Next Monday will be two weeks since Tucker Carlson was removed as the host of this top-rated show, for reasons still unknown.
While there have been sleazy and shameful “leaks” to the NY Times misleadingly intended to make Tucker the fall-guy for the Dominion settlement, and even more leaks to Media Matters, it seems that Tucker’s stature is only rising.
The Media Matters leaks were particularly bizarre, consisting of unaired chatter between tapings, actually makes him look great, as we previously covered. The additional Media Matters footage since then was even more hysterical and favorable to Tucker for anyone who isn’t a deranged hater:
Greg Gutfeld has defended Tucker against the Media Matters leaks. (I’m not positive, but he may be the only major Fox News personality to do so publicly.)
Fox News is denying being the leaker, and has sent a cease and desist letter to Media Matters. The NY Post, owned by the same parent company as Fox News, reports:
Attorneys representing Fox News are threatening legal action against the liberal media watchdog Media Matters for America for airing leaked behind-the-scenes clips showing the network’s now-former host Tucker Carlson.The letter from Fox attorneys is in response to a series of stories published in recent days by MMFA, the liberal pressure group founded by Democratic Party operative David Brock, under the headline “Foxleaks.” …“That unaired footage is Fox’s confidential intellectual property,” attorneys for Fox News’ parent company, Fox Corp., wrote in their letter to Angelo Carusone, the head of MMFA.“Fox did not consent to its distribution or publication … [and] does not consent to its further distribution or publication,” the attorneys wrote.“This proprietary material was given to you without Fox’s authorization,” the letter went on to state.“Fox demands that Media Matters cease and desist from distribution, publication, and misuse of Fox’s misappropriated proprietary footage, which you are now on notice was unlawfully obtained,” the attorneys wrote to Carusone.“We reserve all rights and remedies.”When reached by The Post, MMFA responded in a statement that “reporting on newsworthy leaked material is a cornerstone of journalism.”
Fox News also has sent a cease and desist to Dominion about the leak of redacted materials produced in discovery, warning that it would be a violation of the settlement agreement if Dominion violated the protective order and agreement as to redactions:
Fox News all but pointed a finger Friday at Dominion Voting Systems as the source of a now-infamous Tucker Carlson text message suggesting that a mob attack is “not how white men fight,” calling for the Denver company to investigate the leak and warning that they’re in danger of breaching their $787.5 million settlement agreement they forged just last month.Those warnings came in a letter from Fox lawyers to counsel for Dominion, dated Friday and demanding an answer by Monday regarding stories published this week in the New York Times and Daily Beast. Dominion, which has already cashed the check from its settlement victory, forcefully denied involvement Friday, saying: “Nobody associated with Dominion shared these confidential materials with the press.”Fox was working on another theory.“Fox has become aware that documents Fox produced to your clients in discovery in this litigation have been shared with members of the media,” the letter opens. “Portions of documents described and quoted in these articles were never made public on the docket, and, notably, three of the documents cited in The Daily Beast were only exhibits at Mr. Carlson’s deposition (not in any Court filings). Additionally, the testimony from Mr. Carlson’s confidential deposition quoted in the Daily Beast article was never made public on the docket.” ….Disclosing anything now “would not only be a violation of the Order but also a breach of the parties’ Release and Settlement Agreement, which requires return or destruction of all of Fox’s Confidential or Attorneys’ Eyes Only Discovery Material within 30 days of dismissal of the case.”Finally, Fox asked Dominion to look into its possible role in the leaks and, yeah. They’re gonna need you to work over the weekend.“Accordingly, Fox requests that you and your clients immediately make an investigation into the circumstances surrounding this inexcusable release of confidential discovery material and report back to Fox by the close of business on May 8, 2023.”
As Tucker’s April 26, 2023, tweet showed — with over 80 million views and almost a million likes — he has an enormous and personally-loyal base of viewers.
That loyalty and base was apparent when Tucker made his first public appearance since his removal at a charity event on May 4, 2023, where he was given a standing ovation.
Someone in the audience recorded the whole appearance, where Tucker spoke for an hour. You can watch below:
Expect more of this as the quiet period inevitably draws to a close. Wherever Tucker ends up — and there’s a lot of speculation about that — it will be with a blast, not a whimper.
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