Tucker Carlson has claimed that his firing from Fox News was part of the $787.5m defamation settlement between the network and Dominion Voting Systems.
In a new book, the ousted host says that Fox “agreed to take me off the air, my show off the air, as a condition of the Dominion settlement.”
Mr Carlson told biographer Chadwick Moore that the network “had to settle” the case after Dominion sued Fox.
The ex-host added that the owner of Fox, Ruper Murdoch, 92, “couldn’t testify. I think that deal was made minutes before the trial started”.
“I mean, I know it was,” he said.
All Seasons Press, the publisher of Mr Moore’s book titled Tucker, has said that it’s based on “hundreds of hours interviews with Carlson, his family, colleagues, acquaintances and enemies”.
Mr Carlson was the top broadcaster in primetime before being removed from the lineup, garnering millions of viewers.
Following his departure, he has since started broadcasting on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, prompting a dispute with Fox, where he remains contracted.
Dominion has rejected that Mr Carlson was ousted as part of its settlement with Fox News.
Mr Moore has included the denial from Dominion in the book, stating that a lawyer for the company “wanted to make clear personally that Dominion made no requests or demands whatsoever regarding Mr Carlson’s employment with Fox or his appearance, or non-appearance, on Fox News.”
Similarly, Fox has “categorically” rejected the notion that Mr Carlson’s ouster was connected to the defamation suit.
On 24 April, Mr Carlson thought he was set to receive a call from Fox News CEO Suzanne Scott to offer congratulations on the sixth anniversary of his programme moving to the 8pm timeslot.
“I was first confused, and then shocked,” he states in the book. “It was just, ‘We’re taking you off the air.’ No explanation why, and they’ve let me guess ever since. That’s literally all I know. I asked if I violated my contract. They said, no, I’m not fired, I’m still under contract.”
He goes on to suggest that political pressure coming out of DC could have led to him being “cancelled”. He added that Mr Murdoch and his son Lachlan Murdoch, the co-chair of News Corp, “definitely didn’t like my views” on the Russian invasion of Ukraine. But he also said that Lachlan Murdoch told him it was okay that they didn’t see eye to eye.
fox thought it was between a rock and a hard place ..well, just know this…not only was tucker thinking about all this….i was and many many other people were as well…..so i say FREE SPEECH…and fox should have said fine sue us but you wont get anything because free speech is legal…duhhhhhh
If I want Country-Western, there’s channels for that; cooking, channels for that too. Fox News is like ‘The Jay Leno Show without the laughs. After 20 years I’ve seen the light, and now get actual news from NEWS MAX! They have much, much better-looking women as well!!
Dear DOMINION…PAPER ballots…same day voting..we are going to put you out of business.