Fox News is reportedly trying to stop Tucker Carlson from talking on Twitter. 

According to an Axios report on Monday, Fox, which took Carlson off the air in April, has sent a “cease-and-desist” letter to its former host trying to stop his Twitter show just as it is taking off. 

Fox continues to pay Carlson’s on-air contract and maintains that they own exclusive rights to his content through Dec. 31, 2024.

Carlson is making a First Amendment argument for his Twitter posts and asserts that Fox has committed material breaches of his contract.

With "Tucker on Twitter," Carlson and his growing production team are working to elevate Elon Musk's social media site as a news platform. The second episode went live last week.

Carlson’s first two straight-to-camera monologues drew a combined total of 169 million views.

Update: Here's Tucker's 3rd episode.

Tucker Carlson gets a cease-and-desist letter from Fox

Axios did not reveal the letter's contents but noted it had “NOT FOR PUBLICATION” across the top in bold lettering.

Attorney Harmeet Dhillon, who represents Carlson with attorney Bryan Freedman, fired back in a statement.

“Fox News continues to ignore the interests of its viewers, not to mention its shareholder obligations,” the statement said.

“Doubling down on the most catastrophic programming decision in the history of the cable news industry, Fox is now demanding that Tucker Carlson be silent until after the 2024 election."

“Tucker will not be silenced by anyone … He is a singularly important voice on matters of public interest in our country and will remain so.”

Tucker Carlson drew the viewers to Fox

Tucker’s appeal expanded across the political spectrum. 

There is a massive backlash against Fox since it pulled the plug on Tucker Carlson. Total Fox viewership is down nearly 40 percent from last year and has tanked by 62 percent in the key demographic.

Newsmax, Fox’s very junior competitor, is now beating CNN in some primetime slots. And Fox’s ratings are in free fall.