Tucker Carlson appears to be at odds with his former employer, FOX News.
On April 24, 2023, Tucker Carlson and FOX News mutually agreed to part ways after a 14-year relationship. More than a month after leaving the network, Carlson began to explore his future within news media. On June 6, 2023, he posted a clip of himself discussing a number of pertinent news figures, including Senator Lindsey Graham to Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. In approximately five weeks, the 10-minute video has garnered more than 100 million views on Twitter. One day after the video was posted, Variety reports that FOX News sent Carlson a cease-and-desist letter. According to the report, Carlson’s buyout agreement with FOX News likely bars him from appearing on “competing media until the terms of the contract have lapsed.” However, it is unclear if Twitter qualifies as a “competing media” platform. If it is determined that the social media platform qualifies as a competitor, the former TV host could be sidelined until January 2025.
“Fox News continues to ignore the interests of its viewers, not to mention its shareholder obligations. Doubling down on the most catastrophic programming decision in the history of the cable news industry, Fox is now demanding that Tucker Carlson be silent until after the 2024 election,” Carlson’s attorney, Harmeet Dhillon, said.
“Tucker will not be silenced by anyone — whether it be Media Matters, the ADL or Fox News. He is a singularly important voice on matters of public interest in our country, and will remain so.”
FOX News has commented on the matter as of yet.