims that the company’s machines rigged the election.
    Carlson was among the top anchors who expressed disbelief and skepticism behind the scenes about comments being made on air, particularly by guests like pro-Trump attorney Sidney Powell.
    “It’s unbelievably offensive to me. Our viewers are good people and they believe it,” Carlson said in one text message in the weeks after the election, court papers show.
    Dominion pointed to the drop in Fox’s audience following election night, when the network called Arizona for Biden. Behind the scenes, Carlson and his fellow hosts expressed “the threat to them personally.” In a message to his producer on Nov. 5, Carlson said: “We worked really hard to build what we have. Those f—-ers are destroying our credibility. It enrages me.” 
    In the weeks following the election, Fox hosted Powell, as well as Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani and MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell on air at which point they repeated the false claims that Dominion rigged the election.
    And while Carlson recently hosted Trump on Fox News in recent weeks after his indictment in New York, Carlson had called Trump “a demonic force” after Jan. 6, when a violent mob of Trump supporters breached the U.S. Capitol.
    Carlson was among the witnesses slated to testify had the lawsuit gone to trial. On that list of witnesses was also Abby Grossberg, a former Fox producer who worked on the shows of Bartiromo and Carlson.
    In the weeks leading up to the scheduled trial start date, Grossberg came forward alleging she was coerced into providing misleading testimony as part of the Dominion lawsuit. Fox has said Grossberg made “unmeritorious legal claims, which are riddled with false allegations against Fox and our employees.”
    Grossberg’s attorneys said in court papers that she was fired by Fox in retaliation. She has filed lawsuits against Fox in New York and Delaware, accusing the network of discrimination.
    Grossberg cheered Carlson’s departure in a statement Monday, saying, “This is a step towards accountability for the election lies and baseless conspiracy theories spread by Fox News, something I witnessed firsthand at the network, as well as for the abuse and harassment I endured while Head of Booking and Senior Producer for Tucker Carlson Tonight. I think this is great for America! It’s a big win for viewers of cable news, not just those who watch Fox.”
    Carlson took over Bill O’Reilly’s prime time slot on Fox in 2017 after O’Reilly left the network under controversy. O’Reilly has been accused of sexual harassment by multiple former Fox employees. He has denied the allegations.
    While the Dominion lawsuit was unlikely to affect Fox’s business, it was unclear the toll it would take on its programming and hosts.
    Shortly after Smartmatic, another voting tech company, sued Fox for defamation in 2021, Dobbs’ weekday program on Fox Business was canceled. Dobbs is named as a defendant in the Smartmatic lawsuit, which is ongoing and isn’t slated to go to trial until 2025. At the time, Fox said the show’s cancellation was in the works before the lawsuit.
    Disclosure: NBCUniversal is the parent company of CNBC. More