Under the terms of his employment, the former primetime host cannot appear on TV until 2025
Recently fired Fox News host Tucker Carlson may quit television news entirely before the 2024 election unless he can be released from his previous employment contract, according to multiple sources interviewed by The New York Times on Friday.
An inside source told the outlet that the host is bound by a common clause called “pay or play” that restricts him from working for a competitor until his contract expires. Carlson’s contract runs until January 2025, meaning he has no choice but to stop broadcasting until the 2024 election unless he can negotiate his exit.
Carlson has reportedly hired entertainment attorney Brian Friedman to settle with his former employer. A number of traditional and internet-based outlets are said to be courting the conservative pundit, including the Rumble, Daily Wire, Newsmax and One America News.
According to sources interviewed by The New York Times, Carlson was fired last month hours before the scheduled airing, reportedly in response to Fox CEO Lachlan Murdoch and Fox News Media CEO Susanna S. Kurt’s request.
Media outlets, including The Times, have suggested that Carlson was ousted because of a text message discovered as the network was preparing for a trial of a Dominion Voting Systems defamation lawsuit in which Carlson acknowledged the humanity of Antifa protesters.he likes to watch “Creep” beaten, he admits, despite “That’s not how white people fight.”
Carlson’s other leaked text messages show him calling Trump’s lawyer Sidney Powell “Cruel and reckless” In recognition of the theory that Dominion was scalping votes for then-candidate Joe Biden. The network ultimately did not allow the Dominion lawsuit to go to trial, settling with the voting machine maker for $787 million.
Carlson was largely silent on the circumstances of his departure, save for a two-minute video he tweeted condemning the “Incredibly stupid” most tv news content is and laments no “Undeniably Big Talk” on the airwaves. The clip racked up more than 24 million views in just two weeks, while Fox’s own ratings plummeted, with the network losing half its audience in the coveted 25- to 54-year-old demographic.
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