by David Lindfield
Several top Fox News anchors are considering a new career path that doesn’t involve the embattled network, according to a new report.
Variety is reporting that a handful of current Fox News stars are contemplating quitting Fox News to join former top-rated host Tucker Carlson’s next project.
According to the report, the anchors are drawn to whatever Carlson is working on, which could include programming that would be broadcast on Twitter.
The report comes after Carlson strongly hinted earlier this month that he is looking to relaunch his hit show on a new platform.
In a video posted to Twitter, Carlson suggested that he was preparing to air a program live on Elon Musk’s social media platform.
“Carlson’s Twitter move could have additional reverberations with talent at the network,” Variety reports.
“A handful of Fox anchors have reached out to Carlson directly or had their surrogates contact him to say they are eager to join whatever venture he starts on Twitter when their contracts are up, according to sources.”
Carlson currently remains under contract with Fox News at a reported $20 million a year, so he isn’t free to sign on with another network.
Reports said his contract doesn’t expire until after the 2024 election, in January 2025.
While Carlson could sit back and do nothing while still taking the huge salary from Fox, he is instead locked in a legal battle to get out of the contract and launch his show elsewhere.
Variety also reported that Carlson was taken off the air as a condition of Fox’s recent defamation settlement with Dominion Voting Systems:
On April 26, Carlson spoke by phone with one of Fox Corp.’s eight board members, who told the host that his recent benching was a condition of Fox News’ settlement with Dominion Voting Systems, according to multiple sources with knowledge of the conversation.
The unnamed board member told Carlson that the condition does not appear in any of the settlement’s documents, and instead was a verbal agreement.
If Fox didn’t comply, the settlement was off, Carlson was told.
Dominion had plenty of leverage given that the $787.5 million deal to settle Dominion’s defamation suit against the network wouldn’t officially close until late May.
The outlet went on to report that Dominion’s defamation claims rested mostly on accusations aired post-2020 election on programs hosted by Sean Hannity, Jeanine Pirro, and Maria Bartiromo.
However, the company wanted to hurt Fox and, as such, chose to press the network into cutting ties with Carlson, its most popular talent.
“That condition was intended to hurt Fox, and Tucker is just collateral damage,” a source familiar with the matter told Variety.
“Dominion wanted to punish Fox, and it’s working.”
Both Fox and Dominion have denied that Carlson’s dismissal was part of the settlement agreement.
