Tucker Carlson has received a cease-and-desist letter from his former bosses at Fox News to stop producing his new Twitter series.
Key Details
- Tucker Carlson released the first episode of his new news show on Tuesday, followed by a second episode on Thursday. His third episode is scheduled for Tuesday, June 13, and will discuss President Donald Trump’s indictment.
- The first two episodes of Tucker On Twitter, respectively, drew 114.7 million and 54.7 million views.
- On Thursday, Fox News sent Carlson a letter noting that posting the first episode breached his contract with the network, which still has him under an exclusive contract until December 31, 2024. Subsequently, it sent Carlson a cease-and-desist letter.
Why It’s Important
As we previously reported, Tucker On Twitter has proven to be a popular success. Carlson returned from a seven-week hiatus off-air and received international viewership several times higher than he received on network television. He reportedly plans to continue producing more monologues, interviewing big-name guests, and defending his right to produce content independent of Fox News.
The success has placed him in an awkward position with the network, which is claiming that Carlson has no right, under contract, to produce independent video content and distribute it online while he is still being paid as part of his contract. Carlson has defended the content as social media videos and claims he retains his First Amendment right to share his personal opinion online outside major networks.
Tucker was sidelined following the settlement of Fox New’s defamation claim by Dominion Voting Systems for $787 million, with his show being abruptly taken off of the air in late April for unstated reasons. The network allegedly wants to keep Carlson sidelined through the 2024 presidential election and into 2025, Axios reports.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Having a regular popular voice like Tucker Carlson could be a potent step for Twitter. It could signal to other content creators that Twitter is a fully functional and monetizable alternative to YouTube and Instagram. And since it is not traditional media, Carlson can argue that he is not competing with Fox News by airing his content on the platform.
Carlson is the largest content creator to move to the website to date, following Daily Wire host Matt Walsh, who moved his daily podcast from YouTube to Twitter in April. Carlson’s announcement video has more than 92 million views.
Notable Quote
“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. Tucker will not be silenced by anyone … He is a singularly important voice on matters of public interest in our country and will remain so,” says Carlson’s lawyer Harmeet Dhillon in a statement.
