Conservative pundit Tucker Carlson, who was unceremoniously dumped two years ago by Fox News, has developed a new audience through podcasts and internet broadcasts since his firing, sharing unfounded stories and theories with his audience.
Fox dropped Carlson in 2023, less than a week after the company agreed to settle a defamation lawsuit with Dominion Voting Systems for more than $787 million. Carlson had contributed to suspicions about the 2020 presidential election results, for which Dominion provided voting machines. Carlson later claimed his firing was part of the Dominion settlement.
Nonetheless, claims appeared this week that suggested Fox had made a U-turn of sorts with their former host, buying the company behind Carlson's podcast.
The Claim
A Monday post on X, formerly Twitter, by user Insurrection Barbie was viewed 259,000 times: "Fox News just purchased Red Seat Ventures, the digital media company behind the podcasts of Tucker Carlson and Megyn Kelly."
A post by user Dr Jane Ruby on the same day said: "FILE UNDER "IT'S ALL ONE CLUB."
"Fox News just purchased Red Seat Ventures, the digital media company behind the podcasts of Tucker Carlson and Megyn Kelly.
"Now you know the merry-go-round of theater they use to dupe the public into believing there are different sides and alternatives when it's all one big corrupted scam."
The Facts
Responses to the news and social media posts indicated that some believed the deal would bring Carlson back under the auspices of Fox, in spite of their falling out.
User @Rinainterirors wrote: "Holy Smokes.... so they can control them and their content? Tucker and Megan can not be happy about this."
Social media commentator Wayne DuPree, quoting a news release announcing Fox's purchase, wrote: "Fox Corp just bought Red Seat Ventures, the digital media company behind popular podcasts and online shows from Tucker Carlson, Megyn Kelly, Piers Morgan, Eric Bolling, and Bill O'Reilly.
"Looks like the old team is getting back together again, eh?"
While Fox has purchased Red Seat Ventures, which provides supportive services to Carlson's podcast, the company will continue operating independently within the Fox Corporation's Tubi Media Group. The talent that works with Red Seat will not be employed by Fox.
Red Seat Ventures offers production support and helps monetize podcasts including those of Carlson and fellow former Fox News hosts Kelly and O'Reilly.
Kelly, in response to a Reuters article saying the deal would bring "O'Reilly, Kelly and Carlson back in the Murdoch fold" said "NO, it doesn't. We are 100% INDEPENDENT. Fox bought the co that sells our ads, period." The Reuters article acknowledged the editorial independence Kelly, Carlson and Red Seat Ventures' other podcast hosts would retain.
Carlson has used his podcast to continue broadcasting misleading and false stories unchecked. In January, he made the unfounded claim that Russian President Vladimir Putin was the subject of an assassination plot planned by the Biden administration.
In response, Russian parliamentary speaker Vyacheslav Volodin said merely discussing a plot to assassinate Putin, which Carlson presented without evidence, was a path to nuclear war and that Carlson's comments should be investigated further.
The Ruling
False.
Fox Corporation has purchased Red Seat Ventures, the company providing production, monetization and other services for Carlson's podcast. But the company will remain a stand-alone entity within Fox Corporation's Tubi Media Group. Carlson and other Fox News hosts whose podcasts are supported by Red Seat Ventures are not employed by Fox as a result of the deal.
FACT CHECK BY Newsweek's Fact Check team
fairness meter
About the writer
Tom Norton is Newsweek's Fact Check reporter, based in London. His focus is reporting on misinformation and misleading information in ... Read more