Tucker Carlson Secures $15 Million in Funding From Omeed Malik to Launch Fox’s Rival Media Company
Tucker Carlson was let go by Fox in April after the network went ahead with a $787 million settlement in the Dominion Voting Systems' defamation case. Subsequently, the fired anchor has been plotting to establish his own media empire. As per The Wall Street Journal, the former Fox employee has raised $15 million for his new media company from a group of private investors headed by an 'anti-woke' supporter. Omeed Malik, the President of the investment firm 1789 Capital, has invested heavily in Carlson's new venture, providing funding to conservative-friendly businesses. "The whole vision is to create the next media company that is purpose-built for the 2020s and 2030s, in a way that Fox and Rupert Murdoch and Roger Ailes built a cable news business that was really purpose-built for its time and place," 1789 Capital cofounder Chris Buskirk shared.
As per The Daily Mail, together with Neil Patel, his business partner, the former Fox News host is all set to start a subscription-based video company, which will also provide free previews of their clips on X, formerly known as Twitter. The company owned by Carlson and Patel would soon add shows from various hosts and have its own website and app. Carlson's latest project since leaving Fox has been publishing his own stories and interviews on X.
The right-wing media personality also conducted a tell-all interview with former US President Donald Trump in August, which coincided with the first Republican presidential debate and has garnered 266.5 million views thus far. During the conversation, Trump referred to his detractors as 'savages' and asserted that his Democratic rivals would attempt to 'steal' the election once more.
To generate more capital for his business, Carlson signed a $1 million+ advertising contract with the conservative marketplace PublicSq, of which Malik is a board member. Having merged with Malik's blank check company Colombier Acquisition Group in a $200 million deal, PublicSq, an anti-woke 'patriotic' marketplace, went public this year.
It is also worth noting that Carlson and Malik both have prior experience in the media industry. Malik became a contributing editor and minority owner of the Daily Caller in 2020, a right-wing news website started by Carlson and Patel in 2010 and headquartered in Washington, DC. Mailk has also appeared as a guest on various Fox programs hosted by Carlson.
Carlson had announced he would 'soon' relaunch his show on Twitter in a video that was shared on the social media site in May. In June, he debuted the first episode of his new program, Tucker on Twitter. With the debut of his new Twitter show, Carlson has violated his contract, and Fox News has threatened to sue him multiple times. As per The Hill, Carlson said at the time, "We’re told there are no gatekeepers here [on Twitter]. If that turns out to be false, we’ll leave. But in the meantime, we’re grateful to be here."
