The ascension of Donald Trump has given the careers of many political pundits a shot in the arm. The ascension of Trump has also given the careers of some political pundits a suckerpunch in the belly. Such is the case with Glenn Beck, whose 9 a.m. to noon time slot on SiriusXM has just been given to David Webb, a conservative host largely unknown outside of the Fox News audience.
According to Breitbart News, Webb will take over Beck's slot on SiriusXM's popular Patriot Channel 125 beginning this week, while Beck's show will be moved to Channel 132-- a less-popular channel that covers traffic and weather in the Boston, Philadelphia and D.C.
region.
Beck's fall from grace with the satellite radio provider began last May, after SiriusXM slapped Glenn Beck with a one-week suspension after Beck's guest, author Brad Thor, advocated for the assassination of then-presidential candidate Donald Trump. During the Republican primaries, Thor and Beck were both outspoken members of the "Never Trump" movement.
Legal woes take toll on Beck's reputation
Word of Beck's SiriusXM demotion comes on the heels of a high-profile legal battle with Tomi Lahren, who formerly hosted a program on Beck's conservative media network TheBlaze.
Lahren, who sued Beck for wrongful termination, was fired after she appeared on "The View" earlier this year and admitted to being pro-choice.
Lahren's lawsuit, which was settled last week, alleged that Beck refused to grant the former host access to her Facebook page, thereby cutting her off from her millions of social media followers. The lawsuit also sought to have Lahren's contract with TheBlaze declared null and void. After the terms of the settlement were announced, Lahren told Fox News: "I am thrilled to walk away from this with my freedom and Facebook page.
I am grateful to my fans for their continued support through this storm."
Glenn Beck's downfall opens doors for up-and-comers
Beck's media empire has taken several hits in recent months, which many ascribe to the conservative host's antipathy toward Donald Trump and the alienation of Trump's supporters. In February, Page Six reported that TheBlaze.com has lost more than two-thirds of its audience since 2014-- and that was before Beck's dust-up with Lahren, who was one of TheBlaze.com's most popular hosts.
Beck's SiriusXM replacement, David Webb, is a rising star on the conservative scene. In spite of being one of the nation's few African-American right-wing commentators, Webb has built an impressive following since "The David Webb Show" was launched on SiriusXM in 2012. Webb is also a regular Fox News contributor and columnist for The Hill.
