Bryan Freedman, the lawyer hired by Tucker Carlson and Don Lemon, is a Hollywood heavyweight who could secure them mega-million payouts

Freedman studied at Berkeley, California, then attended the McGeorge School of Law. He passed the California bar exams in 1991.

Speaking about his move into entertainment law in an interview with McGeorge School of Law, Freedman said: "I wanted to be a litigator because I'd always argued with people my whole life, and I thought it was the best way that I could protect people."

He set up his law firm, Freedman and Taitelman, LLP in 1997 with college friend Michael Taitelman.

Freedman lists a dazzling array of famous clients on his website, including Vin Diesel, Gabrielle Union, Kate Beckinsale, Julia Roberts, Robert Downey Jr., Quentin Tarantino and musical artists including Mariah Carey, Alanis Morissette, and Linkin Park.

The Hollywood Reporter described him as "an expert in crisis litigation, the type that's heavy in late night phone calls and corporate drama."

He's been on the California 'Super Lawyers' list, a peer-based rating for the top 5% of attorneys in Southern California, every year since 2007, and has featured in the Hollywood Reporter's 'Top 100 Power Lawyers' list every year since 2008.

In 2018, Freedman secured former Fox News host Megyn Kelly a $30 million payout after NBC News terminated her contract.

She was fired after defending blackface costumes on an edition of "Today."

Freedman successfully argued that the network should pay the host her full contract.

Freedman helped secure Harrison a $9 million payout after he was fired as host of ABC's "The Batchelor" having defended a contestant who had attended a Confederate-themed event, Variety said.

He also negotiated an undisclosed settlement for actor Gabrielle Union after she accused NBC of racial discrimination after being fired as a judge of "America's Got Talent."

In 2019, a HBO network aired "Leaving Neverland," a documentary that accused Jackson of having abused children.

Freedman argued as part of the $100 million lawsuit that HBO broke a 1992 non-disparagement agreement when it filmed one of Jackson's concerts, with the case going to arbitration in 2020.

Freedman is described on his website as the "lawyer of choice in the gaming and influencer world". He's represented Jake and Paul Logan in various lawsuits.

According to the lawsuit, Freedman and two members of a college fraternity assaulted a 17-year-old woman after a party.

At the time, Freedman and others accused of the attack said the plaintiff had consented to everything that happened that night. Freedman and the others named in the lawsuit paid $40,000 each in settlement to the accuser.

Freedman did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Insider.

He represented Kevin Spacey after the actor faced a series of sexual misconduct allegations in 2017, Insider reported, and he also represented Diplo when the DJ faced sexual assault allegations in 2021 that were ultimately dismissed.

Freedman has also represented FKA Twigs in her sexual assault lawsuit against Shia LaBeouf, reports said.

The Wall Street Journal reported that Fox News intends to pay Carlson for the rest of his $20 million per year contract, though its unclear when it expires.

It's unknown if CNN intends to pay Lemon for the rest of his contract, which according to The New York Times runs until 2026.