Fox News has been making a number of changes as of late, and one of the biggest occurred back in April when the network parted ways with longtime host Tucker Carlson. The circumstances behind his dismissal are unclear, as the company still hasn’t provided a concrete reason for it. Carlson seems to be moving on to new ventures and hasn’t said much about being let go by his former employer. Now, the polarizing political pundit is getting candid about his firing and says that he “honestly” doesn’t know why it happened.
When the TV personality broke his silence following his Fox firing months ago, he didn’t say anything directly in reference to his former company. That changed, however, when he was the latest guest to join Russell Brand on his Stay Free podcast, where they discussed a myriad of topics. Brand asked Tucker Carlson how he’s been since his high profile exit from the news corporation. The conservative host said that he understands that such things can happen in the media industry and that he tends to take the “long view” when it comes to life and the media industry. However, it sounds like he still didn’t see this coming:
I didn’t expect to get fired that morning at all in April, so I was shocked, but I wasn’t really shocked. And I wasn’t mad, it’s not my company. And when you work for someone else, that person reserves the right, and inherently has the right, to decide whether you work there or not. I don’t know why I was fired, I really don’t. I’m not angry about it. You can believe me or not, but I think you can feel that I’m not. And you know, I wish Fox well.
Though the Fox Corporation has yet to provide a reason for firing him, rumors have swirled that a number of purported DMs impacted the decision. Said leaked texts, which allegedly belong to the Tucker alum, included inflammatory remarks, including racist sentiments. During his interview with Russell Brand, the pundit denied any link to the texts and played down the notion that someone from his former workplace shared them with the media.
Fox News has found a replacement for him timeslot-wise, as Jesse Watters has shifted into that position. All the while, Tucker Carlson has started a new TV show on Twitter, which debuted to big numbers. The program has, however, sparked controversy, as Fox claims it violates a non-compete clause in his contract, which is still being paid out to him right now. However, Carlson’s camp has accused the conglomerate of fraud and argues that the contractual provision is no longer valid. Despite all of the legal drama, he seems pleased to be paired with the Elon Musk-owned social media platform:
Well, I don’t work for Elon. He’s paid me zero money. I don’t think I ever want to work for anyone again. I’ve done that. I’d like to make money, I think that’s fair. I’ve made zero money since I left [Fox], and that’s fine. But at some point, I’d like to, but I’m not working for Elon Musk. He hasn’t offered to hire me, and if he did, I wouldn’t accept. But what he’s done is offered me what he’s offered every other user of Twitter, which is a chance to broadcast your views without a gatekeeper there.
Tucker Carlson continued to say that he thinks the subscription model that he’s now involved with will work for now and that he plans to stay with the bird app. So all in all, he appears to have no hard feelings towards his former workplace, despite the ongoing legal battle. Only time will tell how Carlson – who apparently wants to start a media company as well – will continue to navigate this new chapter of his career. Many will surely be watching that intently and waiting for updates on the Fox drama he’s embroiled in.
