Who will replace Tucker Carlson in his time slot on Fox News?

1. How Fox filled the vacuum at 8 p.m.: a decisive pick or cautious shuffle?

Fox News moved decisively in June 2023 to install Jesse Watters into Tucker Carlson’s former 8 p.m. slot, formalizing a primetime lineup that placed Laura Ingraham at 7 p.m., Watters at 8 p.m. and Sean Hannity at 9 p.m., with Greg Gutfeld shifting later in the evening; the change was framed as a “safe” reshuffling of the network’s opinion roster within weeks of Carlson’s exit and the Dominion settlement ^{[1] [2] [6]}. Critics and industry observers at the time noted the network opted for continuity of opinion‑driven programming rather than a pivot to non‑opinion formats, with some characterizing Laura Ingraham’s move as a demotion while others viewed Watters as a natural internal successor who could retain the existing audience base. Fox presented the reorganization as a measured response to ratings pressures and legal fallout.

2. Confusion and earlier speculation: Hannity and other scenarios that never stuck

Before the Watters announcement, multiple scenarios circulated inside and outside Fox, including talk that Sean Hannity might assume the 8 p.m. hour or that the network could redistribute hosts like Watters and Greg Gutfeld across prime slots; network spokespeople denied decisions were finalized, and several reports captured that period as active internal deliberation rather than settled planning ^[5]. The speculation reflected both the commercial urgency of stabilizing primetime ratings and the influence of individual hosts’ followings; Hannity’s name came up because of his historical ratings strength and prominence, but the network ultimately avoided moving him into the 8 p.m. role, choosing instead to preserve his established 9 p.m. presence while promoting Watters into the former Carlson hour.

3. Don’t conflate other Fox schedule moves with the Carlson replacement

Subsequent and separate schedule adjustments at Fox—such as Will Cain being named to take over Neil Cavuto’s 4 p.m. slot in January 2025—have sometimes been conflated with primetime changes but are unrelated to Carlson’s former time slot ^{[3] [4] [7]}. The Cain appointment reflects Fox’s broader lineup evolution across daytime and evening hours and shows the network’s ongoing strategy of shuffling experienced on‑air talent into different dayparts; this move did not affect the 8 p.m. hour, which had been occupied by Watters since mid‑2023, and thus should not be interpreted as a replacement for Carlson.

4. What the evidence shows: timelines, dates, and the settled outcome

The clearest documentary trail begins with Carlson’s 2023 exit and culminates in Fox’s June 2023 announcement that Jesse Watters would take the 8 p.m. slot, with the new lineup becoming effective on July 17, 2023; reporting in 2023 and later summaries through 2024–2025 reaffirm Watters as the host who replaced Carlson in that hour ^{[1] [2] [6]}. Subsequent analyses revisited ratings impacts and the network’s rationale, but no later reporting in the provided set contradicts the core fact that Watters replaced Carlson at 8 p.m.; ancillary reshuffles—like Cain’s 4 p.m. debut—are documented separately and carry different strategic implications for Fox’s schedule.

5. Bottom line and remaining context the public should note

The factual record supplied shows Jesse Watters as the direct successor to Tucker Carlson’s 8 p.m. slot, announced June 2023 and implemented in mid‑July 2023, while other lineup moves such as Will Cain’s promotion to a 4 p.m. slot are distinct programming changes unrelated to Carlson’s hour ^{[1] [4]}. Observers and stakeholders framed these moves differently—some as conservative consolidation, others as risk‑averse continuity—and those interpretive angles help explain why both early rumors (including Hannity scenarios) and later clarifications appeared in reporting; the confirmed replacement for Carlson’s time slot is Jesse Watters, and that remains the operative fact across the sources provided.