Fox News appears to have taken the legal next step in their fight with Tucker Carlson after allegedly sending him a cease-and-desist letter over his new “Tucker on Twitter” shows on the social media network.
Carlson is two episodes into the streaming series, and he has gathered nearly 170 million views between the two of them. However, Fox News contends he is still in contract and that the show is a breach of the terms. However, the company is now being more direct in its approach, sending a letter demanding that he stop producing the show.
Axios had the scoop earlier this morning.
What’s happening: Fox is continuing to pay Carlson, and maintains that his contract keeps his content exclusive to Fox through Dec. 31, 2024.
Carlson is making a First Amendment argument for posting on Twitter, and asserts that Fox has committed material breaches of his contract.
Behind the scenes: Carlson’s first two Twitter episodes were straight-to-camera monologues. He plans to keep iterating with longer, more varied episodes and the addition of guests, Axios is told.
AP Photo/Richard Drew
Carlson’s contract with Fox, while not public, appears to be interpreted differently between the two parties here. Fox News maintains he is still employed, he is still being paid, and that his commentary is therefore essentially proprietary to them. Meanwhile, he’s arguing that they are actually the ones in breach and that, since his contract is in breach, “YOLO.”
Harmeet Dhillon, who is representing Carlson in the ongoing legal battle with Fox, told Axios that “Fox News continues to ignore the interests of its viewers, not to mention its shareholder obligations.”
There has still been little official explanation for why Carlson was removed from the network, though several leaks indicate behind-the-scenes behavior and proposed monologues set to air. But none of this has ever really been confirmed by the network, leaving its audience confused, angry, and fleeing.