Fox sends cease-and-desist letter to Media Matters over leaked Tucker Carlson footage

Fox Corp., the parent company of Fox News, has sent a cease-and-desist letter to Media Matters for America over its publication of leaked videos showing Tucker Carlson, a former host at the network, making crude and offensive comments off the air.

“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,” attorneys for the network wrote in a letter dated Friday.

“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.”

The network’s lawyers said the videos were given to the liberal media watchdog group “without Fox’s authorization” and demanded it “cease and desist from distribution, publication, and misuse of Fox’s misappropriated proprietary footage, which you are now on notice was unlawfully obtained.”

In a statement to The Hill on Friday, Angelo Carusone, president of Media Matters said “reporting on 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.” 

“Perhaps if I tell them that the footage came from a combination of WikiLeaks and Hunter Biden’s laptop, it will alleviate their concerns,” Carusone added. 

Over the past several days, Media Matters has published a series of videos of Carlson, who was ousted from his show on Fox, making sexist and crude comments about women and complaining about the network on the set of his wildly popular show.

In one video, he referred to a woman as “yummy” and in another, he is seen asking a female makeup artist if women have “pillow fights” in the restroom.

The leaks come amid a number of other media reports suggesting Carlson’s private text messages, which came to light as part of the defamation lawsuit brought by Dominion Voting Systems the network recently settled for $787 million, played a factor in his ouster, including messages in which he disparaged female executives at the company.

Like Fox, Carlson has not publicly commented on the circumstances surrounding his departure from the network.

This story was updated at 11:37 a.m.