What's next for Glenn Beck: 5 theories

Glenn Beck made a name for himself with his headline-grabbing conspiratorial rants on Fox News, but that phase of his career is coming to an end. Beck confirmed to his viewers on Wednesday that he's ending his daily show on Fox. By way of an explanation, he said, Paul Revere "got off the horse at some point and fought in the revolution and then he went back to silversmithing." So after sounding the alarm on the air for the past two years, Beck says he now has "other things to do." Like what? Here, five possibilities:

1. He will take Glenn Beck Inc. to the next level: Keith Olbermann may be nothing without a network soapbox, says Glynnis MacNicol at Business Insider, but "Beck has an entire media empire waiting for him." He's still got his daily radio show, with its massive audience, along with a fledgling website (The Blaze), and the special programs he'll develop for Fox News. Beck will now "become his own case study in what a new media world might look like once stars become less dependent on traditional cable platforms."

"Here's the real reason Glenn Beck And Fox News are parting ways"

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2. Beck will reinvent himself... again: Without a daily TV platform, Beck will "have to show us something new," says Conor Friedersdorf at The Atlantic. He has experience in that department, as he rose to fame by "reinventing himself every time he lost hold on the public's attention." (Remember his stint on CNN Headline News?) Fox boss Roger Ailes and friends should be very afraid, because one of Beck's options is turning "on his former allies in the conservative movement."

"What's next for Glenn Beck?"

3. He'll write more books: Don't forget, Glenn Beck, TV star, is also Glenn Beck, bestselling author, says Jason Boog at Mediabistro. During his "heyday" in 2009, Beck sealed a "multi-book deal" with publisher Simon & Schuster, and his novel, "The Overton Window," sold 132,000 copies in a single week. Now that he's free from the daily grind at Fox, he'll have "time to write more books."

"Glenn Beck ending his Fox News show"

4. Now he'll really go nuts: Beck's farewell announcement to his fans sounded familiar, says Victoria Pynchon at Forbes. It was a lot like fictional newsman Howard Beale's "I'm mad as hell, and I'm not going to take it anymore" rant in the 1976 film Network. Beck is telling his viewers to prepare for a "summer of insurrection," and, essentially "prepare for Armageddon." So get ready for some fireworks, and pray that Beck doesn't "join Charlie Sheen’s Violent Torpedo of Truth Tour."

"Glenn Beck's Howard Beale moment"

5. Whatever he does, the spotlight on him will fade: Beck certainly won't starve, says Alex Pareene at Salon. He "makes most of his money outside of Fox." Now he's free to "start his own cable channel or Internet video news channel or possibly star in a cartoon about himself." The possibilities are endless. But "while his core audience will continue throwing money at him, he will no longer attract so much national attention from everyone else once he's no longer on TV every day."

"Glenn Beck done at Fox"