Fox News turned up on the heat on Tucker Carlson, sending the ousted host a cease-and-desist letter a day before he was expected to address the indictment of Donald Trump in his third episode, according to a Monday report by Axios.
Fox did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Carlson lawyer Harmeet Dhillon corroborated the action, tweeting: “My friend and client Tucker Carlson will not be silenced – by the far left or by Fox News,” and told Axios that Fox is “now demanding that Tucker Carlson be silent until after the 2024 election.”
Carlson is under contract and is still being paid through 2025 by Fox News, which believes Carlson’s DIY Twitter show falls under its noncompete. The erstwhile “Tucker Carlson Tonight” host and his lawyers say Twitter is not a Fox News competitor, and that he has a fundamental First Amendment right to give his opinions on social media.
Axios said Carlson plans to expand his new show, which so far has just featured him talking directly into a camera for around 10 minutes. New episodes will reportedly be longer, with guests and additional production staff to come.
Justin Wells, his longtime producer, tweeted over the weekend that Carlson plans next to tackle the indictment of Donald Trump for mishandling documents in an episode being prepared for Tuesday.
