Fox News is reportedly considering legal action against its former star Tucker Carlson following the airing of his new program on social media, as per a report unveiled on Wednesday.
The network accused Carlson of breaching his contract after the debut of his 10-minute Twitter show on Tuesday. A letter obtained by Axios states that Carlson is contractually prohibited from providing any services, whether online or otherwise.
News of Tucker Carlson’s Twitter appearance, lasting over 10 minutes, came to light recently.
“In accordance with the terms of the Agreement, Mr. Carlson’s services are to be exclusively provided to Fox”… Fox explicitly reserves all available rights and remedies, as stated in the Agreement, to address this breach at law or equity.”
As stated in the letter, Carlson’s contract explicitly prohibits him from “rendering any type of services, whether through internet streaming or similar digital distribution methods, both existing and future.”
One of Carlson’s attorneys, Bryan Freedman, argued that taking legal action against Fox News would infringe upon his client’s First Amendment right to free expression.
Fox News, in defense of its position, emphasizes the protection of free speech under the First Amendment. Freedman contends that by expressing his opinions on social media, Tucker Carlson’s right to speak freely is now being threatened.
Following the network’s $787 million settlement in a defamation lawsuit with Dominion Voting Systems in April, Fox News decided to part ways with Carlson due to misleading statements he made about the company.
Carlson has already sued Fox News for fraud and breaching their contract, alleging that top executives intentionally lied to him and disregarded their previous commitments. According to his legal team, the executives’ settlement with Dominion indicates Carlson’s innocence, contradicting their earlier claims.
Although no longer employed by the network, Carlson’s contract remains valid until January 2025. He has attempted to negotiate an early release from his contract with Fox News, but no agreement has been reached thus far.