Spanish-language right-wing media are in disarray after the abrupt firing of former Fox News star Tucker Carlson on April 24, spreading unverified claims about his departure, attacking Fox’s supposedly damaged right-wing credentials, and pledging to follow Carlson wherever he goes.

Carlson’s misinformative, misogynist, and racist Fox News programming was often used by Spanish-language misinformers to further spread right-wing propaganda in the United States and Latin America.

Now, with one of the engines of right-wing propaganda shut off, Spanish-language conservative outlets and personalities are scrambling, uncertain as everyone else is about why Fox decided to part ways with its biggest and most influential star.

Claims that Carlson and Fox are no longer aligned

Despite evidence that shows Carlson’s exit from Fox News was not expected or voluntary, some Spanish-language conservative media outlets made baseless claims that the pundit “abandoned” Fox over “irreconcilable differences.”

• Voz Media, a conservative media startup looking to become “100%” “the opposite” of Spanish media providers Univision and Telemundo, shared an article claiming, “Tucker Carlson abandons Fox.” [Twitter, 4/24/23] 
• La Derecha Diario, a conservative publication with over 261,000 followers on Twitter, shared a screenshot from Fox News’ statement and claimed, “There is speculation about irreconcilable differences, as the network is turning towards supporting DeSantis while Carlson publicly supports Trump.” [Twitter, 4/24/23]
• La Derecha Diario also shared an article claiming Tucker Carlson parted ways with Fox  News “after the channel's turn against Donald Trump and in favor of Ron DeSantis, as well as legal battles over voter fraud in 2020.” [Twitter, 4/25/23]

Claims that Fox is now mainstream

Following the news of Carlson’s firing, Spanish-language conservative pundits lashed out at Fox News, claiming “thousands” are boycotting the now “establishment-aligned outlet” for “moving to the left.”

• Americano Media columnist Emmanuel Rondón — a vocal supporter of Gov. Ron DeSantis' dystopian crusades against public education and LGBTQ rights — claimed, “Fox News lost its best host and earned the label of establishment-aligned outlet,” adding that they “needed Tucker Carlson much more than vice versa.” [Twitter, 4/24/23]
• Emmanuel Rincón, a senior editor at Americano Media, claimed “mainstream media is agitated,” linking Carlson’s firing from Fox to the news that CNN host Don Lemon had been fired over a string of controversies. [Twitter, 4/24/23] 
• Nelson Albino, an analyst for Americano Media and chairman of the Republican National Hispanic Assembly of Puerto Rico, shared a post claiming “thousands” are unsubscribing from Fox Nation “in response to Tucker Carlson's forced departure from Fox News.” One tweet from a collage Albino posted said there is “no need to watch a network that caves to the left.” [Facebook, 4/25/23]
• Americano Media host Jesus Marquez asked his listeners whether they would continue watching Fox News now that “the only real conservative” at the network has left, adding, “In my opinion, it [Fox] is becoming woke.” [Americano Media, Battleground Americano, 4/24/23]
• Marquez also claimed Tucker was ousted from Fox News “because Fox News is moving to the left, and they saw Tucker as very ultra-right.” [Americano Media, Battleground Americano, 4/24/23]

Blaming Democrats for Carlson’s firing

Popular conservative personalities and accounts blamed “the radical wing of the Democratic Party” for Tucker Carlson’s firing after Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) accused him of inciting violence ahead of the January 6 insurrection.

• Rincón claimed, “It is almost as if they are obeying the radical wing of the Democratic Party,” adding, “It's incredible that Fox News took Tucker Carlson off the air days after Ocasio Cortez called for the host to be ‘regulated’ (censored).”  [Twitter, 4/25/23]
• Jimmy Nievez, a Republican commentator on Americano Media’s political debate show J y J Primetime, claimed “the final nail” for Carlson was “that Fox got scared by the words of Ocasio-Cortez” and questioned how “this girl” can claim to protect freedom of speech while calling on “the government to cancel opposition voices.” [Americano Media, J y J Primetime, 4/24/23]
• Estamos Unidos, a right-wing blog with over 18,000 followers on Facebook, shared a video of Ocasio-Cortez’s accusations and claimed, “This is the mode of operation of communist dictatorships like China, Cuba, North Korea, Venezuela, and Nicaragua … #TheLeftIsTrash.” [Facebook, 4/24/23]

Pledges to follow Carlson wherever he goes

Popular Spanish-language right-wing pundits pledged blind allegiance to Carlson no matter what he plans to do next and suggested he could “become the Trump of 2016.” They also shared clips of Tucker Carlson’s response speech and claimed, “The liars will pay.”

• Conservative journalist Laura De Rosa translated Rogan O’Handley’s tweet claiming, “Wherever Tucker goes next to tell inconvenient truths about the Biden regime, I will follow.” [Twitter, 4/24/23]
• Rondón claimed Tucker “revolutionized the media industry”, and predicted he “may establish himself as the most uncomfortable and important voice” for the conservative movement, or become like the “Trump of 2016.” [Twitter, 4/24/23]
• Former Rep. Mayra Flores (R-TX), now a senior political contributor at Americano Media, claimed it was “shocking to hear the news that Tucker Carlson & Fox News are parting ways” and claimed she would “support” and “follow” Carlson “wherever” he goes. [Facebook, 4/25/23]
• Rincón shared a screenshot of Tucker Carlson’s tweeted response video “with over 40 million views” and claimed, “It seems Tucker doesn't need Fox, but Fox will miss him dearly.”  [Twitter, 4/27/23]
• Americano Media shared an article praising Carlson for “breaking Twitter” by getting “more than 45 million views in hours” on his response video. [Twitter, 4/27/23]
• Voz Media shared an article praising Carlson for “breaking silence” and “attacking Fox News in between the lines.” [Twitter, 4/27/23]
• La Derecha Diario shared a subtitled clip of Tucker Carlson’s video response and claimed, “The liars will pay.” [Twitter, 4/27/23]