Fox News and Dominion Voting Systems are pushing back on a recent report suggesting Tucker Carlson’s sudden exit from the network was part of an agreement between the parties to settle a defamation suit out of court.
On Tuesday, The Variety report quoted an anonymous source who claimed Dominion sought to deal a major blow to the network’s viewership as part of the deal and demanded Carlson be fired.
“That condition was intended to hurt Fox, and Tucker is just collateral damage,” the source told the outlet. “Dominion wanted to punish Fox, and it’s working.”
Fox and Dominion denied the source’s claim when contacted by The Hill.
“As the Fox principals who negotiated the settlement well know, Dominion made no demands about Tucker Carlson’s employment orally or in writing,” the voting systems company said. “Any claims otherwise are categorically false and a thinly veiled effort to further damage Dominion.”
“Fox should take every effort to stop these lies immediately,” they added.
Last month, Fox News reached a last-minute settlement with Dominion over the network’s coverage of then-President Trump’s voter fraud claims in the 2020 presidential election.
Details of the deal were not immediately disclosed but Dominion lawyer Justin Nelson said the settlement was reached at around $787.5 million.
In a statement, Fox News Media said the network was “pleased” to reach a settlement and that it acknowledged “the Court’s rulings finding certain claims about Dominion to be false.”
Less than a week after the historic settlement Carlson was unceremoniously fired from the network. (RELATED: Tucker Carlson Quietly Preparing for ‘War’ Against Fox News)
While Carlson remains under contract with Fox, the host has said he plans to launch a new version of his wildly popular prime-time show on Twitter, but few details have been released. (RELATED: Tucker Carlson Announces New Platform For Show)
