Tucker Carlson Is Quietly ‘Preparing for War’ on Fox News: Report

Tucker Carlson is not going down without a fight against his former employer, Fox News. After his ousting from the network, the former anchor is plotting revenge, which could involve starting his own media outlet, reports Axios.

Since he was pushed out at Fox, Carlson has fielded potential job offers from far-right networks Rumble and Newsmax as well as from billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk. Carlson and Musk have even “had a conversation about working together,” Mike Allen reports. But Carlson reportedly cannot work for any competitor until his $20-million-per-year contract with Fox expires in January 2025, following the 2024 presidential election. Per Axios, Rumble and Newsmax have offered to pay him more than his Fox contract.

Carlson has hired attorney Bryan Freedman to represent him in the contract dispute. “The idea that anyone is going to silence Tucker and prevent him from speaking to his audience is beyond preposterous,” Freedman told Axios.

In a statement issued at the time of Carlson’s departure from Fox, the company said it and Carlson “agreed to part ways” and thanked him “for his service to the network.”

Since leaving Fox, Carlson has also considered starting his own media outlet, similar to what fellow ousted Fox anchors Bill O’Reilly and Glen Beck have done. Shortly after his departure, the host posted a video on Twitter where he told followers, “See you soon.” He has even floated the idea of hosting his own GOP presidential debate.

A close friend of Carlson’s said the former anchor is “going from peacetime to Defcon 1” to get out of his Fox contract. “His team is preparing for war. He wants his freedom,” the friend said.

Carlson, who worked at Fox for more than a decade, will not pull punches in a battle with the network. According to an anonymous Axios source who was not authorized to speak publicly, Carlson “knows where a lot of bodies are buried, and is ready to start drawing a map.”