‘Let Fox Take Him to Court’: Megyn Kelly Tells Tucker Carlson to ‘Walk Away’ From Fox Contract & ‘Forfeit Pay’
Megyn Kelly encouraged fellow former Fox News host Tucker Carlson to “walk away” from his agreement with the network and let them “take him to court” following reports that Fox News may fight to keep him off the air until 2025.
The New York Times reported on Friday that while Carlson had told several people he was interested in getting back on the air in the near future, Fox News would have to give its approval as his contract with the network does not officially expire until January 2025.
Former CNN chief media correspondent Brian Stelter observed on Twitter, Friday that since Carlson “is subject to a ‘pay or play’ clause,” Fox News “doesn’t have to ‘play’ him on air, they just have to pay him for the remainder of his contract.”
“That’s what the exit negotiation is about: Will Fox let him out on relatively permissive terms?” he questioned.
Kelly responded to Stelter’s post by encouraging Carlson to “walk away” from his contract with Fox News and to let the matter be resolved in court.
“Tucker should walk away & forfeit the pay. Let Fox take him to court over the sole issue of silencing him for the rest of the election season (!)-the man they fired & smeared relentlessly while he stayed silent,” she wrote. “See how their dwindling audience repays them for that.”
Kelly — who left Fox News in January 2017 — has repeatedly criticized the network’s decision to fire Carlson in April.
Last month, Kelly pointed out that Fox News had “lost HALF their audience” in the wake of Carlson’s ousting and described its decline in viewership as a “bloodbath.” On the day of the announcement that Carlson’s show would be taken off the air, Kelly said, “This is a terrible move by Fox and it’s a great thing for Tucker Carlson.”
Kelly is not the only former Fox News star to have criticized the network’s decision. Former host Eric Bolling accused Fox News of “moving mainstream” and becoming “CNN lite”, while Bill O’Reilly predicted Fox News’ audience would “diminish” as a result of the move.
