Tucker Carlson Responds to Point-Blank Question About Fox News Exit

Fox News host Tucker Carlson discusses “Populism and the Right” during the National Review Institute's Ideas Summit at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Washington on March 29, 2019. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson said in a new interview that he still doesn’t know why the company announced it was parting ways with him earlier this year.

“I don’t know why I was fired. I really don’t. I’m not angry about it. I wish Fox well,” he told podcast host Russell Brand this week in an interview that aired Friday on YouTube.

Mr. Brand had asked Mr. Carlson about the reason behind his firing and whether it had to do with Mr. Carlson’s shows that featured new footage from the Jan. 6 Capitol breach or other reasons. “Honestly I don’t know,” Carlson said. “They didn’t agree with me of course, I don’t think,” Mr. Carlson also said, adding that he can “only speculate” about the reasons.

In a brief news release issued in late April, Fox News said that it had parted ways with Mr. Carlson despite his nightly show being one of the top-rated programs in cable news. The network has released virtually no information since then, and Mr. Carlson has since launched a show on Twitter, drawing tens of millions of views for its first few episodes.

Also in his interview with Mr. Brand, Mr. Carlson said he isn’t being paid by Twitter or its owner Elon Musk, adding that he doesn’t want to have a boss again. “What social media offers in the short term is an audience and a reason to write,” Mr. Carlson told the podcast host.

Meanwhile, Mr. Carlson has retained multiple lawyers, including former California Republican official Harmeet Dhillon, after Fox News reportedly sent cease-and-desist letters to him to stop his Twitter show. Fox News has not responded to multiple requests for comment about the letter.

The reported letter claimed that, with the new show, Mr. Carlson “is in breach” of his contract with Fox. It also asserted that Mr. Carlson’s contract states that he’s “prohibited from rendering services of any type whatsoever, whether ‘over the internet via streaming or similar distribution, or other digital distribution whether now known or hereafter devised.’”

Following the letter, another lawyer for Mr. Carlson issued a response.

“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,” Mr. Carlson’s lawyer, Bryan Freedman, said in a June 7 statement to Axios.

After his exit, Fox News has used a rotating cast of its hosts for its 8 p.m. program dubbed “Fox News Tonight,” which has drawn significantly fewer viewers to the network during Mr. Carlson’s previous timeslot. For the month of May, after Mr. Carlson’s departure, Fox News lost about a third of its primetime audience, according to ratings although the network was still the No. 1 cable news network for the second quarter of 2023.

An advertisement features Fox News personalities, including Tucker Carlson and Sean Hannity, in New York City, on March 13, 2019. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Last month, Fox announced that it would be reshaping its primetime weekly lineup by moving host Jesse Watters to the 9 p.m. ET slot, including a 10 p.m. timeslot with Greg Gutfeld, and moving Laura Ingraham’s show to 7 p.m. Sean Hannity’s show will stay in the same 9 p.m. slot, Fox said.

“FOX News Channel has been America’s destination for news and analysis for more than 21 years and we are thrilled to debut a new lineup. The unique perspectives of Laura Ingraham, Jesse Watters, Sean Hannity, and Greg Gutfeld will ensure our viewers have access to unrivaled coverage from our best-in-class team for years to come,” Fox News Channel CEO Suzanne Scott announced in an article. The changes will go into effect this month, it said.

Settlement

Earlier this month, Fox Corporation announced it agreed to pay $12 million to settle a lawsuit by former Fox News producer Abby Grossberg, who leveled allegations against the network for promoting a hostile working environment.

Ms. Grossberg, who was the head of booking for Mr. Carlson for several months, filed a lawsuit in March claiming she was subjected to vulgar comments while she worked in Fox News’ office in New York. The complaint (pdf), which was filed in the U.S. Southern District of New York on March 20, said that the “toxic work dynamic” allegedly fostered by Mr. Carlson had “severely” impacted her health.

While Mr. Carlson hasn’t made public comments in response to the lawsuit, Fox News denied Grossberg’s allegations after she filed suit.

Following news of the settlement on Friday, a Fox News spokesperson expressed satisfaction that the matter had been resolved. “We are pleased that we have been able to resolve this matter without further litigation,” a Fox News spokesperson said in a statement.

Ms. Grossberg said in a statement obtained by The Epoch Times that she’s hopeful that “this resolution represents a positive step by the Network regarding its treatment of women and minorities in the workplace.”

“While I stand by my publicly filed claims and allegations, in light of today’s settlement of $12 million, pursuant to which I have now withdrawn those claims, I am heartened that Fox News has taken me and my legal claims seriously,” Ms. Grossberg added.

The Epoch Times contacted Fox News on Friday regarding Mr. Carlson’s interview.

Tom Ozimek contributed to this report.