Fox News has sent a cease and desist letter to Tucker Carlson over his Twitter show that launched last week.The network recently pulled Carlson’s show from their lineup and announced that they had parted ways with the star personality, but he is still under contract through the end of next year. Axios first reported on the letter sent to Carlson from Fox attorneys.Harmeet Dhillon, an attorney representing Carlson, said in a statement, “Fox News continues to ignore the interests of its viewers, not to mention its shareholder obligations. Doubling down on the most catastrophic programming decision in the history of the cable news industry, Fox is now demanding that Tucker Carlson be silent until after the 2024 election. Tucker will not be silenced by anyone — whether it be Media Matters, the ADL or Fox News.”A Fox News spokesperson did not comment. Talent contracts typically include exclusivity provisions to limit or prevent top personalities from appearing on other networks and platforms.Attorney Bryan Freedman also represents Carlson, and he spoke out last week after the network sent a letter declaring that Tucker on Twitter was a contract breach. Freedman has previously argued that Fox News breached the contract and that the non-compete provision is no longer valid.On Twitter, Dhillon said that her representation of Carlson was preventing her from appearing on the network. She wrote, “For all the friends who have been asking ‘why don’t we see you on Fox anymore?’ — This is why. I am passionately committed to free speech and a free flow of information necessary for a free society. Until Fox stops trying to silence Tucker, it’s not a place for me. And I feel for my friends working at the network which has clearly caved into pressure from some quarter to silence. What you are seeing on Fox today is a censored version of the news. Keep that in mind as you make your viewing and your commenting choices.”Carlson was Fox News’s top personality, and his latest Twitter show drew almost 55 million views, although that doesn’t necessarily mean that the full video was watched. Dhillon argued that Carlson was being threatened “for speaking, for free” on Twitter. Elon Musk wrote last month that “we have not signed a deal of any kind whatsoever” with Carlson, but he’s been inviting media personalities from the left to start their own shows.Carlson’s executive producer said that the host’s next Twitter episode will drop on Tuesday, and focus on former President Donald Trump’s federal indictment.
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