Tucker Carlson may be violating his agreement with Fox News with his new Twitter show, and Fox is taking action. Fox fired Carlson in April, and last week he launched a new web series called Tucker on Twitter which airs only on the social media platform. However, according to a report by Axios, Carlson is still under contract with Fox and is subject to a non-compete clause, which may prevent him from hosting a new show at least until the end of the year.
Axios obtained a cease-and-desist letter sent from Fox News to Carlson and the team now working on Tucker on Twitter. It said that Carlson is still subject to his non-compete clause until the end of 2023 when his contract was set to expire whether he was fired or not. According to a report by Deadline, exclusivity provisions are typical for on-screen talent like Carlson, and those contracts hold as long as Fox had a good reason for firing Carlson on the record. However, Carlson’s attorneys say that Fox breached the contract first and that he was fired without just cause.
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“Fox News continues to ignore the interests of its viewers, not to mention its shareholder obligations,” said one of Carlson’s attorneys, Harmeet Dhillon in a statement to reporters. “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 – whether it be Media Matters, the ADL or Fox News.”
The details of Carlson’s contract at Fox have not been made public. No spokesperson for Fox gave public comments on Carlson’s rejection of the cease and desist letter. Carlson’s team reportedly plans to post another episode of their show on Tuesday focusing on former President Donald Trump’s federal indictment. It’s not clear what Fox’s next steps might be to prevent this alleged contract breach.
The debut episode of Tucker on Twitter premiered on Tuesday, June 6 and featured Carlson in a suit and tie speaking in his usual cadence, though from a more casual set than his old Fox News studio. The first episode was just over 10 minutes long while the second, premiering on Thursday, was just over 12 minutes long. Carlson discussed the war in Ukraine and shared unfounded conspiracy theories about UFOs, the Black Lives Matter movement and the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. As usual, Carlson’s remarks have been condemned by many as hate speech.
