Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson has not signed a $400 million contract with television network ABC to replace the talk show “Jimmy Kimmel Live.” The fabricated headline shared on social media stems from a satirical website.

“Breaking: ABC Signs A $400 Million Deal With Tucker Carlson For A Late-Night Show, ‘Going to Replace Jimmy Kimmel Show,’” says the headline being shared on Facebook, opens new tab. The posts attracted comments such as, “That would be smartest move ABC has ever done. Tucker is truthful unlike Jimmie,” and “Please don’t, he is crazy just like the MAGA idiots.”

Satirical news website SpaceXMania first published the headline, opens new tab with a satire disclaimer on July 16, 2024. The website’s “About Us”, opens new tab page states that their articles are “pure fantasy,” and “not a snapshot of reality.”

Late-night television host and comedian Jimmy Kimmel has front-lined his ABC show, opens new tab for 22 seasons, starting in 2003. In 2022, Kimmel extended his contract, opens new tab with ABC for three years.There is no evidence that Carlson is set to take over Kimmel’s slot. A spokesperson for ABC said in an email to Reuters that the headline is false.

The SpaceXMania story and some online posts carry an image, opens new tab of a building with the logo of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, whereas “Jimmy Kimmel Live” airs on the American Broadcasting Company’s channel.

False. A headline saying Tucker Carlson will replace Jimmy Kimmel on ABC with a show of his own comes from a satirical news article.