Russian State TV Host Told He Can't Afford Tucker Carlson

Kremlin propagandist Vladimir Solovyov has been told on his nightly show that the price tag was too high to lure former Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson to Russian television.

The Russia 1 anchor discussed with his panelists what Carlson's net move should be, following his departure from Fox News for reasons the network has not specified.

Russian state television has frequently praised Carlson and quoted his comments on air as backing Kremlin rhetoric about its invasion of Ukraine. After Carlson's departure, Solovyov said that the anchor would be welcome on Russian television.

In a clip tweeted by Russia watcher and journalist Julia Davis, Solovyov called the exit of "the brightest journalist in the U.S." an attack on free speech, which had seemingly clashed with "corporate ethics."

"Tucker, I repeat once more, Solovyov Live officially invited you to work on our channel," Solovyov said, before reverting to English, to say "Tucker come on board," adding "we'll find the money and will be able to pay you."

However, Solovyov's guests begged to differ though, with the chairman of the State Duma Committee on CIS Affairs, Leonid Kalashnikov, asking, "are you sure you'll find the money? He's not a communist, he's not going to work for his beliefs."

Former Israeli diplomat Yaakov Kedmi told Solovyov "you don't have that kind of money." and that in fact, "no one in Russia" gets the salary Carlson commanded.

The anchor replied, "I will find it," adding, perhaps with his tongue in his cheek, that Carlson "will be happy to work for the idea, he is a communist."

Carlson was earning between $15 million and $20 million a year hosting the nightly one-hour talk show Tucker Carlson Tonight according to Forbes, citing a source familiar with contract negotiations at Fox and other networks.

After discussing Carlson's departure, political scientist Andrey Sidorov said that Carlson's large cable audience would make him a formidable political candidate.

"You suggested that he should announce his candidacy for the presidency of the United States, why not give it a try," Sidorov said. "His 3.5 million nightly viewers would translate into 3.5 million voters which means he has support."

When Solovyov first made a job offer on his Telegram social media channel, he also suggested that Carlson could run for president. Solovyov said on his show that the conservative host could at least appear on Donald Trump's ticket, saying "it will be excellent if he takes Tucker for his vice president."

Meanwhile, in his first public comments since he left Fox News, Carlson did not directly refer to the circumstances of his exit. He said in a video that issues "that will define our future" are not allowed to be debated "in American media" and signed off with, "see you soon."