Tucker Carlson will be reviving his show on Twitter, after being abruptly dismissed from Fox News last month, The Guardian reported.
In a tweet captioned, “We’re back,” Carlson on Tuesday shared a video discussing his next moves. The former host said he would be taking his show to Twitter, which he described as “the last remaining platform in the world” to allow free speech.
According to The Guardian, Carlson offered few details but promised a “new version of the show we’ve been doing for the last six and a half years.” He did not mention when the show may air.
Carlson’s pivot to Twitter comes after the site has become more welcoming to mostly-conservative accounts previously banned for spreading hate speech and disinformation under Elon Musk’s new direction. The billionaire took over the site in October 2022 and promptly allowed previously banished accounts to return, including that of Donald Trump.
The Guardian noted that Twitter responded to a request for comment with a poop emoji.
Axios also reported that Carlson announced he would be bringing his show to Twitter.
“Starting soon we’ll be bringing a new version of the show we’ve been doing for the last six and a half years to Twitter,” he said in the video. “We bring some other things too, which we will tell you about. But for now, we’re just grateful to be here. Free speech is the main right that you have. Without it, you have no others.”
According to Axios, the Twitter move would seem to technically violate Carlson’s contract with Fox, but his lawyers’ letter effectively holds that Fox breached the contract first. Carlson’s contract runs until January 2025 and Fox wants to keep paying him, which would prevent him from starting a competing show.
The Hill reported that neither Fox nor Carlson has said why Carlson left the company, but reports have surfaced in recent weeks, suggesting the host’s private text messages disparaging company leadership, which were disclosed as part of Dominion Voting System’s blockbuster defamation lawsuit against Fox, led to his ouster.
According to The Hill, Elon Musk sat for an extensive interview with Carlson in his former Fox News program just days before the host left the network. Carlson gave no further details on his new project, including length, subject matter, or frequency.
Personally, I can see some potential problems if Tucker Carlson does bring his show to Twitter.
Right now, Twitter is owned by Elon Musk, who appears to be favoring conservative accounts. It is entirely possible that Mr. Musk could lose interest in Twitter and sell it to someone else. If that person’s viewpoints clash with Carlson’s, his show might be removed from Twitter.
There’s also a potential problem with Fox News, who is continuing to pay Carlson to prevent him from starting a competing show. Would Fox News see Carlson’s Twitter show as breaking a non-compete contract?
Overall, I think Carlson would be better off creating a podcast of whatever he wants to say, instead of using Twitter as if it was a news network.