Tucker Carlson Lands First Major Ad Deal, Investor Interest for Post-Fox Media Venture
Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson is not slowing down after unexpectedly being let go by the network in late April. In fact, the former network star is generating quite a bit of interest in a new media venture he is reportedly working on.
According to Axios, “Carlson has struck an ad deal worth more than $1 million with PublicSq, an online marketplace for companies with conservative values, two sources familiar with the agreement told” the outlet.
Omeed Malik, the chief executive and chairman of the board of the blank check company looking to take PublicSq public this month, is also planning to invest in Carlson’s company, sources told Axios,” the outlet reported.
Malik intends to invest a significant amount, ranging from seven to eight figures, in Carlson’s media empire through his private investment firm, 1789 Capital, the outlet noted further, citing sources.
1789 Capital focuses investments in companies that support the “Replication/Parallel Economy,” “Deglobalization” and “Anti-ESG (i.e. sectors that have been negatively impacted by such principles).”
The ad deal is the first major one for Carlson’s new venture, which, as The Wall Street Journal reported, will hopefully be one of many more to come.
“Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson and former White House adviser Neil Patel are seeking to raise funds to start a new media company that would potentially use Twitter as its backbone, according to people familiar with the matter,” the WSJ reported.
“The new company would be anchored by longer versions of the free videos that Carlson has been posting regularly on Twitter since shortly after his departure from Fox News, but would ultimately be driven by subscriptions, some of the people said,” the outlet noted further, adding: “Carlson and Patel are looking to raise hundreds of millions of dollars to fund the company, the people said.”
Those utilizing Twitter and other platforms would retain the ability to view condensed versions of his show, interviews, and documentaries at no cost. However, to access the complete content, a subscription would be required. The sources also mentioned that the company has plans to incorporate shows from other hosts in the future.
Carlson and Patel, who were roommates at Trinity College in Hartford, Conn., and graduated together in 1991, joined forces in 2010 to establish the conservative news website, the Daily Caller. Patel continues to maintain control over the publication.
Earlier this month, Carlson broke his silence on his departure from the network, where he believes it has made mistakes and the one thing he says he will never do again.
In an interview on X, formerly known as Twitter, Carlson said he still does not know why he was axed from the network.
He also said he was not a fan of the network’s decision to not feature Republican presidential contender and former President Donald Trump on the network even as he is likely to be the Party’s nominee.
The network was “not really covering the news anymore,” he said in the interview with Barstool Sports owner Dave Portnoy.
“The Murdochs never got in my way. They were always good to me,” he said.
“It’s a company run by fearful women, you know what I mean?” he added.
The Barstool Sports owner said that he believed Carlson wanted to stick it to Fox News with his interview with the former president during the Republican primary debate.
To me, the Trump interview seemed like something—it looked like you guys were sticking it to Fox,” the CEO said.
Carlson then revealed what he would never do again.
“And then, obviously, I said too much, and I’m not exactly sure what I said that was bad. No one ever told me. But one day, they were like, ‘Nope! Can’t have this anymore.’ And they fired me,” he said, which is the first time he acknowledged what happened between him and the network. “And I even told them as they were firing me, like, ‘It’s your business.’ I made a mental note. Never work for anyone else again, and I never will.”
