Tucker Carlson announces new Twitter show after leaving Fox News
Washington — Three weeks after abruptly parting ways with Fox News, controversial TV anchor Tucker Carlson said he is launching a new show on Twitter, claiming the Elon Musk-owned social media platform is one of the few platforms that supports free speech.
"There aren't many platforms left that allow free speech," he said in a three-minute video on Tuesday announcing his next step. "The last big one remaining in the world, the only one, is Twitter, where we are now. Twitter has long served as the place where our national conversation incubates and develops. Twitter is not a partisan site, everybody's allowed here, and we think that's a good thing."
At the end of a monologue in which he told viewers that "the news you consume is a lie," Carlson said he would be "bringing a new version of the show we've been doing for the last six and a half years" to the platform.
"We're just grateful to be here," he said. "Free speech is the main right that you have. Without it, you have no others."
Musk on Tuesday tweeted, "I also want to be clear that we have not signed a deal of any kind whatsoever. Tucker is subject to the same rules & rewards of all content creators."
"I hope that many others, particularly from the left, also choose to be content creators on this platform," Musk added.
Why did Tucker Carlson leave Fox?
Fox News Media announced April 24 it was parting ways with Carlson, a major shakeup for the network given he was the channel's most-watched anchor. The move came just days after Fox settled a defamation suit with Dominion Voting Systems for $787.5 million, a case that unveiled messages sent by Tucker and other Fox personalities in the wake of the 2020 election.
The New York Times later reported that one message which was redacted in court filings contributed to Fox's decision to part ways with Carlson. In that message, the anchor texted a producer about a video that showed a group of "Trump guys" attacking "an Antifa kid," reportedly writing that "it's not how white men fight."
Carlson and Fox News are also facing a lawsuit from Abby Grossberg, a former producer who alleges she endured a sexist and hostile environment while working for Carlson's show and the network. Grossberg previously worked for CBS News from 2011 to 2014, and CBS News Radio from 2005 to 2007.
Some conservative outlets were quick to court Carlson after his ouster, including One America News Network, BlazeTV and Rumble.
Carlson joined the network as a contributor in 2009 and then was a co-host of "Fox and Friends Weekend" from 2012 to 2016. "Tucker Carlson Tonight" debuted in November 2016.
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Caitlin Yilek is a politics reporter for CBS News Digital. Reach her at caitlin.yilek@cbsinteractive.com. Follow her on Twitter: https://twitter.com/hausofcait
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