FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts expressed shock Monday at the news that Fox News had parted ways with prime-time host Tucker Carlson earlier in the day, and reiterated his offer to give Carlson a job if he needs one.

Roberts also noted that Carlson spoke at Heritage’s 50th anniversary gala Friday night while the popular Fox News host’s final, prerecorded show aired on the cable giant.

“We at Heritage were honored to have Tucker Carlson speak for our 50th anniversary gala as his last show ran on Fox News,” Roberts told The Daily Signal, the think tank’s multimedia news organization, in a written statement Monday. “I was stunned to hear the news today but am confident Tucker will find a new platform to challenge the Washington regime, ask tough questions, and hold the ruling elite accountable.”

“To the man himself, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, there will always be a home here for you, Tucker,” Roberts added.

Carlson, who interned at Heritage as a young man, praised his former employer at the leading think tank’s 50th anniversary gala Friday night and spoke fondly of Roberts. The two shared a brief question-and-answer session following his speech.

“If things go south at Fox News, there’s always a job for you at Heritage,” Roberts quipped, unaware that Carlson would part ways with Fox on the next business day.

“Well, you’ve saved me before,” Carlson replied, laughing.

“We do that for a lot of people very happily,” Roberts added. “We’re not called America’s outpost for nothing.”

Fox announced the separation with Carlson on Monday morning, noting that “Mr. Carlson’s last program was Friday April 21st.” Carlson prerecorded that edition of “Tucker Carlson Tonight” before speaking at the Heritage gala.

The separation came days after news that Fox News’ parent company paid $787 million to settle a defamation lawsuit from Dominion Voting Systems. The lawsuit brought Carlson’s private messages to light. The true motivation for the Fox-Carlson split remains unclear.

In his gala speech, Carlson warned against the ideological Left, condemning it as “evil” and citing the example of abortion, which he called “child sacrifice,” being promoted as a positive good.

Before becoming a standout in the Fox News lineup, Carlson co-founded The Daily Caller as a conservative news organization and served as editor-in-chief. He is the former host of MSNBC’s “Tucker” and CNN’s “Crossfire.”

Carlson also had hosted the Fox Nation streaming series “Tucker Carlson Today” and “Tucker Carlson Originals.” He is the author of the books “Ship of Fools: How a Selfish Ruling Class Is Bringing America to the Brink of Revolution” and “The Long Slide: Thirty Years in American Journalism.”

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