BREAKING: Tucker Carlson spoke to Elon Musk about working together, ready to ‘torch Fox News’: report

According to a report from Axios, Carlson is planning to build his own media empire. Before he could do that, Fox needs to let him out of his current contract which is set to end in January 2025. Fox is currently paying the former host $20 million a year to not work.

"The idea that anyone is going to silence Tucker and prevent him from speaking to his audience is beyond preposterous," said Bryan Freedman, the lawyer representing Carlson in the dispute.

One of Carlson's friends said that his allies are "coming to him saying 'do you want me to hit Fox?'" Carlson reportedly responded that he wants "to get this done quietly and clean."

The friend added, "Now, we're going from peacetime to Defcon 1, his team is preparing for war. He wants his freedom."

Another source close to Carlson said, concerning Fox, Carlson "knows where a lot of bodies are buried, and is ready to start drawing a map."

Fox News has seen its ratings drop since the ousting of Carlson. Megyn Kelly tweeted on Friday, my audience is calling them #foxweiser," referring to the beer brand Budweiser, whose parent company Anheusur-Bush saw their sales tank after they partnered with controversial TikTok influencer Dylan Mulvayney.

Glenn Beck, another former Fox News host, told Charlie Kirk on Friday, "I think this is the real death now for Fox."

Beck said of the low ratings, "I don't know how you recover from that."

In a statement on April 24, Fox News said of Carlson, "We thank him for his service to the network as a host and prior to that as a contributor."

It is reported that Carlson has been in contact with other news outlets, including Newsmax and Rumble, while others have said that he might be looking to build his own platform.