There’s no silencing Tucker Carlson. Fox News is about to learn that the hard way.
Because Tucker Carlson is about to destroy Fox News with one incredible play.
Everyone knows Fox News made a major mistake when they fired Tucker Carlson completely out of the blue.
His millions of loyal fans are going to follow him wherever he goes. He knows, this, and apparently he’s looking to hurt Fox News by bringing all those loyal viewers with him to his next career move in the news world.
In an effort to get out of a contract that prevents him from working at other networks or possibly starting his own network, Tucker Carlson plans to “torch” Fox News.
There are rumors that Carlson would support a new media firm that is supported by billionaire Elon Musk, who has spoken with Carlson about a potential media company, according to Axios.
According to Carlson’s Hollywood attorney Bryan Freedman, “The idea that anyone is going to silence Tucker and prevent him from speaking to his audience is beyond preposterous.”
Fox News is alleged to have a noncompete clause in Carlson’s $10 million per year contract that continues until after the 2024 presidential election, and Freedman is apparently working on a resolution for Carlson with them.
Contracts like Carlson’s have noncompete and non-disparagement clauses that forbid him from working for other networks or even critiquing his former network.
Carlson’s arrangement appears to have been in accordance with the Fox history of key talent contracts renewing following presidential elections.
However, insiders claim that Carlson is keen to return to television as soon as possible. To do this, he must persuade Fox to renounce significant terms of his contract.
Even though there are situations in which pay-or-play clauses can be contested, Hollywood attorney Andy Lee, who is unrelated to the Carlson-Fox situation, told The New York Times that networks and studios “certainly view them as being relatively ironclad.”
It’s not always just about the money, because a career may suffer if one is off the air for a lengthy amount of time.
According to the Times, Newsmax is a significant rival to Fox News, thus allowing Carlson to divert his estimated 3.5 million devoted viewers to a competitor would be troublesome for Fox News.
Observers in the industry are placing bets that Fox will honor Carlson’s multi-million dollar contract as long as he stays on the bench.
According to the Times, “An agreement that allows Mr. Carlson to appear on a rival news network like Newsmax would be a considerable concession from Fox.”
According to a person familiar with how discussions with major Fox stars have historically gone, Fox would almost certainly insist in any agreement that Mr. Carlson not be allowed to join a cable news rival.
Bill O’Reilly, Megyn Kelly, Trish Regan, and Don Bongino, all former Fox News hosts, are currently employed by independent media.
According to Axios, there will soon be an effort to get Fox News to cease censoring Carlson and to unblock him until his contract expires in January 2025.
The struggle to keep Carlson bound by his promise already seems bitter.
Supporters of Carlson claim that Fox has already started a brutal smear campaign against him, portraying him as racist and misogynistic using hacked texts and videos of its former host.
The Carlson camp now seems to be getting ready to leak negative information to Fox.
Axios quoted a source close to Carlson as saying that the host “knows where a lot of bodies are buried, and is ready to start drawing a map.”
Axios did not claim that Carlson would criticize Fox directly, but his team is preparing to employ social media influencers and surrogate media.
According to Axios, allies have already surrounded Carlson’s colleagues, asking how they can support the host who was sacked.
‘Do you want me to hit Fox?’ they are asking him, according to a close friend of Carlson’s who spoke to Axios.
“He’s been saying: ‘No. I want to get this done quiet and clean.'”
Stay tuned to the DC Daily Journal.
