Tucker Carlson debuted the first episode of his new show on Twitter this week but threatened to leave the platform if people call him out.
The former Fox talk show host addressed his 7.9 million followers from what appears to be the inside of a cabin.
Despite the low-tech set-up, the first episode has already attracted over 40 million views in around eight hours.
According to Nielsen, Carlson’s Fox show averaged 3.25 million viewers in March, his final full month on the air.
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Critics have compared Carlson’s first address via Twitter to his nightly monologue on his now-ended Fox talk show Tucker Carlson Tonight.
Topics and themes ranged from the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the media apparently being uninterested in ‘the stories that matter’ including the Black Lives Matter protests three years ago, 9/11, JFK and how Jeffrey Epstein died.
“What’s happened to the hundreds of billions of US dollars we’ve sent to Ukraine? No clue,” Carlson asked his audiences in his familiar conspiracy theory tone.
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“Who organized those Black Lives Matter riots three years ago? No one’s gotten to the bottom of that. What exactly happened on 9/11? Well, it’s still classified.”
He continued: “Not only are the media not interested in any of this, they are actively hostile to anyone who is. In journalism, curiosity is gravest crime.”
Carlson concluded his episode by warning that he may leave the platform if he isn’t allowed to say what he wants.
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“We’re told there are no gatekeepers here,” he said about the Twitter platform.
“If that turns out to be false, we’ll leave. But in the meantime, we are grateful to be here. We will be back with much more very soon.”
It appears Carlson has the support of Twitter’s ‘Chief Twit’ Elon Musk as the CEO quote tweeted Carlson’s video and said: “Would be great to have shows from all parts of the political spectrum on this platform!”
Back in April it was announced that Carlson would be leaving Fox with immediate effect.
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The decision was a shock to Fox News viewers - and likely to Carlson, who appeared to be unaware that he was leaving during his last show on 21 April.
In a statement announcing his departure, Fox News thanked Carlson for his contribution to the network but did not disclose why this decision had been made.
The statement read: “Fox News Media and Tucker Carlson have agreed to part ways. We thank him for his service to the network as a host and prior to that as a contributor.”
Carlson is still under contract with Fox until January 2025 and paid more than $20 million a year by the network. He has hired Hollywood lawyer Bryan Freedman to negotiate his exit from the company.
Topics: Twitter, Tucker Carlson
Gregory Robinson