Last week, Fox News personality Tucker Carlson had to leave the channel. The cause was unclear at the time, but over time information has come to light that may indicate a feud between the channel and its former profile.
The latest in the line is that the New York Times published messages that Tucker Carlson sent to his then-producer, in which he comments on a video of three Trump supporters beating a left-wing activist.
"That's not how white men fight. I hoped they would hit him harder, kill him. I really wanted them to hurt the kid," Tucker Carlson wrote, according to the New York Times.
The TV personality then continues to reflect on his actions, writing, among other things, that he "does not like who he is becoming".
Negotiation strategy
According to the New York Times, Fox News executives panicked when they read the messages related to the Dominion trial, resulting in Tucker Carlson losing his job.
US expert Andreas Utterström believes that Fox News has now leaked the messages to the New York Times, and that this is a game in ongoing negotiations.
"Fox News is sitting on dynamite and it will be blown off unless Tucker Carlson stays calm at the negotiating table," Andreas Utterström told SVT.
"There is certainly a clause in his contract that says he can't work for competing channels, and I see these leaks as part of this game. Fox News wants to scare him: "You thought you were bigger than Fox News, you're not".
Possible political career
Neither Tucker Carlson nor Fox News have commented on the new data.
After Tucker Carlson was allowed to leave the channel, he hinted that he has a future elsewhere. There has been speculation about whether he will run as vice president to Donald Trump in the upcoming presidential election, but Andreas Utterström does not think this is relevant:
"They are two far too big egos. Tucker would rather be a big star in a small context, than number two in a big context.