Since Tucker Carlson’s shocking dismissal from Fox News in April — for reasons that are still in question — the anchor’s loyal following has been eager to see where he would end up next. He recently debuted a new show via Twitter, despite still being under contract with his former employer and thereby possibly prohibited from such a move. After two episodes of Tucker on Twitter, Fox News has already filed legal action, but it appears Carlson has no plans to allow himself to be silenced, as a third episode is apparently still in the plans for this week.
Fox News has reportedly filed a cease and desist order against Tucker Carlson, arguing that the terms of the anchor’s $20 million annual contract — which remains intact through December 31, 2024 — dictate that Fox maintains exclusive rights to his content. The embattled Fox News alum, meanwhile, is arguing he has First Amendment rights to post on the social media platform, and his legal team has also alleged that Fox News breached their contract with the former Tucker Carlson Tonight host, rendering it invalid. Harmeet Dhillon, who represents the longtime anchor along with Bryan Freedman, said in a statement to Axios:
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.
Tucker Carlson previously said that he was prepared for a legal battle with Fox News and ready to “watch the network implode attempting to challenge free speech,” in regards to Tucker on Twitter. At question is likely whether or not the social media posts count as competing content, assuming the contract is still valid amidst the journalist’s claims of fraud against the employer.
Regardless of the court battle that seems to be ensuing, for now Tucker on Twitter is set to post its third episode on Tuesday, June 13. Tucker Carlson retweeted former Tucker Carlson Tonight EP Justin Wells, who announced:
Next Episode of Tucker on Twitter coming Tuesday: Tucker’s response to the indictment of President Donald TrumpJune 11, 2023
A shocking number of people tuned in for the initial episodes of Tucker on Twitter, with the premiere episode being viewed more than 114 million times as of this writing. Episode 2 followed suit with an impressive 54 million viewings so far. While social media views can’t be realistically compared to network TV ratings, the numbers are still a striking contrast to what Fox News has seen from its audience since Tucker Carlson’s exit.
Immediately following the anchor’s firing, the cable news network lost around 600,000 viewers week over week, and that trend continued as Fox News Tonight replaced Tucker Carlson’s popular primetime show. Average primetime viewership in May was 1.42 million — a 37 percent decline from May 2022.
We’ll have to see what comes from the ongoing battle between Tucker Carlson and Fox News, but for now at least, it seems the anchor will be continuing to share his opinions on Twitter.
