Fox News sent Tucker Carlson a cease-and-desist letter after the network’s former primetime host began broadcasting a new series of monologues on Twitter, Axios reported on Monday.
Last week, the network accused Carlson of breach of contract after he posted his first “Tucker On Twitter” 10-minute spot to the social media platform, which garnered roughly 115 million views. His second episode amassed nearly 55 million.
Axios reported the letter states in bold letters, “NOT FOR PUBLICATION,” and that Fox continues to pay Carlson and that his content remains exclusive to Fox until his contract expires on Dec. 31, 2024.
The legal action taken against Carlson comes on the heels of Carlson’s producer, Justin Wells — also an ex-Fox employee — teasing a new “Tucker on Twitter” episode focused on his response to the federal indictment of former President Donald Trump.
Harmeet Dhillon, one of Carlson’s attorneys, said in a statement that the network is attempting to censor her client until after the 2024 presidential election.
“Fox News continues to ignore the interests of its viewers, not to mention its shareholder obligations,” Dhillon told Axios. “Doubling down on the most catastrophic programming decision in the history of the cable news industry, Fox is now demanding that Tucker Carlson be silent until after the 2024 election.”
“Tucker will not be silenced by anyone,” she added.
Dhillon further said on Twitter — post-Axios report — that the latest move from Fox serves as an example of why she personally stopped appearing on the cable news network.
“For all the friends who have been asking ‘why don’t we see you on Fox anymore?’ — This is why,” she said. “I am passionately committed to free speech and a free flow of information necessary for a free society.”
“Until Fox stops trying to silence Tucker, it’s not a place for me. And I feel for my friends working at the network which has clearly caved into pressure from some quarter to silence @TuckerCarlson,” her tweet continued. “What you are seeing on Fox today is a censored version of the news. Keep that in mind as you make your viewing and your commenting choices.”
After network officials initially accused Carlson, the former host claimed it was Fox News that breached its contract, and he also accused the network of fraud.
Carlson’s attorneys believe “Tucker on Twitter” does not fall under the Fox News contract controls because Twitter is not a direct competitor with the network, a source familiar with the legal team’s thinking told Axios.
“Fox defends its very existence on freedom of speech grounds. Now they want to take Tucker Carlson’s right to speak freely away from him because he took to social media to share his thoughts on current events,” Carlson’s other lawyer Bryan Freedman said in a statement.
Fox News cut ties with Carlson in April, days after it settled a historic $800 million defamation lawsuit brought by Dominion Voting Systems.
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