With talks stalled between Fox News and attorneys for Tucker Carlson regarding the former host being released from his contract, allies of the conservative superstar are planning a scorched earth campaign against the network that will call into question its conservative bona fides.
The Daily Beast scooped inside information from one person briefed on the matter who said talks between the two camps have devolved into “meaningless conversations” as both sides dance around the prospect of Carlson drawing viewers away from Fox ahead of the 2024 election season.
Since Carlson announced his intent to launch a show on Twitter — a move initially permitted by Fox — the network has since retracted its OK. That has left Carlson allies venting about plans to air some of Fox’s most embarrassing secrets, including extramarital affairs and workplace misconduct.
“The hope is that Fox comes to their senses and realizes they can’t stop Tucker from speaking and doing his thing and if not that’s unfortunate and there would be some pain inflicted,” said one person briefed on the matter.
The move is not a bluff. On Monday, Carlson’s allies leaked sections from Fox’s employee handbook promoting gender-transitioning options for employees, a policy that puts the center-right network at odds with its coverage of transgender issues such as Bud Light’s partnership with influencer Dylan Mulvaney. When asked about the perceived hypocrisy, a Fox spokesperson declined to comment.
Despite being under legal scrutiny, Carlson has gotten in on the action with a cryptic tweet Monday that drew attention to a video by his biographer Chadwick Moore who claimed to have confirmation that Carlson’s firing was a condition of the network’s legal settlement with Dominion Voting Systems.
Publicly, Fox News CEO Suzanne Scott has claimed that the dispute with Carlson will be ended amicably. Privately, executives at the embattled network are blaming chief legal officer Viet Dinh for a hamfisted mishandling of Carlson’s departure.
