NEW YORK: Fox News star host Tucker Carlson is leaving the influential conservative TV network, it was announced Monday, in a surprise move days after the outlet was forced to pay a huge financial settlement to end a defamation case.

Carlson was the best-known personality on Fox’s presenting roster, hosting a popular prime-time evening show that drew a fiercely loyal audience among right-wing viewers.

A key figure in Republican politics, he often interviewed Donald Trump and has been widely criticized for his abrasive style, alleged lack of journalistic rigor and — to his critics — his stream of disinformation and racist and hate-filled rhetoric.

“Fox News Media and Tucker Carlson have agreed to part ways. We thank him for his service to the network as a host and prior to that as a contributor,” the network said in a statement.

The 53-year-old Carlson, who joined the network in 2009, gave no immediate reaction to the statement.

Railing against everything from immigration policies to gun controls, “Tucker Carlson Tonight” pilloried liberal trends in modern America, appealing to viewers’ outrage and propelling the show to the heights of cable television.