Podcaster Megyn Kelly urged former Fox News host Tucker Carlson to end his contract with Fox and allow the network to take him to court.
“Tucker should walk away & forfeit the pay. Let Fox take him to court over the sole issue of silencing him for the rest of the election season (!)-the man they fired & smeared relentlessly while he stayed silent. See how their dwindling audience repays them for that,” she tweeted.
Tucker should walk away & forfeit the pay. Let Fox take him to court over the sole issue of silencing him for the rest of the election season (!)-the man they fired & smeared relentlessly while he stayed silent. See how their dwindling audience repays them for
that. https://t.co/hLQv6buXJe— Megyn Kelly (@megynkelly) May 6, 2023
Kelly posted the tweet in response to a report from former CNN host Brian Stelter, revealing that, under the contract, Fox News only has to pay Carlson not “play” his content.
“Carlson is subject to a ‘pay or play’ clause, which means Fox doesn’t have to ‘play’ him on air, they just have to pay him for the remainder of his contract,” Stelter noted.
The New York Times revealed a battle is forming between Fox News and Carlson over the contract’s terms. Carlson likely wants to be back on air soon but needs his former employer to agree on a deal allowing him to work elsewhere.
Carlson’s contract expires in January 2025, meaning it is unlikely he will appear anywhere else, but as Kelly noted, if Fox News released him from his contract without pay, he would be allowed to accept work anywhere.
Several networks, including Newsmax, have expressed interest in recruiting Carlson. TMZ recently reported that Newsmax “is doing everything it can to sweeten the deal for Tucker to come on board — including floating the idea of letting him program the whole channel, not just his own show.”
“That would be a pretty enticing deal point … in addition to having his own primetime show, Tucker would have a say over what shows lead into and out of his show, which can be key in achieving bigger TV ratings,” the report continued.
Valuetainment, a conservative media company, offered Carlson $100 million for five years of service and a seat on the company’s board of directors.
Since firing Carlson, Fox News has lost 50% of its ratings for its 8 p.m. slot, which Carlson formerly hosted.
