Tucker Carlson, the former primetime TV host who found himself at the center of controversy following his ouster from Fox News on Monday, has broken his silence. In a two-minute video posted to Twitter at 8:01 p.m. ET – precisely when his old show used to air – Carlson did not mention Fox News directly but criticized "American media" and "both political parties" for neglecting crucial issues he believes will determine the country's future.
Various reports have suggested that private messages discovered during a Dominion Voting Systems defamation lawsuit contributed to Carlson's departure from Fox News. The network settled with Dominion just before going into a six-week trial involving high-profile figures like Rupert Murdoch.
Fox News representatives have yet to comment on Carlson's departure or its impact on their cable-TV ratings, which remain the highest among other news networks despite an apparent dip in viewership numbers during what was once Carlson's timeslot.
In Wednesday night's cryptic video message shared via Twitter, Carlson accused both mainstream media outlets and politicians of ignoring significant topics that will shape America's destiny. He concluded by stating there is still hope for finding Americans willing to speak honestly about such matters.
The timing of this message comes shortly after an explosive New York Times report detailed how previously-redacted text messages sent by Tucker around the time of the 2020 election were discovered in relation to a defamation suit brought against Fox by Dominion Voting Systems. These texts allegedly contained derogatory comments toward senior female executives within Fox News as well as disparaging remarks about the company itself.
While no direct reference was made regarding these allegations in his recent video statement, Tucker hinted that audiences could expect more communication from him in due course: “Where can you still find Americans saying true things? There aren’t many places left, but there is hope.”
Fox announced earlier this week that they had severed ties with Carlson, a decision made by Fox Corporation CEO Lachlan Murdoch and Fox News chief executive Suzanne Scott on Friday evening.