Tucker Carlson Takes Over Bill O'Reilly's Time Slot In More Ways Than One

“He set a high bar," Carlson said of the disgraced former Fox News host.

Tucker Carlson officially took over the Fox News time slot that Bill O’Reilly once occupied by praising the networks’s disgraced former host, mocking women’s rights advocates, and celebrating President Donald Trump.

“I watched Bill O’Reilly at this hour for years, and I always marveled at how well-prepared he was, how tough he was, and how crisply and directly he expressed his views,” Carlson said at the start of Monday’s episode of Tucker Carlson Tonight. “He set a high bar, and I’m gonna do my best to meet it.”

O’Reilly was ousted last week amid sexual harassment allegations. The network’s parent company, 21st Century Fox, had reportedly known about the claims for years but only responded after pressure from advertisers and activists mounted. Fox News’ founder and former CEO, Roger Ailes, left the company last year amid a similar scandal.

Until Monday, Carlson’s show had aired at 9 p.m., directly after The O’Reilly Factor. But the primetime spot isn’t the only thing the two men have shared. Critics have also pointed out that they have a similar history of on-air sexism and transphobia. Carlson brought those comparisons full circle on Monday, mocking the women’s rights marchers and suggesting that the murder of trans women shouldn’t be considered a hate crime.

Carlson’s show also featured a graphic that we can’t help but think that his predecessor, a vocal Trump fan, would have approved of:

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