Tucker Carlson Courts GOP Megadonors Rebekah Mercer, Peter Thiel to Back Media Company (Report)

Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson could draw investments from the GOP megadonors behind the growth of Breitbart and the demise of Gawker, CNBC reported Tuesday.

Conservative funder Rebekah Mercer, who helped fund Breitbart News and backed the now shuttered right-leaning social media site Parler, is set to fund Carlson’s new venture, along with PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel, who backed the lawsuit that took down Gawker, the report said, citing people familiar with the matter.

Both Mercer and Thiel have a long history of backing conservative causes and GOP candidates, though neither has yet picked a candidate for the 2024 presidential race.

CNBC said Mercer has been talking with Carlson since his April outser from Fox News in the wake of the $787.5 million defamation settlement with Dominion Voting Systems.

Thiel has “hinted to allies that he could invest in the venture after hearing from Carlson’s side,” the report continued.

It is not yet clear if either of them have committed or moved ahead with writing a check, but both “have privately expressed interest in helping Carlson,” it said. Representatives for both did not respond to the outlet’s requests for comments Monday, and a spokesman for Carlson did not return a request for comment.

The report follows news that Carlson has been searching for backers for his a new media company following his launch of “Tucker on Twitter,” which launched in June and has generated tens of millions of views on the recently renamed social media platform. Carlson is reportedly working with “Daily Caller” founder and longtime business partner Neil Patal, a former White House adviser, to raise hundreds of millions to start the venture.

The company would create full-length versions of Carlson’s show, which has varied in length on X. It would rely on subscription model for revenue, according to multiple reports.

Carlson has a $1 million in place with Public Square, a conservative shopping app, to advertise on his Twitter program. Omeed Malik, the CEO of of PublicSq is also planning a large investment into Carlson’s new media venture through his investment firm 1789 Capital.

Mercer is listed on the corporate database PitchBook as an “executive officer” at 1789 Capital and has already reportedly invested into a 1789 Capital fund worth $150 million, CNBC reported.

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