Declaring “We’re back,” former Fox News host Tucker Carlson said on Tuesday he was starting a new show on Twitter, a sign that negotiations to reach an amicable divorce with the network, which he’s still under contract was terminated.
Mr Carlson gave no details on when his new program would start or what kind of content it would have. The many unanswered questions highlighted the uncertainties surrounding his future – a career in which he wouldn’t get a primetime platform on Fox News.
One possibility: Fox could end up blocking any attempt by the host to return to a prominent role in conservative media.
A Fox Corporation representative, which has been negotiating details of Mr Carlson’s departure from the network since he was taken off the air last month, had no comment.
On Monday, Mr. Carlson met with Fox Corporation’s executive chairman Lachlan Murdoch to discuss a possible exit from the company, according to a person familiar with the meeting.
The comments of Mr. Carlson on Tuesday, posted on Twitter — a platform run by Elon Musk, a provocateur in the same guise as the combative, contrarian host — consisted of a three-minute monologue delivered straight to the camera. The video could violate the terms of his contract with Fox, which prevent Mr. Carlson from hosting a show on an alternative network.
One way Fox could try to stop Mr. Carlson from posting new videos is to get a court order, said Andy Lee, an entertainment lawyer with Foley & Lardner. But the network would have to convince a judge that Mr. Carlson caused irreparable damage to the network, such as by damaging its reputation or disclosing sensitive information. It would also have to show the likelihood of winning in the process, another hurdle.
Mr. Carlson would probably resist all those arguments and also argue that his Twitter videos were protected under the First Amendment.
“The burden is high for this remedy, but people get orders all the time,” said Mr. Lee.
Bryan Freedman, Tucker Carlson’s attorney, did not respond to requests for comment.
In response to Mr Carlson’s tweet, Mr Musk Posted on Twitter that “we haven’t signed any deal.” He added that Mr. Carlson “would be subject to the same rules and rewards as all content creators.”
Mr Carlson began Tuesday’s monologue by criticizing the news industry for its inability to tell the truth. And he seemed to be making a veiled threat to reveal what he had learned about the inner workings of the various media companies where he held various positions over the course of three decades.
“After more than 30 years in the midst of it, we can tell you stories,” said Mr Carlson, who eschewed his usual jacket and tie for a plaid button-down shirt. He shot the video from his studio in Maine, according to one person who knew how it came about.
In the video, Mr. Carlson gave little explanation of what his new show might entail, saying only that it would be like “the show we’ve been doing for the past six and a half years,” a reference to his 8 p.m. Fox News program, “Tucker Carlson Tonight.” Mr Carlson said “freedom of speech” would be a major theme of the show, calling it “the most important right you have”.
“See you soon,” Mr. Carlson said. He also launched a website, TuckerCarlson.com, promising subscribers “instant updates” on when and where to watch the former Fox News host.
When Mr Musk bought Twitter for $44 billion last October, he justified the hefty price tag by saying he was protecting “free speech” and would reverse many of the content moderation decisions made by a company he owns. thought it had gone too left. leaning. He welcomed many previously suspended or banned users, including well-known white nationalist accounts. Investigators reported more hate speech on the site and many advertisers fled.
Last month, Mr. Musk went on Mr. Carlson’s Fox show to talk about his ownership of Twitter. Describing the financial strain on the company, he noted that he had just cut the company’s internal valuation in half to about $20 billion.
“But some things are priceless,” Musk said. “So whether I lose money or not is a secondary issue compared to ensuring the strength of democracy, and freedom of expression is the foundation of a functioning democracy.”
That interview would be one of Mr. Carlson’s last on Fox. The following week, shortly after Fox settled a defamation lawsuit partially involving Mr. Carlson for $787.5 million, the network canceled its popular show.
Mr. Carlson’s personal text messages released as part of the lawsuit brought by Dominion Voting Systems had become a major source of embarrassment for Fox News. Mr. Carlson allegedly discredited former President Donald J. Trump as “a demonic force” and a “destroyer”.
Later, in a text message that Fox hid from the public record in the case, Mr. Carlson how he recently saw a video of a group of men beating up an “Antifa kid.” “It’s not how white men fight,” he wrote to one of his producers, expressing racial superiority. He went on to say that he had wanted that group to kill the person, only to realize he had gone too far.
It is unclear whether Mr. Carlson’s show will be live or taped, and what format it will be broadcast on Twitter.
It’s also unclear whether Mr. Musk would pay for the production of the show or compensate Mr. Carlson.
One option for Mr. Musk could be to put Mr. Carlson’s show behind a paywall on Twitter. Mr Musk has been urging creators to use Twitter to exclusively distribute their content and the company recently unveiled subscription features. Mr. Musk hopes these can generate meaningful revenue that can free the platform from its dependence on advertising.
In his tweet on Tuesday, Mr. Musk that the “rewards” available to Mr. Carlson “means subscriptions and ad revenue share (coming soon), which is a function of the number of people who subscribe and the ad views associated with the content.”
Mr. Carlson can not only attract members of his older demographic to sign up for Twitter, but also get them to subscribe to exclusive content.
But by Mr. Giving Carlson a prominent platform could risk further alienating many national brands, leading to less advertising money for Twitter.
