Tucker Carlson and Don Lemon text back and forth after the Fox News and CNN stars are fired

CNN’s Don Lemon and Fox News’ Tucker Carlson may have more in common than meets the eye and are rumored to be texting each other after they were both fired from their high-profile network gigs.

While the two hosts have been longtime adversaries, with Carlson, 53, regularly mocking and belittling 57-year-old Lemon on his show, and Lemon accusing Carlson of spreading hateful lies to Fox’s audience, the pair are now in similar positions.

Former CNN media correspondent Brian Stelter tells Vanity Fair that despite not being friends, the two men are in touch.

“They’ve been texting back and forth for the past few days, according to two sources with knowledge of the relationship,” he revealed.

Both men have even enlisted the same entertainment lawyer, Bryan Freedman, to try and get lucrative exits out of their networks.

Meanwhile, Lemon was seen on the red carpet at New York’s Time100 Gala

Los Angeles-based Freedman, co-founder of Freedman & Taitelman LLP, has represented media personalities in multi-million dollar battles, including Chris Cuomo and Megyn Kelly.

Cuomo hired Freedman after being fired by CNN over revelations that he was providing consulting services to help his brother, then New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, fight sexual harassment allegations.

Freedman is sometimes described by American media as a ‘pit bull’. He helped Megyn Kelly get $30 million from NBC after they fired her in 2019 – he reached an agreement to pay her full contract despite early termination.

He is a highly aggressive legal attorney with a star-studded client list of A-list celebrities ranging from actors Robert Downey Jr, Vin Diesel and Kate Beckinsale to musicians Mariah Carey and Alanis Morissette who all turned to him in the past.

It’s not yet clear what legal approach Freedman might take for Lemon and Carlson.

On Wednesday, Carlson lashed out at “liars trying to silence honest people,” though he didn’t specifically comment on his departure or talk about his future plans.

Lemon, for his part, has said he was “stunned” at his sudden departure, which he said left him without the opportunity to speak to bosses — a charge CNN has denied.

Freedman was reportedly hired by both Don Lemon and Tucker Carlson, both of whom were fired Monday

Don Lemon, right, is pictured with his fiancee, Tim Malone, near his Hudson Yards apartment

While Lemon and Carlson never met and live very different lives, a sense of kinship can now emerge between following their shared experience of being fired from their respective networks within 45 minutes of each other on Monday.

Both were notified of their dismissal by telephone and both stories came out almost immediately.

Although Fox reportedly wanted to issue a joint statement with Carlson, he rejected the idea, while Lemon similarly rejected CNN’s attempt to coordinate the release of his resignation statement.

“Obviously there are bigger issues at play,” Lemon said in his statement, as Carlson recorded a video message to his fans on Twitter saying “Goodbye,” without mentioning his departure from Fox.

“The two men have never met, and probably didn’t have much to discuss until recently. They lead very different lives: Carlson, with his wife, Susan, of nearly 32, spends time in rural Maine and on Florida’s Gulf Coast, avoiding the Manhattan and Hamptons social scene that Lemon and his fiancé, Tim Malone, inhabit. The first image of Carlson after his firing showed him driving through Boca Grande in a golf cart while Lemon walked the red carpet at the Time100 Gala.”

Despite Carlson’s contract being reportedly worth $20 million a year, he may be willing to accept less in exchange for the freedom to appear on other networks sooner than Fox might insist.

Tucker Carlson is seen with his wife, Susan, of nearly 32 years. The pair spend time in rural Maine and on Florida’s Gulf Coast

Lemon and his fiancee Tim Malone love the Manhattan and Hamptons social scene

Lemon could also receive a similar amount as his nearly $7 million a year contract ran until 2026. He has been told he will be paid for the remainder of his contract.

Negotiations for Carlson and Lemon’s complete withdrawal from their networks could take weeks or even months, with the two sides negotiating non-disparaging clauses and other details.

However, both hosts will likely receive compensation for the remainder of their contracts, with both men receiving so much money they will never have to work again.

Stelter registers Vanity Fair which believes that both men did not “go nuclear” because they were assured that they would receive the millions of dollars they are entitled to.

“I think that’s because CNN immediately assured Lemon that he would be paid for the rest of his contract, and Fox sent the same signal to Carlson,” he writes.

As for their future plans, Stelter believes Carlson has ambitions far beyond Fox and may want to consider politics himself, while Hollywood could ogle Lemon.

But Carlson was building a far-right media empire within Fox; his ambitions extend far beyond a debate show.

Lemon’s talk show on CNN+ earlier this year is said to have created buzz, but could be an avenue he’d like to explore in the future – perhaps the pair could consider collaborating in a ‘Crossfire’ style? Stranger things have happened when it comes to cable news.