Tucker Carlson wants to launch a show on Twitter

A leading conservative pundit is planning to bring his controversial views to Twitter. Two weeks after his dismissal from Fox News, talk show host Tucker Carlson took to Elon Musk‘s social media platform to announce the impending arrival of a “new version” of his program.

Carlson revealed his intentions in a three-minute video, which he shared on his personal Twitter account. After breaking up with his former employer, Carlson called out Fox News and other English-language media organizations, which he believes are incapable of telling complete, truthful stories.

The exception to that opinion, in Carlson’s eyes, is Twitter. “Amazingly, as of tonight, there aren’t many platforms left that allow free speech,” he said in his video update. “The last big one remaining in the world — the only one — is Twitter. Twitter has long served as the place where our national conversation incubates and develops.”

Carlson said that the Twitter version of his show will be similar to the one that ran for six-and-a-half years as Fox News’ Tucker Carlson Tonight. Throughout his video, he uses the pronoun “we,” implying that he is still working alongside some of the operatives who helped make him one of America’s most divisive political voices.

The plan to bring Tucker Carlson Tonight to Twitter is new news for the self-styled “Chief Twit.” In a tweet, Musk wrote that “we have not signed a deal of any kind whatsoever. Tucker is subject to the same rules and rewards of all content creators.”

Twitter’s guidelines are not the only thing getting in Carlson’s way. His former employer may attempt to block his relaunched show, since he is still under contract with Fox until January 2025. In hopes of wriggling out of that agreement — and the noncompete clause included in it — Carlson is looking to take Fox to court

over an alleged breach of contract.

Should the pundit complete his move to Twitter, he will bring the sort of content Musk has sought since he acquired the social platform last year. The entrepreneur has styled himself as a “free speech absolutist” and has gutted Twitter’s Trust team in hopes of encouraging open discourse. In his response to Carlson’s announcement, he encouraged others — “particularly from the left” — to become Twitter creators. If he wants left-leaning journalists to rebut Carlson’s viewpoints, he may need to stop suspending them first.

But even if Twitter continues its march toward the right wing, Carlson would still be a massive get for Musk and his team. His show was the main reason why Fox News became one of the 25 most-watched YouTube channels in the U.S. On Twitter, he is already generating massive viewership.

Should Twitter actually roll out the creator-friendly revenue streams Musk has promised, Carlson could become one of the first bankable stars of the Chief Twit’s regime (but that’s a big if). In the meantime, Twitter users will have to live with Carlson’s increased presence on the platform. If they don’t like that, there are plenty of incoming Twitter alternatives worth exploring.