Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson has struck a deal with the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.
The new partnership aims to bring more original video content to the platform, similar to YouTube or TikTok. Linda Yaccarino, the CEO of X and a Republican who was previously with NBC News, has been a driving force behind the deal.
“On June 26, Yaccarino, Musk’s handpicked CEO, eagerly welcomed Justin Wells, longtime executive producer for Carlson’s show on Fox News, to talk about a potential partnership,” reported The Washington Post.
Yaccarino had Carlson in her sights from her first day in X’s New York offices, where she aimed to make the platform more appealing to users by recruiting top television talent.
Sarah Ellison, a reporter, summed it up: “Linda Yaccarino’s first day in X’s NYC offices, she sat down with Tucker Carlson’s longtime producer. They just signed a deal that is likely to result in lots more Tucker content here.”
However, all is not smooth sailing for X. Since being acquired by Elon Musk about a year ago, the platform has seen a significant drop in activity.
According to Mediaite, “the number of active tweeters has dropped by over 30%.” This decline has been partly blamed on the platform becoming more partisan, which has been intensified by the introduction of paid services like Twitter Blue.
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Conservative activist Christopher Rufo told The Washington Post that the platform is now more balanced politically.
He said, “Previously, it tilted the playing field to the left, and now I think it’s a pretty even split. On a relative basis, this is a huge advantage for the right.”
In addition to the business deal, Carlson has been vocal about the 2024 presidential race.
He recently expressed doubt that President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump will face off again. Carlson stated, “Take the opponent out of the race, and they’re still losing,” referring to both candidates’ challenges, including legal issues for Trump and low polling numbers for Biden.
“I mean, I don’t know what’s going to happen. This is not going to be a race between Joe Biden and Donald Trump. I would bet my beloved fishing camp in Maine that that is not going to happen. That’s not going to happen,” Carlson said.
“So what will happen?” Carlson continued. “Well, I don’t know. One of, like, 400 distinct other possibilities… pick one.”
Carlson did express concern over California Governor Gavin Newsom jumping in to the race at some point.
“If it’s Gavin Newsom,” he stated, “we should be very, very concerned. That guy’s scary, and I mean it. I mean it. Scary. But that’s a whole separate conversation.”
“These issues will be forced,” he said. “Soon. Like, in a year. And the road from here to November 2024 is going to be filled with developments nobody in this room could foresee; I can promise you that.”
“So, it’s about to get very serious, for sure. Only the leadership of the world is at stake, which is also, by the way, we now know, the most lucrative possible franchise in human history,” Carlson said.
The partnership between Carlson and X comes at a crucial time for the company as it tries to redefine itself and attract more users, while navigating the tricky waters of political bias and censorship.
It is also unknown how soon Carlson’s new media company, Last Country, will be online but it is definitely moving forward having secured significant investment funds and advertising.
