Carlson has been itching for a return to the general public scene since his ouster from Fox, in response to folks in his circle.
It was not instantly clear how Carlson determined to carry his content material to Twitter. However a video Carlson posted to platform in late April, days after his firing, amassed greater than 80 million views, in response to Twitter’s public view counts, which inspired Carlson and folks in his orbit.
Twitter proprietor Elon Musk tweeted late Tuesday that there was no take care of Carlson, and he urged folks from either side of the political spectrum to affix the location.
“On this platform, not like the one-way avenue of broadcast, individuals are capable of work together, critique and refute no matter he or anybody might say,” he mentioned.
On this platform, not like the one-way avenue of broadcast, individuals are capable of work together, critique and refute no matter he or anybody might say.
And, in fact, something deceptive will get @CommunityNotes.
I additionally need to be clear that we now have not signed a deal of any sort…
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) Could 9, 2023
Carlson is able to stroll away from cash that Fox nonetheless contractually owes him, in response to an individual with data of his considering, to flee a noncompete clause that may preserve him off the air by the tip of 2024 — and rupture his connection together with his viewers, he believes. The identical individual mentioned the contract doesn’t rely digital or streaming tasks as off-limits.
However no exit deal has been finalized with the community, and Carlson appears able to escalate his battle with Fox. Carlson lawyer Bryan Freedman despatched a letter to Fox executives on Tuesday accusing the corporate of fraud and breach of contract, and arguing that the noncompete is null and void, The Washington Submit has confirmed. The letter was first reported by Axios.
Carlson supplied no particulars about how this present would function or when it might seem. Twitter and Musk didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.
Musk has tried aggressively to monetize the location, leaning closely right into a subscription mannequin and charging $8 for the signature blue checks that used to indicate verification.
As a part of these efforts, Musk has additionally sought to influence journalists to publish solely to Twitter. Journalist Matt Taibbi, who revealed parts of the Musk-backed “Twitter Recordsdata” collection outlining Twitter’s interactions with the U.S. authorities over time, introduced final month he would stay at Substack — after Musk restricted posts from the e-newsletter platform following Substack’s launch of a Twitter clone.
With a imaginative and prescient of turning Twitter into a house for native content material from writers and public figures, Musk has launched a subscription button permitting customers to pay creators a charge for unique content material. However whereas Musk’s personal Twitter feed presents a subscription button — customers pays $4 a month to obtain bonus content material from him — Carlson’s profile didn’t embody an choice to subscribe as of Tuesday.
In Musk’s Tuesday tweet, which was in reply to Tucker’s tweeted video, Musk mentioned something deceptive shall be labeled with neighborhood notes, Twitter’s user-supported characteristic for including vital context or correcting factual errors.
“I additionally need to be clear that we now have not signed a deal of any sort in any respect,” he mentioned. “Tucker is topic to the identical guidelines & rewards of all content material creators,” including that rewards are subscriptions and advertising-revenue share.
“I hope that many others, notably from the left, additionally select to be content material creators on this platform,” he added.
Carlson — who, shortly earlier than his firing, interviewed Musk on his present and had a briefing from Twitter tech employees concerning the website’s moneymaking alternatives — didn’t remark. However the three-minute video posted Tuesday served as one thing of an commercial for Musk’s Twitter.
“Amazingly, as of tonight, there aren’t many platforms left that enable free speech,” Carlson says within the video. “The final large one remaining on this planet — the one one — is Twitter. … Twitter will not be a partisan website. All people’s allowed right here. And we expect that’s a very good factor.”
Representatives for Fox Information and guardian firm Fox Corp. didn’t present touch upon whether or not Carlson’s plan to relaunch the present suggests he has agreed to an exit settlement from the community.
Carlson’s contract with Fox runs by the tip of 2024, although an individual near Carlson informed The Submit final week that he may settle for much less cash than he’s owed to have the ability to get again into the media recreation earlier than then.
A brand new model of Carlson’s private web site trumpets his return — “TUCKER IS BACK” — and contains an possibility for followers to enroll in updates about him. On the homepage, Carlson is pictured carrying a checkered, button-down shirt and holding a gun.
