NEW YORK: Fox News warned former host Tucker Carlson, who was ousted in April from the primetime hosting slot on the right-wing station, that his latest show on Twitter violates the terms of his contract.
According to AFP, the cease-and-desist letter said that Carlson has bound by an exclusive contract until 2025, despite his departure from the popular Fox News airwaves on 24 April.
Carlson’s lawyer, Harmeet Dhillon, has reacted to the reports on Twitter by saying that his “friend and client” wouldn’t be silenced — by the far left and by Fox News.”
Carlson’s ouster from Fox came just days after the Rupert Murdoch-owned company paid 787.5 million dollars to settle a defamation lawsuit brought by the election technology firm Dominion Voting Systems. Railing against everything from immigration policies to arm control, Carlson’s show, “Tucker Carlson Tonight,” pilloried liberal trends in current America, appealing to viewers’ outrage and propelling the show to the heights of cable television.
Carlson announced some weeks after his departure that he would be setting up a show on Twitter, whose billionaire owner Elon Musk has made efforts to make the platform a welcome place for conservatives.
Since then, he has posted two soliloquies, on 6 and June 8, in the same style as the opening segment of his Fox News show, which was the most-watched evening news program in the US.
His executive producer said the next instalment of his Twitter show would be on Tuesday, responding to ex-president Donald Trump’s indictment on central charges.
Fox News’ rating
After Carlson’s departure, Fox News saw its rating reduced in May while remaining ahead of its rivals such as CNN and MSNBC.
The initial video posted by Carlson, who has 8.3 million Twitter followers, was viewed 115 million times, while another video had 55.2 million views as of Monday.
