Ever since Tucker Carlson was released from Fox News late last month, speculation continues as to where the network’s top-rated primetime host will land.
He could wind up hosting his own show or podcast in a heartbeat and command millions of followers, or end up at a competing network like Newsmax with gobs of money and complete editorial control.
On the other hand, Carlson is still bound by the terms of his non-compete Fox contract despite the ongoing smear campaign being perpetrated by his former employer.
According to a report from the Washington Post, Carlson himself has been in contact with former President Donald Trump and is openly discussing the idea of hosting a GOP primary forum as a competing event to the RNC-sanctioned debates:
Most ambitiously, Carlson wants to moderate his own GOP candidate forum, outside of the usual strictures of the Republican National Committee debate system. The idea, which he has discussed with Donald Trump, the front-runner for the party nomination, would test his vaunted sway over conservative politics. And it would take a jab at his former employer — Fox is hosting the first official primary debate, which Trump has threatened not to attend — if he can manage to make his grandest plan happen.
Ultimately, Carlson is scrambling to try to avoid the fate of other once-towering former Fox News personalities, who in exile from the network have found lucrative gigs but nothing like their former positions of influence.
The trick for Carlson would be getting agreements from all available GOP candidates to join a forum format. Trump would certainly do it, he prefers that to a debate format, which is arguably less predictable. Others would surely follow as well since none of them would want to be in a camp that scoffs at Tucker Carlson’s influence over the GOP primary.
Not much is known in the way of how a potential Tucker Carlson GOP forum would be structured, but it would provide an outlet to specifically lob a shot across the bow of Fox News:
Carlson and his team have discussed the possibility of moderating a candidate forum outside of the traditional protocols surrounding the GOP primary debate system, according to two people familiar with the considerations.
These people said the setup — as well as Carlson’s availability to take on that kind of role, given the noncompete constraints of his contract with Fox — remain unclear. But Carlson has personally expressed enthusiasm about the idea, according to people familiar with his comments. At least one major candidate — Trump — has told Carlson he’s interested, according to a person familiar with the exchange.
There are also swirling reports that Carlson may accept less money than he’s owed from Fox as a way to satisfy his contractual obligations and become unmuzzled for the upcoming election cycle. If that happens, and at least Donald Trump agrees to the forum, there’s a great chance it could happen and garner millions of viewers in the process.
The former Fox host’s interest in a debate is said to stem in part from its potential to loosen the Republican National Committee’s grip on the process, as well as to challenge the role traditionally played by the major television networks. “He could go straight to the candidates, stream it live, invite the networks but maintain control over the process,” said one person familiar with the discussions, speaking on the condition of anonymity to preserve relationships.
It would be a win-win for two men who have found themselves at odds with Fox News. Carlson, obviously, was unceremoniously fired from his primetime gig, and Trump has had beef with Fox ever since the unnecessarily early Arizona call on election night in November 2020.
It’s a plan that seems plausible and if there’s enough interest on Carlson’s side to make it happen, aside from nasty legal battles over contracts, there’s not much else standing in the way.
Fox News, without Carlson, is slated to host the first official GOP primary debate in August, though details like a specific date or moderators have not been released.
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