Fox News sent shock waves through media on Monday when the network announced it was cutting ties with popular prime time host Tucker Carlson — and recent reporting has begun to suggest some possible fallout.
While neither Fox News nor Carlson have been forthcoming with an official reason for the ouster — and speculations abound — some have surmised that the move could result in sidelining him for the 2024 presidential election cycle.
The Wall Street Journal reported on Monday that Fox News planned to pay out the remainder of Carlson’s $20-million-per-year contract — which was renegotiated in 2021 and reportedly extends into 2024. If the network does pay out the remainder of that contract, it is possible that could prevent Carlson from seeking a platform elsewhere — or even creating his own — until the contract’s term is up.
A Twitter user known as @amuse — who authors Politique Republic on Substack — noted that Carlson’s contract may have had as much as 18 months still remaining and suggested that Carlson being benched with that much time left on his contract could easily prevent him from going anywhere until that time expired.
SOURCE: Tucker Carlson's contract was signed in Feb 2021 running through Feb 2024 or 25 (The Desk is reporting 2024). As a result, Tucker will be benched throughout much of the presidential election and speculation is that this was done very much on purpose. Tucker had a… pic.twitter.com/PFr7ZccfSU
— @amuse (@amuse) April 25, 2023
“Tucker Carlson’s contract was signed in Feb 2021 running through Feb 2024 or 25 (The Desk is reporting 2024). As a result, Tucker will be benched throughout much of the presidential election and speculation is that this was done very much on purpose,” @amuse continued, noting that The Desk had also confirmed with two sources that Carlson’s contract contained a non-disparagement clause — which forbade him from speaking ill of Fox News in public.
As The Daily Wire previously reported, Carlson has retained high-powered attorney Bryan Freedman — who previously represented another former Fox News host, Megyn Kelly, and who is currently representing ousted CNN anchors Chris Cuomo and Don Lemon. But because Fox News is reportedly planning to pay Carlson through the end of his current contract, the most likely scenario is that Freedman has been retained to assist him in securing his freedom to embark on a new venture.
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It is unknown whether Carlson’s contract included a clause that would force the network to “use him or lose him” — which would allow the popular host an easier out if their intent had been to simply kneel on the ball, forcing him to remain in limbo and off the air until his contract expired.