Tucker Carlson has allegedly been sent a 'cease-and-desist letter' by Fox News, which claims that the former news anchor breached his contract by launching a new show on Twitter after leaving the network.
Carlson, 54, was let go by Fox News on April 24, 2023, alongside the executive producer of his evening show, without an explanation being given.
The host also appeared to be unaware that his final show was on Friday, April 21, as he signed off and told viewers he would be "back on Monday".
On May 9, he announced that he would be relaunching his own show on Twitter after his attorneys sent a letter to Fox executives alleging that the network 'intentionally' broke their promises to him, which they believed should free him from his non-compete clause.
Harmeet Dhillon, one of Carlson's lawyers, said in a statement via NBC News: "Fox News continues to ignore the interests of its viewers, not to mention its shareholder obligations. Doubling down on the most catastrophic programming decision in the history of the cable news industry, Fox is now demanding that Tucker Carlson be silent until after the 2024 election.
"Tucker will not be silenced by anyone."
Carlson's lawyers also reportedly received another letter last week which did not expressly demand that he stops posting to Twitter, but in which Fox News general counsel Bernard Gugar said the former prime-time host was "in breach" of his contract with the network.
The media personality had first signed the contract in November 2019, and it was amended in February 2021, and contains a 'non-compete clause' which limits him from appearing on other outlets.
Bryan Freedman, another of Carlson's attorneys, said in a statement that any legal action by Fox News would infringe on his First Amendment rights.
He said: "Fox defends its very existence on freedom of speech grounds. Now they want to take Tucker Carlson’s right to speak freely away from him because he took to social media to share his thoughts on current events."
However, a source close to the matter has now claimed that Fox News has allegedly sent Carlson a cease-and-desist letter for his new show, Tucker On Twitter.
Fox News has yet to publicly comment on the matter, which was first reported by Axios.
The first installment of Tucker on Twitter debuted on June 6, in which he shared a 10-minute monologue about the war between Russia and Ukraine.
According to his producer, the second episode of the show - which will air on Tuesday - will focus on the federal indictment of former President Donald Trump.