Author Chadwick Moore told Newsmax on Monday that Tucker Carlson's show was pulled off the air by Fox News as part of its $787.5 million settlement of a defamation lawsuit with Dominion Voting Systems.
Moore, author of an upcoming biography of Carlson titled "Tucker," cited multiple sources "very close" to the situation during an appearance on "Eric Bolling The Balance." Moore said Dominion and Fox denied it, but the cable network did not offer another explanation for Carlson's show being pulled off the air.
"Multiple sources both said this to me," Moore said. "People who are very, very close to the situation and who would know, and who I have no reason to believe that they are lying. That's what I have to go on here, and I have more in the book."
Dominion has vehemently denied the demanding Carlson's firing.
"The reports of our involvement with his firing are 100% false," a Dominion spokesperson told Newsmax after the Variety report was published.
"As the Fox principals who negotiated the settlement well know, Dominion made no demands about Tucker Carlson's employment orally or in writing. Any claims otherwise are categorically false and a thinly veiled effort to further damage Dominion.
Fox, too, reiterated its position that it is "categorically false" that Carlson lost his job as part of a Dominion settlement.
Moore said Carlson, whose last appearance on the network was April 21, had written his monologue for his show on Monday, April 24, but received a call that day from Fox News CEO Suzanne Scott that his show was being pulled off the air.
"They didn't give him an explanation," Moore said. "At that time, they left him to wonder for weeks and to speculate, and that is how it all went down."
Moore said the monologue was going to cover the events of Jan. 6, 2021, and Ray Epps, accused of being an undercover FBI agent who allegedly encouraged protesters to storm the Capitol building that day, and U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and others in the government calling for his show to be pulled off the air.
"He was shocked, he was confused, but Tucker also is a very fun-loving, happy guy and he has a lot of self-esteem," Moore said. "He confided in me that he knows he didn't do anything wrong. He said, 'It's not like I was caught sleeping with the makeup lady or anything.'
"He is, in fact, still an employee of Fox News," he added. "He's still getting paid by Fox News. He has not been fired. It's difficult to keep that language straight, but his show has just simply been pulled off the air because he's still under contract. And he would like for that to end as quickly as possible."
Even though Carlson has a noncompete clause in his contract, which Moore said is set to expire shortly after the 2024 elections, Carlson announced earlier this month that he will launch a new show on Twitter.
"I've not seen the contract, but from what I understand ... it's possible they want to keep him," Moore said. "Whoever wanted him off the air wants to keep him silent until after the next election, and that is when his contract would be up with Fox. But right now, he's still employed."
Moore said Carlson holds no ill will toward the network, for whom he has worked since 2009. His show, "Tucker Carlson Tonight," had been on the air since 2016 and was one of the highest-rated shows in cable news.
"He's not bitter at Fox," Moore said. "He had nice things to say about the Murdochs. I asked him directly, 'You know if any of the issues that he took an opposing stance on, such as the war in Ukraine, might have been the reason for [him losing his show]?' He said maybe, but he was very flat-out and said the Murdochs support [Ukrainian President Volodymyr] Zelenskyy. They support the effort that's going on there.
"Tucker obviously does not, and [Rupert Murdoch's son] Lachlan had dinner with [Carlson] in February 2022 and even said, 'Look, we disagree on Ukraine, but you are free to say what you like on your show. And I'm happy to disagree.' So, Tucker was always very grateful for that. He was always grateful for the support of the network."
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