Fox News has sent a “cease and desist” letter to Daily Caller co-founder Tucker Carlson as the contract dispute between the two parties heats up, Axios reported Monday.
Fox News previously accused Carlson on Wednesday of breaching his contract by violating its non-compete clause when he posted the first episode of his new Twitter show. His lawyers have argued for Carlson’s First Amendment right to post on Twitter and alleged Fox News breached its contract with the cable news host. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: Fox News Lawyer’s Phone Call Is At The Center Of Tucker’s Breach Of Contract Case)
Ep. 1 pic.twitter.com/O7CdPjF830
— Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) June 6, 2023
“Fox News continues to ignore the interests of its viewers, not to mention its shareholder obligations,” Carlson’s attorney Harmeet Dhillon told Axios. “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 aired the first two episodes of his Twitter competitor last week and obtained over 169 million viewers on the platform. The first episode of his show aired Tuesday and received over 100 million views in two days. His 10-minute Twitter monologues outperformed Fox News’ broadcasts in the same time slot. (RELATED: ‘Curiosity Is The Gravest Crime’: Tucker Carlson Returns And Tears Media To Shreds For Ukraine Coverage)
Next Episode of Tucker on Twitter coming Tuesday: Tucker’s response to the indictment of President Donald Trump
— Justin Wells (@justinbwells) June 11, 2023
Carlson’s lead producer Justin Wells tweeted Sunday that the next episode will air June 13 and address the indictment of former President Donald Trump, who is scheduled to appear at a Miami courthouse Tuesday afternoon. Trump was indicted by federal prosecutors on 37 counts related to mishandling classified documents and preventing the government from retrieving them.
Before parting ways with Fox News, Carlson was the network’s highest-rated host and beloved by conservatives. His show frequently received the highest ratings on cable news and drove the national conversation.