OAN Might Pay Tucker Carlson $25M To Join San Diego-Based Outlet, CEO Says

By Ken Stone, Times of San Diego

April 24, 2023

San Diego-based One America News wants to hire a 53-year-old Maine resident with connections to La Jolla and conservative commentary — Tucker Carlson.

Hours after Fox News announced that it had parted ways with its top-rated primetime host, Carlson was receiving job pitches from OAN CEO and founder Robert Herring Sr. and even Russia Today.

“@RobHerring would like to extend an invitation to Carlson to meet for negotiation,” said an OAN tweet and news story on its website.

Herring told Times of San Diego via email: “It would be great if we could get Tucker! I might give him around $25 million. And he would be well worth that!”

Carlson’s net worth has been estimated at $30 million, with an annual salary of $8 million — as host of “Tucker Carlson Tonight.”

Carlson’s exit is being reported as fallout from a former Fox producer — who worked for Carlson — suing the right-wing network. Several media outlets are reporting that Fox Corp. owner Rupert Murdoch personally fired him or ordered the dismissal.

But CNN’s Oliver Darcy reported Rupert’s son Lachlan Murdoch and Fox News CEO Suzanne Scott made the decision to sever ties with Tucker Carlson on Friday evening.

“Carlson was informed of the decision on Monday morning,” Darcy tweeted.

In a tweet that’s since been deleted, Russia Today said: “Hey @TuckerCarlson, you can always question more with @RT_com”

Russia Today, now known as RT, is a TV network funded and controlled by the Russian government. Few observers expect Carlson to have an interest in what many call an overt propaganda outlet.

The New York Times reported: “Howard Polskin, who compiles a daily newsletter, TheRighting, that tracks conservative news outlets, said that Mr. Carlson could join niche networks like NewsNation or Newsmax. He could start his own media brand, like Dan Bongino, the conservative pundit who also parted ways with Fox last week, Mr. Polskin said.”

Local broadcast veteran Eddie McCoven, who worked at OAN for nearly three years ending in March 2020, says he doubts Carlson would end up at OAN “because with such a small reach now, what budget do they have for such a big name?”

“It remains to be seen if OANN will survive the lawsuit it is facing from Dominion,” he added. “Many colleagues tell me they can’t even keep basic newsroom positions staffed. OANN lacks the programming direction needed to support top-tier talk show talent.”

The Bay Ho media outlet, which lost its DirecTV platform, had something to boast about when it had Graham Ledger and Liz Wheeler, McCoven told Times of San Diego, “but those days are long gone.”

“If anything, I’d expect to see Carlson end up working for Newsmax or even NewsNation in some capacity, but I can’t see him being anything more than a contributor. I’m sure we’ll see him end up like other far-right personalities with his own self-produced podcast or online video show. He’ll maintain a following so long as the bills get paid, then fade into obscurity.”

Writing in Vanity Fair, former CNN “Reliable Sources” host Brian Stelter said revelations from Dominion Voting System’s lawsuit against Fox were embarrassing for many individuals, including Carlson, “whose private emotions about Donald Trump (a “destroyer,” a “demonic force”) and Fox’s own journalists were published for all the world to read.”

“Hundreds of pages of emails and text messages from within Fox were published in Dominion’s pretrial legal filings,” he added. “But there is a huge number of other pages that remain out of public view. The redactions were voluminous.”

Stelter noted the Abby Grossberg suit and concluded:

“Truth be told, Carlson’s exit may always be shrouded in some amount of mystery. Both Fox and Carlson may be incentivized, for financial reasons, to stay semi-peaceful in public. But at the time I’m filing this, six hours have passed since Fox made the announcement for him. Carlson still hasn’t released a statement or replied to my texts. One of the biggest, baddest loudmouths in television history is suddenly silent.”

Stelter, who has written a book on Fox News and is finishing a second, was doubtful Carlson would move to OAN, saying in a tweet: “Carlson is so much bigger than OAN, and he wouldn’t sink this low, but still notable.”

In April 2017, Herring told The Hill that his Trump-friendly far-right network had contacted former Fox News star Bill O’Reilly with an offer that “could have paid him more than he made at Fox.”

O’Reilly’s agent told Herring they were undecided.

“They were to take a meeting in late May,” Herring said that June. “We sent them a solid proposal first week in June they have not responded so we pulled our offer so that we can pursue other talent.”

Updated at 3:13 p.m. April 24, 2023

Times of San Diego is an independent online news site covering the San Diego metropolitan area. Our journalists report on politics, crime, business, sports, education, arts, the military and everyday life in San Diego. No subscription is required, and you can sign up for a free daily newsletter with a summary of the latest news.