Fox News has asked Tucker Carlson to stop posting videos on Twitter, escalating a dispute between the network and its former star host over how — and if — he can continue to speak publicly now that the his prime-time show.
In a letter sent to Mr. Carlson from Fox’s lawyers, the network accused him of violating the terms of his contract, which runs until early 2025 and limits his ability to appear in media outside of Fox. The letter is marked “not for publication,” in all caps.
Since being fired Mr. Carlson of Fox News, he has begun to create a stripped-down version of his Fox program, “Tucker Carlson Tonight,” and post it directly on Twitter. The new show, called “Tucker on Twitter,” bears some of the hallmarks of his prime-time show on Fox, including a monologue focused on current affairs and cultural issues.
Harmeet K. Dhillon, a lawyer representing Mr. Carlson, said in a statement that the legal threat against Fox News is not in the best interest of the network’s audience.
“Doubling down on the most disastrous programming decision in the history of the cable news industry, Fox is now asking Tucker Carlson to remain silent until after the 2024 election,” the statement read. “Tucker can’t be silenced by anyone.”
Justin Wells, former executive producer of Mr. Carlson, SAYS on Twitter that the next episode of Mr. Carlson, expected on Tuesday, will show the response of Mr. Carlson at the impeachment of former President Donald J. Trump.
Axios earlier reported that Fox sent Mr. Carlson in the cease-and-desist letter.
A Fox News spokeswoman said the network had no comment.
Fox’s decision to fire Mr. Carlson on air shocked him and the broader media and political world when the network announced the move in a short, four-sentence statement. A series of public relations and management headaches led to his downfall, according to multiple interviews with people inside the company. Much to the dismay of senior Fox executives, including the Fox Corporation’s chief executive, Lachlan Murdoch, Mr. Carlson continued to push conspiracy theories about the January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. A former Carlson producer has filed a lawsuit saying she allowed a hostile, sexist workplace to flourish.
And as part of a defamation lawsuit against Fox by Dominion Voting Systems, which the network settled in April for $787.5 million, Mr. Carlson went public, revealing how he spoke ill of Fox executives and Mr. Trump.
After discovering a particularly incendiary text from Mr. Carlson, the Fox Corporation board decided to initiate an internal investigation into his conduct. A few days later, he came out.
The cancellation of Mr. Carlson — he’s still a Fox employee unless the network decides to release him from his contract — has boosted Fox’s lucrative and popular prime-time lineup. The perennial top-rated cable news network by a wide margin, Fox has suffered a significant decline in viewership across the board in recent weeks. Almost a third of its prime-time audience is gone since Mr. Carlson was taken off the air.
Fox News has refused to pick a public fight with its former star, who commands one of the biggest followings in the conservative media and has shown an uncanny ability to shape some of the biggest policy debates in the world. Republican politics. The network kept silent in public while Mr. Carlson and his colleagues – often through anonymous leaks to the media – release their own program and attack Fox in the process.
Fox’s attempt to force Mr. Carlson from Twitter indicated that talks between his lawyers and representatives for the network are getting difficult and that Fox executives are becoming more pessimistic about reaching a good agreement on the terms of his departure.
The lawyers of Mr. Carlson argued that Fox News first breached its contract with Mr. Carlson, in part by failing to prevent his private messages from being disclosed. The former Fox host also believes his Twitter show is protected speech under the First Amendment, according to a person with knowledge of Mr. Carlson.
The videos of Mr. Carlson on Twitter – recorded in his studio in Maine – received considerable attention from the news media. Twitter does not release data on how much time its users spend watching the videos, making it impossible to know how many people viewed Mr. Carlson for any length of time.
Mr. Carlson joins a long list of television news stars who have tried to use their fame to reach large audiences without the platform of a major broadcast or cable network behind them. It is not easy to quantify success. CBS News’ Katie Couric and ABC News’ Ted Koppel have found it difficult to replicate the power they once enjoyed after branching out into their own businesses. A series of former Fox News stars have also seen their influence decline, including Glenn Beck, Bill O’Reilly and Megyn Kelly.
Even Oprah Winfrey struggled to convert her massive star power into ratings at the launch of her cable network, OWN.
