Following Tucker Carlson’s announcement that he was devising a new iteration of his program for Twitter, Twitter CEO Elon Musk stated Tuesday afternoon that no agreement had been reached with the cable news host.
“On this platform, unlike the one-way street of broadcast, people are able to interact, critique and refute whatever is said,” Musk said. “And, of course, anything misleading will get @CommunityNotes.”
“I also want to be clear that we have not signed a deal of any kind whatsoever,” Musk added. “Tucker is subject to the same rules & rewards of all content creators. Rewards means subscriptions and advertising revenue share (coming soon), which is a function of how many people subscribe and the advertising views associated with the content.”
Carlson has not been released from his contract with Fox News, which contains a non-compete clause that prevents him from working in the media until January 2025. Therefore, Musk’s claim that the company has not signed a contract with him is significant.
Musk implored users, including those on the political Left, to contribute content to the site.
On this platform, unlike the one-way street of broadcast, people are able to interact, critique and refute whatever is said.
And, of course, anything misleading will get @CommunityNotes.
I also want to be clear that we have not signed a deal of any kind whatsoever. Tucker is… https://t.co/0TMjuYnKUp
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 9, 2023
Carlson made his announcement after it had been rumored at the beginning of the week that he and Musk had discussed the possibility of collaborating.
“Starting soon, we’ll be bringing a new version of the show we’ve been doing for the last six and a half years to Twitter,” Carlson said in his announcement video. “We’ll be bringing some other things too, which we’ll tell you about. But for now, we’re just grateful to be here. Free speech is the main right that you have, without it, you have no others. See you soon.”
“There aren’t many platforms left that allow free speech. The last big one remaining in the world, the only one, is Twitter, where we are now,” Carlson also stated in his return announcement.
Prior to Carlson’s statement, his counsel Bryan Freedman sent a letter to Fox’s Viet Dinh and Irene Briganti, accusing the network of fraud and contract violation.
The letter, according to Axios, positions Carlson to contend that the non-compete clause in his contract is no longer valid, allowing him to establish the show or a new media company.