Tucker Carlson to launch show on Twitter after Fox News ouster
Tucker Carlson has announced his return to broadcasting, though it won't be on television.
(The Hill) - Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson plans to launch a new show on social media platform Twitter, the pundit announced on Tuesday.
Carlson, in a three-minute video posted to his account carrying more than six million followers, made no mention of Fox News specifically but blasted the news media more generally for what he described as groupthink.
Carlson said the best anyone in the news business can hope for is “the freedom to tell the fullest truth that you can. But there are always limits.”
Fox and Carlson parted ways earlier this month, when the network ousted him from his prime-time hosting slot, which he held for six years.
A wildly popular figure on the political right, Carlson’s segments and commentary earned both he and the network regular scorn for his takes on matters of race, immigration, gender identity and other issues.
An Axios report published on Tuesday said Carlson’s attorney has sent Fox News leadership a letter accusing the company of breach of contract and fraud.
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, which were disclosed as part of Dominion Voting Systems blockbuster defamation lawsuit against Fox, disparaging company leadership led to his ouster.
“Amazingly that as of tonight, there aren’t many platforms left that allow free speech,” Carlson said in his video, before praising Twitter as a place “where our national conversation has long incubated and developed.”
Billionaire Elon Musk purchased Twitter last year. Musk has come under widespread criticism from government and technology officials for rolling back many of the platform's community guidelines and content moderation policies.
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.
“Starting soon we’ll be doing a new version of the show that we’ve been doing for the last six and half years to Twitter,” Carlson said. “We’ll bring you some other things too which we’ll tell ya about. But for now we’re just grateful to be here.”
Since his firing, some of Carlson's private messages have been revealed, including that he made disparaging comments about a female Fox executive.
He also said that a group of Trump supporters beating up a protester were wrong in that their methods were "not how white men fight."
KTLA's Cameron Kiszla contributed to this report.