In a recent development, Tucker Carlson, the former host of FOX News, has faced criticism from his lawyer regarding a cease-and-desist letter issued by the network.
On April 23, Carlson was unexpectedly terminated from his position as the highest-rated anchor on the network. No official explanation was provided for this decision.
Following his dismissal, Carlson announced his intention to launch his own show on Twitter. The first two episodes of his Twitter series premiered just last week.
Despite Carlson’s departure, FOX has continued to honor his contract, which stipulates exclusivity until December 31, 2024, and has been paying him accordingly.
According to reports from Axios, FOX has warned Carlson to cease his involvement in the competing Twitter series, cautioning that legal action may be taken.
Carlson’s legal team argues that any legal action initiated by FOX would violate their client’s First Amendment rights, despite rumors suggesting Carlson is seeking an exit from his $20 million annual deal.
Harmeet Dhillon, one of Carlson’s lawyers, firmly asserts that Carlson will not be silenced.
In addition, Carlson’s attorneys claim that FOX breached the contract by terminating his show without prior notice.
Bryan Freedman, another attorney representing Carlson, criticized the network’s decision as hypocritical, highlighting FOX’s purported defense of freedom of speech as a core principle.
In a letter seen by Axios, Freedman wrote, “Now they want to take Tucker Carlson’s right to speak freely away from him because he took to social media to share his thoughts on current events.”
The letter also quotes a section from Carlson’s contract that explicitly states his services must remain exclusively with FOX.
Furthermore, the contract prohibits Carlson from providing services over the internet, including streaming and other digital distribution methods.
FOX News has been contacted by DailyMail.com for a response.
Prior to FOX’s threat of legal action, Carlson’s legal team had already warned of potential litigation, stating that he should not be bound by the non-compete agreement.
Freedman sent an email to FOX’s chief legal officer Viet Dinh and head of corporate communications Irena Briganti, accusing Rupert Murdoch and other FOX employees of deliberately lying to Carlson with blatant disregard for the truth.
The lawyers also alleged that FOX executives, including Dinh and Murdoch, made “material representations” they knew would be broken.
The letter further accused FOX of violating an agreement not to disclose Carlson’s private messages and reneging on an agreement related to the settlement with Dominion Voting Systems.
Legal action has been threatened, and FOX News has been instructed to preserve all documents and data related to its relationship with Carlson, including emails exchanged with various media outlets.
The claim that Carlson’s termination was connected to FOX News’ settlement with Dominion Voting Systems has been refuted by the network, as stated by a spokesperson.
In recent news, Carlson released the first two episodes of his highly anticipated 10-minute Twitter show.
The initial episode garnered 81 million views, and viewership continued to increase. This contrasts with the average viewership of 3.1 million for Fox News’ “Tucker Carlson Tonight,” the most-watched cable news show before Carlson’s sudden departure.
Elon Musk, CEO of Twitter, expressed his enthusiasm for Carlson’s show, retweeting the first episode and expressing his support for diverse political perspectives on the platform.
After announcing his plans to launch a Twitter show in May, Carlson clarified that he had not signed a deal with Carlson and that the resulting production was low-budget, emphasizing that no economic contract had been established between them.