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Tucker Carlson has spoken publicly for the first time since leaving Fox News, calling TV debates “stupid” and hitting out at “liars” who he said were trying to silence “honest people”.

Posting a two-minute video on his official Twitter feed titled “Good evening”, the 53-year-old host did not directly mention the reason for his abrupt exit from Fox News, just days ago.

His departure came less than a week after parent company Fox Corp agreed to pay $787.5m (£631m) to Dominion Voting Systems to avert a defamation trial.

In his video monologue, Carlson said he was addressing “things you notice when you take a little time off”, including “how unbelievably stupid most of the debates you see on television are”.

He said: “They’re completely irrelevant. They mean nothing. In five years we won’t even remember we heard them. Trust me, as somebody who participated.”

He went on: “But when honest people say what’s true, calmly and without embarrassment, they become powerful.

“At the same time, the liars who have been trying to silence them shrink, and they become weaker.”

He also claimed that debates about “big topics, the ones that will define our futures” like “war, civil liberties, emerging science, demographic change, corporate power, natural resources” are “not permitted in American media”.

Previously Fox News’ most popular host, Carlson regularly drew more than three million viewers to his nightly show.

Fox News announced he would be leaving the network on Tuesday, and said rotating Fox News personalities would be helming the interim show until a new host was named.

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While Fox has not explained why they “agreed to part ways” with Carlson, the legal battle between the network and Dominion Voting Systems had led to the publication of messages that publicly aired Carlson’s private views about Donald Trump and his colleagues at Fox.

Carlson would have been expected to testify if the dispute had gone to trial.

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Carlson, who worked at both CNN and MSNBC earlier in his career, replaced Bill O’Reilly in Fox’s prime-time line-up in 2016. He quickly established himself as a key player in the network, and an influential voice in Republican politics.

He has regularly drawn controversy for incendiary statements about race, LGBTQ rights and other topics, and earlier this year Carlson came under fire from Republicans when he described the deadly riots on the US capitol on 6 January 2021 as “mostly peaceful chaos”.

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Comedian Milton Jones reveals he’s cancer free

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Comedian Milton Jones reveals he's cancer free

Comedian Milton Jones has revealed he is cancer free after being treated for prostate cancer.

In April, the 61-year-old, who is known for his appearances on Mock The Week, announced he was cancelling a number of UK tour dates to undergo surgery.

Jones said in a statement: “A few months ago, I had to stop my tour HA!MILTON because I needed treatment for prostate cancer. I’m glad to say I’ve had that treatment and am now cancer-free!

“So, many thanks to all the doctors and nurses who helped me get better – I couldn’t do their job (I tried, but apparently you have to be qualified).”

Thanking his family, friends and fans, he went on to joke: “I have to admit there were a few dark moments when I wondered if anyone would ever see me again, but then I realised that I was leaning against the light switch.

“Thankfully, I’m now in a completely different place, and if you look at my website, you’ll see that very soon I’ll be in lots of other different places on tour too”.

Jones picks up his tour on 15 September in Stafford, touring until the end of November 2025.

The show, whose name is a play on the title of the hit musical Hamilton, promises laughter and unforgettable comedy moments, as well as jokes about giraffes and tomatoes.

The Richmond-born comedian has been hailed as the king of the one-liner, basing his jokes on clever wordplay and surreal humour.

He has performed on Live At The Apollo, Lee Mack’s All Star Cast, and Michael McIntyre’s Comedy Roadshow.

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Taylor Swift reveals release date for new album

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Taylor Swift reveals release date for new album

Taylor Swift has revealed the release date for her new album, The Life Of A Showgirl.

The pop megastar announced her 12th studio album earlier this week but didn’t give many details.

Now, in social media posts and an appearance on boyfriend Travis Kelce’s sports podcast, Swift revealed just what fans can expect from the new album.

Taylor Swift and boyfriend Travis Kelce on the New Heights podcast. Pic: New Heights
Image:
Taylor Swift and boyfriend Travis Kelce on the New Heights podcast. Pic: New Heights

The Life of Showgirl, written during the European leg of her record-breaking Eras tour, will be released on 3 October.

It consists of 12 songs, including the title track that features pop star Sabrina Carpenter.

The full track list is:

1. The Fate Of Ophelia
2. Elizabeth Taylor
3. Opalite
4. Father Figure
5. Eldest Daughter
6. Ruin The Friendship
7. Actually Romantic
8. Wi$h Li$t
9. Wood
10. Cancelled!
11. Honey
12. The Life Of A Showgirl (featuring Sabrina Carpenter)

Long-time collaborators Max Martin and Shellback, two Swedish producers who worked with Swift on some of her biggest hits, joined the pop star for this album.

Within four hours of posting the full podcast episode on YouTube, it had already gathered 4.7m views.

The cover of Taylor Swift's newly announced album. Pic: Republic Records
Image:
The cover of Taylor Swift’s newly announced album. Pic: Republic Records

The back cover of Taylor Swift's 12th studio album The Life Of A Showgirl. Pic: 	Republic Records
Image:
The back cover of Taylor Swift’s 12th studio album The Life Of A Showgirl. Pic: Republic Records

‘The hardest-working star in pop’

The album follows last year’s The Tortured Poets Department, which was released during the Eras tour.

That tour, with shows on five continents and in 51 cities, raked in more than $2.2bn (£1.62bn) and was the highest-grossing tour of all time.

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“This album is about what was going on behind the scenes in my inner life during this tour, which was so exuberant and electric and vibrant,” Swift said during her podcast appearance.

Sky News culture and entertainment reporter Gemma Peplow said after her globe-trotting tour and a swathe of re-releases over recent years, the new album cemented Swift’s reputation “as the hardest-working star in pop”.

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Harvey Weinstein to be tried for third time in New York after mistrial on rape charge

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Harvey Weinstein to be tried for third time in New York after mistrial on rape charge

Disgraced US film producer Harvey Weinstein is to be tried for a third time in a sexual assault case.

A jury in New York could not reach a verdict in June against the 73-year-old who was accused of raping actress Jessica Mann, and a mistrial was declared.

Judge Curtis Farber has said he wants the new trial to happen before the end of this year.

The same jury found Weinstein guilty in June of sexually assaulting former Project Runway production assistant Miriam Haley in 2006 and not guilty of assaulting Polish former runway model Kaja Sokola the same year.

Weinstein will be sentenced for the guilty verdict in Ms Haley’s case on 30 September.

He denied all of the charges. Throughout the retrial, his lawyers insisted the sexual encounters with his three accusers were “transactional” and “consensual,” and labelled the women as opportunists.

Weinstein was originally convicted of rape and criminal sexual act by the same court in 2020 and sentenced to 23 years in prison for the crimes.

Last year, however, New York’s highest court overturned the conviction, prompting Weinstein’s retrial this summer.

Weinstein was once one of the most powerful people in Hollywood – the co-founder of film and television production companies Miramax and The Weinstein Company, who produced films such as the Oscar-winning Shakespeare In Love, Pulp Fiction, and The Crying Game.

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In 2017, a series of sexual misconduct allegations against him propelled the #MeToo movement.

Some of those accusations later led to criminal charges and his convictions in New York and California.

Before the retrial, Weinstein was also serving a 16-year prison sentence after being found guilty of rape in California in December 2022. He has also denied this charge.

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