Last night Tucker Carlson released the first episode of his new program, “Tucker on Twitter”, and became an instant viral sensation with more than 75 million views.
This morning Carlson and his team sent a message to his email subscribers – many who likely viewed him strictly on cable – informing them how to use Twitter to watch his program, potentially sending an influx of new users to Elon Musk’s platform.
The email from Carlson’s team promises viewers, “Don’t have a Twitter account? No problem,” before offering a detailed tutorial of how to use Twitter to watch his program by visiting his website, TuckerCarlson.com, including separate instructions for users on mobile devices and desktop computers:
If you’re watching on your computer, click the white arrow in the bottom left to start the video, and the two diagonal arrows in the bottom right to expand the video to cover your device’s full screen. If your video is muted, click the volume button in the bottom right for sound.
Tucker Carlson just sent out an email teaching his former TV audience how to use Twitter
Fox News is truly doomed pic.twitter.com/pIsYEvVVhB
— Tom Pappert (@realTomPappert) June 7, 2023
Though Tucker has quickly become one of the most popular – and perhaps the most viral – newsmen on social media, his former audience at Fox News is potentially less likely to be familiar with the platform.
In 2015, the median age of a Fox News prime-time viewer was 68 and in 2019 Pew Research found that 69% of those who watch the network as their main source for political news are over the age of 50.
In stark contrast, data from 2022 revealed the overwhelming majority of Twitter users to be younger than the age of 45: 7.8% of users were aged 13-17; 25.2% of users 18-24; 26.6% of users 25-34; 28.4% of users 35-44, and only 12% of users were at least 45 years of age.
Carlson’s inaugural episode currently has over 75.1 million views on Twitter, and has amassed more than 620,000 likes and 170,000 retweets.
Ep. 1 pic.twitter.com/O7CdPjF830
— Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) June 6, 2023
In the episode, Carlson cast doubt on the official narratives regarding the destruction of a vital dam in Ukraine and unleashed his ire on Sen. Lindsey Graham and former ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, who is now running for president.
After showing a clip of Haley, Carlson fumed as he summarized her statement: “It’s vitally important for you to support Ukraine because it is necessary for Ukraine to be supported by you. Your support is mandatory until it is finished, whatever ‘it’ is and whatever that means. So shut up and support Ukraine or else you’re in trouble.”
Carlson was fired by Fox News earlier this year. Many believe he chose Musk’s Twitter as the home for his new program due to the African-American billionaire’s reported commitment to free speech and due to a clause in his contract with the network that specifically forbade him to work for another broadcast or cable news outlet but explicitly allowed him to use Twitter and other social media platforms.
