Tucker Carlson publishes first episode of new show on Twitter

Tucker Carlson, the sidelined prime-time Fox News host, released the first episode of what he said would be his new show on Twitter on Tuesday, possibly a showdown with the cable network, where he remains under contract until early 2025.

The 10-minute video, Mr. Carlson’s first extended commentary since Fox pulled him off the air in April, was similar to a stripped-down version of what his three million or so Fox viewers would have seen on his evening schedule.

There were no guests or segments produced – just a monologue by Mr. Carlson, touching on some familiar themes. He expressed his condolences to President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia and mocked President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine. He accused the mainstream media of lying. He concluded by stating that UFOs and extraterrestrial life are “actually real.”

“As of today, we have come to Twitter,” said Mr. Carlson in the video. “We were told there are no gatekeepers here. If that turns out to be false, we will leave.”

He signed off the show, dubbed “Tucker on Twitter”, by promising to come back with “a lot more, very soon”.

Fox management took Mr. Carlson off the air after concluding that he was too much of a liability. The two sides have not agreed on the terms of a departure, including what kind of programming he could continue to do. Anchors like Mr. Carlson also usually have terms in their contracts that prevent them from making unauthorized media appearances.

Fox News did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Mr Carlson announced last month that he would be bringing a version of his Fox show to Twitter.

He was ousted after the Fox board discovered a racist text message he sent to one of his producers that was among the evidence Dominion Voting Systems collected as part of the defamation lawsuit over false claims of voter fraud that the network had broadcast.

Fox settled with Dominion for $787.5 million the day the trial was due to begin in April.