Tucker Carlson announced that he would bring an edition of his Fox news show – which he lost after being fired last month — on Twitter, the social platform owned by Elon Musk.
“Soon we'll be bringing a new version of the show we've been doing on Twitter for the last six and a half years,” Carlson said in a statement. video shared on stage on Tuesday. “Freedom of expression is your main right. Without it, you have no other.
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It's not immediately clear whether Carlson has struck a deal with Musk to launch the show on Twitter or if he's doing it independently.
Carlson will forgo at least $25 million in compensation for breaking his non-compete clause with Fox News, According to Puck News' Dylan Byers. Prior to Carlson's announcement of the upcoming Twitter show, an attorney for the former Fox News host sent the cable network a letter accusing Fox News of “fraud and breach of contract”. Axios reported, Presumably the purpose is for Carlson to claim that he is not bound by the non-compete provision of his contract with Fox News.
A Fox News spokeswoman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Carlson was fired by Fox News just days later. The company agreed to pay $787.5 million to settle a defamation lawsuit against Dominion Voting Systems.which accused Fox News of repeatedly and knowingly airing false claims about the voting company's actions and influence on the 2020 US presidential election.
A letter from Carlson's lawyer to Fox News claims that the network's employees, including “Rupert Murdoch himself,” broke promises they made to Carlson “willfully and with complete disregard for the truth,” reports Axios. In addition, according to Carlson's claims, Fox News broke promises not to settle with Dominion “in a way that would indicate wrongdoing on Carlson's part” and not to use Carlson's private messages. “to take any adverse employment action against him” according to Axios' report.
In his Twitter video, “We're Back,” Carlson said that traditional news “lies” because “facts have been withheld on purpose,” and he claimed that Twitter is the only major service where free speech is allowed.
Carlson said, “Amazingly, as of tonight, there are not many forums left that allow free speech.” “The last great thing remaining in the world – the only one – is Twitter, where we are now. Twitter has long served as where our national conversation grows and evolves…and yet for the most part, you can The news stories it analyzes come from media organizations that are themselves thinly veiled propaganda outlets.
Carlson was let go by Fox News two weeks ago. he sent a text to a producer that marked the beginning of the end of her relationship with the network, according to a report in the New York Times. The text, sent hours after the US Capitol was attacked by Trump supporters on January 7, 2021, described a disturbing scene to Carlson, in which he said “Trump friends” killed “antifa kids”. Beaten. But the part that bothered him was that “it was three against one,” and “that's not how white guys fight.”
Musk is a self-described “free-speech absolutist” who, before buying Twitter, complained that the social network engaged in a pattern of censoring conservative viewpoints. Last fall, he closed the $44 billion acquisition of Twitter. Musk wrote in a tweet last year, “I am against censorship that goes far beyond the law.” “If the people want less free speech, they will ask the government to pass laws to that effect. So, going beyond the law is contrary to the will of the people.”
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