In the meantime, there’s one major takeaway for not just cable news viewers, but also the American electorate at large: While Carlson’s political influence dwarfs that of Lemon, a less prominent host on a less popular network, both of these high-profile personnel shifts are sure to impact how we understand a 2024 presidential election that is already beginning to take shape.

On CNN, we’ll have one less voice applying sexist double standards to female candidates who’ve been fighting them for generations, from Shirley Chisholm and Geraldine Ferraro to Hillary Clinton and Kamala Harris. It’s hard to imagine Fox News turning away from its reactionary stances with Carlson gone, but the network has its work cut out for it in replacing a (covertly anti-Trump) host popular enough to help set the national conservative agenda. And, of course, much of Carlson’s devoted audience is likely to follow him to wherever he lands, whether it’s TV or a podcast or a Substack or a best-selling book. Presidential election cycles are always moments of change on cable news; Maddow made her career as MSNBC’s big 2008 hire. With Carlson and Lemon both out in April 2023, it looks like next year’s inevitable upheavals have arrived a few months early.

[Meh. Lemon was never influential anyway, while Carlson will just shift platforms and command a large audience with or without Fox. The real question about election coverage is who replaces Carlson on Fox’s prime-time lineup, and any potential changes in messaging and audience targeting. I’d guess that Fox will aim for a Carlson-like populist topic set, only with more editorial control in the short run. Whether that works is another question entirely, but that’s not really a presidential-election issue. — Ed]