Right-wing US television host Tucker Carlson is set to launch a new show on Twitter following his sudden departure from Fox News.
Fox News Media and Carlson agreed to part ways last month, shortly after parent company Fox Corp settled for $787.5 million a defamation lawsuit in which the outspoken host played a starring role.
Carlson gained a huge following with his top-rated prime-time show Tucker Carlson Tonight, which embraced conservative issues and often deployed a xenophobic rhetoric.
His sudden departure was followed by reports suggesting he may have been dismissed on the orders of Fox News’ owner, Rupert Murdoch.
In a video posted on Tuesday evening, Carlson announced he is returning with a “new version” of his show which will air on Twitter, while taking a swipe at the mainstream media.
We’re back. pic.twitter.com/sG5t9gr60O
— Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) May 9, 2023
“At the most basic level, the news you consume is a lie – a lie of the stealthiest and insidious kind,” he said in the three-minute clip. “Facts have been witheld on purpose, along with proportion and persepective. You are being manipulated.”
Describing what it is like to work in the news, he added: “The rule of what you can’t say defines everything. It’s filthy really, and it’s utterly corrupting. You can’t have a free society if people aren’t allowed to say what they think is true. Speech is the fundemental prerequisite for democracy.
“Amazingly...there aren’t many platforms left that allow free sepeech. The last big one remaining in the world – the only one – is Twitter, where we are now.”
“Starting soon, we’ll be bringing a new version of the show we’ve been doing for the last six-and-a-half years to Twitter. We bring some other things too, which we’ll tell you about. But for now, we’re just grateful to be here.”
Carlson‘s announcement comes weeks after Twitter owner Elon Musk sat for a two-part interview with him on Fox News.
Mr Musk, who is CEO of Twitter and has referred to himself as a “free speech absolutist,” has said his goal is to make Twitter a digital town hall where users can share diverse viewpoints.
On this platform, unlike the one-way street of broadcast, people are able to interact, critique and refute whatever is said.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 9, 2023
And, of course, anything misleading will get @CommunityNotes.
I also want to be clear that we have not signed a deal of any kind whatsoever. Tucker is… https://t.co/0TMjuYnKUp
“We have not signed a deal of any kind whatsoever,” Mr Musk tweeted on Tuesday. “Tucker is subject to the same rules and rewards of all content creators.”
That includes subscription and a share of advertising revenue, Mr Musk said, adding, “Still working on the software needed for (the) latter.”
Mr Musk said he hopes that others, “particularly from the left,” would also choose to be content creators on Twitter.
Axios reported that Carlson‘s lawyers sent a letter to Fox accusing it of fraud and breach of contract.
Carlson‘s attorney did not respond to requests by news agency Reuters for comment. A spokesperson for Fox Corp declined to comment.
