Tucker Carlson’s announcement that he would be bringing his “same show” to Twitter drew more than 126 million impressions this week, signaling there is widespread interest in a program with the former Fox News host hasn’t waned.
Of that figure, some 26.6 million watched the clip on Twitter. In the video, Carlson said that he would be doing a similar show on the social media network—two weeks after Fox News announced his departure under yet-to-be-disclosed circumstances.
“Twitter has long served as the place where our national conversation incubates and develops,” Carlson stated, adding that other mainstream news outlets are “thinly disguised propaganda outlets.”
“You see it on cable news, you talk about it on Twitter,” Carlson added. “The result may feel like a debate, but actually the gatekeepers are still in charge. We think that’s a bad system. We know exactly how it works and we’re sick of it.”
Continuing, “There aren’t many platforms left that allow free speech. The last big one remaining in the world is Twitter,” Carlson said, adding: “If you bump up against the limits [in the news business] you will be fired for it.”
His comments came three days before Musk announced he would appoint former NBCUniversal executive Linda Yaccarino to become CEO of Twitter while he will handle the technology side of the social media company. Some conservatives expressed alarm that Yaccarino, a member of the World Economic Forum, would bring back the firm’s pre-Musk content-moderation policies that have been decried as a form of censorship.
An initial news release issued by the Rupert Murdoch-owned network stated that it had parted ways with Carlson, thanked him for his work at the company, and announced a new 8 p.m. show that has a rotating cast of hosts. Since Carlson’s departure, that program, however, has only generated a portion of the audience that Carlson drew last month and in all of 2022 when he routinely averaged over 3 million viewers per episode.
With the programming change, Fox News’ 8 p.m. ET ratings have taken a nosedive—at least for the time being, according to Nielsen data. On Wednesday night, Fox News and MSNBC drew 1.3 million viewers, whereas CNN dominated with its town hall event featuring former President Donald Trump.
In a bid to allay concerns about Yaccarino taking over, Musk wrote Friday that “I think people from both sides of the political spectrum will find Linda to be smart, fair, and reasonable.”
Carlson’s decision to move to Twitter might be a way to circumvent Fox News’ contract with him amid reports that cannot move to another network or outlet until January 2025. Responding to those reports, a lawyer for Carlson, Bryan Freedman, told Axios this week that “the idea that anyone is going to silence Tucker and prevent him from speaking to his audience is beyond preposterous,” while Fox has not commented on reports of a dispute.
Other reports have claimed Carlson’s lawyers sent a letter to Fox News, demanding the company preserve its evidence. If those reports are accurate, it could mean that Carlson may sue his former employer.
When reached for comment about the claims in Axios and other outlets earlier this week, a Fox News spokesman redirected The Epoch Times to the initial news release announcing Carlson’s departure.
While Carlson’s last show on Fox News aired in late April, some media outlets have made significant overtures to him, offering tens of millions of dollars to switch. A company called Valuetainment said it would pay up to $100 million over five years to move to the network.
“What else? We are all ears,” the company’s CEO, Patrick Bet-David, wrote. “Our convictions about freedom, liberty, and truth run deep and we believe we are the absolute right fit for you and America.”
Fox News has not commented on why Carlson departed. However, one executive suggested to Variety magazine that it may be due to advertisement revenue—coming after a number of large corporate advertisers left Carlson’s show over perceived controversial statements he made on the air.
Regarding the decline in the 8 p.m. ratings, a Fox News spokesperson told news outlets that Fox is still the No. 1 channel among cable news networks.
“For more than 21 years, Fox News Channel has been cable news’ most-watched network in all categories with more Democrats, Independents and Republicans now tuning in than either CNN or MSNBC,” the company said earlier this month. “Attracting more than 50 percent of the cable news viewing audience with the top 12 programs in cable news, Fox News’ powerhouse team of journalists, analysts and opinion hosts are trusted more by viewers than any other news source.”
“We have had over 40 new advertisers come into the hour since we launched the new program, including some of the largest in the country and, really, across all major categories,” Fox News Vice President for Advertising Sales Jeff Collins told the magazine. “We have seen new advertisers come in, and new demand.”
