The former Fox News host Tucker Carlson is seeking to raise funds to start his own media company just three months after being fired by his old network.
The news comes via an exclusive report by the Wall Street Journal.
The Journal writes that Carlson is combining forces with former White House adviser Neil Patel in an attempt to raise hundreds of millions of dollars to start the new media venture.
He and Patel co-founded The Daily Caller.
The company would reportedly be using Twitter, the social media company that Carlson has used to post video segments since his ouster from Fox, drawing millions upon millions of viewers, as the “backbone” for the new media company.
In addition to featuring lengthier versions of the videos posted to Twitter, the media enterprise will be fueled by subscription services.
Tucker Carlson to create a new media company, Wall Street Journal reports https://t.co/AVXRWf9KOI pic.twitter.com/fRAEnCng2y
— Reuters (@Reuters) July 14, 2023
RELATED: Tucker Carlson Breaks Silence in Fiery Video: ‘Still Some Places Americans Can Say True Things’
Carlson To Challenge Fox News With His Own Media Company
By potentially starting his own media company, Carlson is directly challenging Fox News and will almost certainly siphon off viewers from his former network.
Carlson has insisted repeatedly since his firing that he would not be silenced, even as Fox has tried to do so by sending him a “cease and desist” letter last month.
Fox News is threatening to sue Tucker Carlson if he doesn’t stop tweeting.
Fox sends Tucker Carlson cease-and-desist letter https://t.co/ufowFU5pjf
— Arthur Schwartz (@ArthurSchwartz) June 12, 2023
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Harmeet Dhillon, a former legal adviser to Donald Trump who is currently representing Carlson, responded to the attempt at muzzling Carlson by saying, “Tucker will not be silenced by anyone.”
“He is a singularly important voice on matters of public interest in our country, and will remain so,” said Dhillon.
My friend and client @TuckerCarlson will not be silenced — by the far left or by Fox News. Scoop: Fox sends Tucker Carlson cease-and-desist letter https://t.co/1vUCMoQXOa
— Harmeet K. Dhillon (@pnjaban) June 12, 2023
Twitter Chief Elon Musk lauded Carlson’s effort and welcomed him warmly to the platform. However, he also noted the host would be subject to the same scrutiny as anybody else.
“On this platform, unlike the one-way street of broadcast, people are able to interact, critique and refute whatever he or anyone may say,” Musk tweeted after Carlson released his first video.
On this platform, unlike the one-way street of broadcast, people are able to interact, critique and refute whatever he or anyone may say.
And, of course, anything misleading will get @CommunityNotes.
I also want to be clear that we have not signed a deal of any kind…
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 9, 2023
Carlson has also jabbed at Fox News by hosting a GOP presidential primary forum later today in the early primary state of Iowa. The forum comes a month before the Republican National Committee’s (RNC) first debate in Milwaukee, which will be hosted by Fox News.
Carlson Says He Doesn’t Know Why Fox Fired Him
Carlson, during a lengthy interview with comedian Russell Brand, insisted that he has no idea why he was fired from Fox News, but speculates his pro-peace, anti-war stance with Ukraine might have played a role.
“I don’t know why I was fired, I really don’t,” said Carlson. “I’m not angry about it. I do think as a general matter, not even about me, the war in Ukraine is a red line for a lot of people in business and politics.”
.@TuckerCarlson tells Russell Brand @rustyrockets: “I didn’t expect to get fired that morning [from Fox News] … I don’t know why I was fired, I really don’t” pic.twitter.com/9wh7JqDfLy
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) July 7, 2023
Brand predicted that Carlson’s liberation from mainstream media shackles would land him in “an independent news space now, perhaps with more power than ever.”
“What you have to accept is Tucker Carlson was out of step with the cadence of ordinary mainstream rhetoric. That’s why I predict he’ll find himself in an independent news space now, perhaps with more power than ever…”
NOW @TuckerCarlson is with me today for his WORLD FIRST… pic.twitter.com/BTWqk3d7bs
— Russell Brand (@rustyrockets) July 7, 2023
Are we watching that prediction unfold right before our eyes?
The Political Insider conducted a poll asking our readers what they thought would be the next move for Carlson’s career. Launching his own media company came in third, well behind starting his own website or being hired by OANN or Newsmax.
But Carlson is the gold standard in conservative media.
Nobody currently on Fox, including his replacement or those hosts surrounding his old timeslot, can hold a candle to his honesty and intellectual commentary. He’s too big not to start his own company.
Teaming up with free speech warrior Elon Musk will lead to an interesting battle between this potential new network and Fox News.
Who will win that fight?
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