Ian Patrick, FISM News
It looks like Tucker Carlson is preparing for war.
The former Fox News host is reportedly looking to battle his former employer for his freedom after he exited the right-wing outlet in April. According to an exclusive scoop obtained by Axios, Carlson is reportedly looking to continue working in the conservative news field.
He has been contacted by other outlets including Rumble and Newsmax looking to offer him more than his current contract at Fox. He was even speaking with Elon Musk about working together, though little is known about that conversation.
The Axios report also suggests that Carlson may be looking to start his own outlet. “Axios has learned Carlson is busy plotting a media empire of his own,” the report reads. But before he can attempt any of that, he needs out of his current contract with Fox.
The contract does not expire until January 2025. Fox is even trying to pay Carlson $20 million a year to avoid working for any other network, but he wants out altogether.
A friend of Carlson’s told Axios that the conservative news pundit is looking “to get this done quiet and clean.” With this in mind, the friend added that his team is “going from peacetime to Defcon 1.”
“His team is preparing for war. He wants his freedom,” the friend added.
If the two sides were to spar, it could prove to be a thorn in the side of Fox. A person identified by Axios as “a Carlson source” told the outlet that Carlson “knows where a lot of bodies are buried, and is ready to start drawing a map.”
Bryan Freedman, a lawyer Carlson retained for this dispute, told Axios: “The idea that anyone is going to silence Tucker and prevent him from speaking to his audience is beyond preposterous.”
Since Carlson’s departure from Fox, the network has struggled to keep the same number of viewers in the 8 p.m. slot that previously aired “Tucker Carlson Tonight.”
According to reporting by The Daily Caller, the first episode of the replacement show reeled in 2.6 million viewers. Carlson’s final episode on Fox, which aired Monday, April 17, brought in 3.7 million viewers.