Former Fox News host and Daily Caller co-founder Tucker Carlson accused Fox News of fraud and breaching of contract Tuesday, hinting at possible legal action, Axios reported.
A letter from Carlson’s lawyers to Fox News argued the non-compete provision of the contract is no longer valid and he should be allowed to remain a public figure in the media realm, Axios reported. The contract, which expires in January 2025, reportedly wants to pay Carlson $20 million a year not to work—leading the former Fox News anchor to prepare a fight with the network to grant his freedom.
Carlson announced in a brief video he will be airing his show exclusively on Twitter. The upcoming show comes after sources told Axios Sunday that Carlson had been in contact with Twitter CEO Elon Musk about possibly working together.
“Amazingly, as of tonight, there aren’t many platforms left that allow free speech,” Carlson said. “The last big one remaining in the world, the only one, is Twitter, where we are now. Twitter has long served as the place where our national conversation incubates and develops. Twitter is not a partisan site — everybody’s allowed here, and we think that’s a good thing.”
“And yet, for the most part the news you see analyzed on Twitter comes from media organizations that are themselves thinly disguised propaganda outlets. You see it on cable news, you talk about it on Twitter. The result may feel like a debate but actually the gatekeepers are still in charge. We think that’s a bad system. Starting soon, we’ll be bringing a new version of the show we’ve been doing for the last six-and-a-half years to Twitter,” he continued. (RELATED: BREAKING: Tucker Carlson Announces New Platform On His Show)
We’re back. pic.twitter.com/sG5t9gr60O
— Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) May 9, 2023
This announcement appears to be a violation of the contract Carlson is under with Fox News, according to Axios. His attorneys reportedly sent the network the letter before Carlson announced his new show and accused the network of being the first to breach the contract.
The Daily Caller co-founder has received offers to host shows on Newsmax and Rumble, with both offering to pay him more than Fox News, Axios reported Sunday.
Carlson had been Fox News’ top-rated primetime host during his six years hosting “Tucker Carlson Tonight” at 8PM. The program garnered over 4 million viewers in 2020, making it one of the highest rated cable news shows in the history, The New York Times previously reported.
After parting ways with Carlson, Fox News’ ratings suffered immensely in the 8 p.m. time slot, particularly among the key 25-54 demographic. On the first night without Carlson, the new program had a rating of 0.24 in the 25-54 age demographic. Carlson’s show previously saw a 0.37 rating in the same demographic April 17, Show Buzz Daily data found.
Conservatives were furious at Fox News over the departure of Carlson, leading many to cancel their Fox Nation subscriptions. The network’s competitor, Newsmax, witnessed a major boost in ratings on the upon Carlson’s absence.