In a recent on-air segment, Fox News host Greg Gutfeld drew a notable parallel between the advertiser boycott targeting Elon Musk’s platform, X, and Fox News’ decision to terminate Tucker Carlson.
Gutfeld contended that both Musk and Carlson present formidable challenges to the established elite. He pointed out that major brands such as Disney, Apple, and Walmart have halted advertising on X in response to Musk’s comments, which were labeled as “antisemitic.”
Musk clarified that his remarks were directed at the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), an organization that has been pressuring advertisers on the platform for over a year; however, the boycott persists.
“Musk may be the last man standing between real freedom of speech and the suffocating block of the censorship Industrial complex which is made up of government media and tech forces,” Gutfeld asserted. He emphasized Musk’s recognition that advertisers could be easily influenced by special interest groups in collaboration with political allies, citing the example of Tucker Carlson.
This statement from Gutfeld reportedly surprised the panel, as there is purportedly a Fox News policy prohibiting its employees from discussing Carlson on air. This prohibition extended to Carlson’s recent interview with a former president, which was notably absent from the network-hosted opening Republican debate. Despite this, the Trump-Carlson interview on X garnered over 70 million views, significantly outperforming the debate.
Tucker Carlson, once the top-rated host on cable news until his sudden departure, is currently entangled in legal matters with Fox News regarding a contract dispute. Although the contract prohibited him from joining various cable news competitors, it did not explicitly address platforms like Twitter/X.
Following his exit from Fox News, Carlson commenced broadcasting on X and has since maintained this practice. However, Fox News has taken legal action by sending him a cease-and-desist letter.