Fox Corporation fired off a cease-and-desist letter to Media Matters for America for publishing leaked video of former host Tucker Carlson using salty language and ripping Fox Nation as he banters with staff off the air.
The left-wing media watchdog group began posting the behind-the-scenes video Monday under the banner “FoxLeaks,” leading to speculation that Fox executives had leaked the clips to justify the network’s surprising decision last week to part ways with Mr. Carlson, its top-rated evening host.
In the Friday letter to MMFA President Angelo Carusone, however, an attorney for the network said that the previously unaired footage was obtained by Media Matters “without FOX’s authorization.” The one-paragraph letter was released by Fox.
“We write on behalf of FOX Corporation to clarify any misunderstandings Media Matters may have had regarding previously unaired footage that Media Matters has published in a series of articles headlined ‘FOXLEAKS,’” said Christopher Chiou, an attorney with the law firm Wilson Sonsini, which represents Fox Corporation.
“That unaired footage is FOX’s confidential intellectual property; FOX did not consent to its distribution or publication; and FOX does not consent to its further distribution or publication. This proprietary material was given to you without FOX’s authorization,” said Mr. Chiou. “FOX demands that Media Matters cease and desist from distribution, publication, and misuse of Fox’s misappropriated proprietary footage, which you are now on notice was unlawfully obtained. We reserve all rights and remedies.”
In a statement posted on Twitter, Mr. Carusone rejected Fox’s call to heed the cease-and-desist letter.
“Reporting on the newsworthy leaked material is a cornerstone of journalism. For Fox to argue otherwise is absurd and further dispels any pretense that they’re a news operation,” Mr. Carusone said. “Perhaps if I tell them that the footage came from a combination of WikiLeaks and Hunter Biden’s laptop, it will alleviate their concerns.”
The network’s cease-and-desist demand comes with Fox struggling against a tide of criticism on the right for unexpectedly cutting ties with Mr. Carlson on April 24, an announcement made days after Fox settled a defamation lawsuit with Dominion Voting Systems for a whopping $787.5 million.
Mr. Carlson’s show was replaced with “Fox News Primetime” featuring rotating replacement hosts, but ratings during the time slot have dropped by as much as two-thirds.
Mr. Carlson’s show drew an average of 3.3 million viewers in 2022, second only in cable news television to Fox News Channel’s “The Five.” The audience in the primetime slot fell last week at one point to 1.3 million.
The FoxLeaks videos show Mr. Carlson criticizing Fox Nation, the network’s streaming service, saying, “Nobody watches Fox Nation because the site sucks.”
Other clips highlighted by Media Matters show Mr. Carlson making crass statements such as “I can never assess my appearance. I wait for my postmenopausal fans to weigh in on that” and laughing as he tells an off-camera staffer “F—- it, we’ll do it live!”
He jokes with Fox Nation host Piers Morgan about sex ahead of an interview, saying, “If we’re going to talk about sex, I’d love to hit some of the fine points of technique, but, you know, but it’s your show. It’s totally up to you.”
After undergoing a lengthy deposition in the Dominion case, he shouts, “Holy shit, 10 hours. That slimy little motherf—-r sitting across from me,” referring to the Dominion lawyer.
Mr. Carlson asks a woman doing his make-up ahead of the show if women actually powder their noses when they go to the bathroom, and then asks, “Do pillow fights ever break out?”
Media Matters called some of Mr. Carlson’s statements “creepy,” but not everyone was shocked by the comments.
“My new conspiracy theory is that Media Matters are secret Tucker Carlson fans which is why they keep releasing videos that make him look cool and down to Earth,” tweeted Daily Wire podcaster Matt Wash.
Am I wrong in thinking these #FoxLeaks are actually increasing the value of @TuckerCarlson ‘s stock? https://t.co/4A8XbLvK4x
— Μολὼν Λαβέ (@M0L0NL4BE) May 5, 2023
Mr. Walsh had previously tweeted that “Fox News teaming up with Media Matters to smear Tucker Carlson is one of the slimiest betrayals I’ve ever seen.”
In another clip, Mr. Carlson refers to a woman he has not seen as “yummy,” and then predicts — accurately, as it turns out — that Media Matters will use it against him.
“I thought his girlfriend was kind of yummy,” Mr. Carlson says, then declares, “Just kidding, just kidding, in case this is being pulled off the bird! Yeah, the bird! Hey, Media Matters for America, go f—yourself! That’s the first thing I want to say tonight.”
“The second thing is, totally kidding, I don’t even know what his girlfriend looks like,” Mr. Carlson says. “And if I did, I would not find her yummy.”
• Valerie Richardson can be reached at vrichardson@washingtontimes.com.
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