Tucker Carlson has severed all ties with Zyn — the nicotine pouch brand that gained popularity among Americans over the past few years — and is launching his own alternative after clashing with parent company Philip Morris International (PMI) over political issues.

The break-up between Carlson and Zyn traces back to his appearance last year on comedian Theo Von’s podcast “This Past Weekend.” During the conversation, Carlson praised Zyn as a powerful “work enhancer” and even joked that it was a “male enhancer,” a clip that quickly went viral online.

Not long after that podcast appearance, Carlson says PMI sent him a strongly worded letter demanding that he stop making claims about Zyn and refrain from promoting the product.

Carlson described the situation to Politico, saying, “They were so closed-minded and humorless and douchey that they attacked me, and I just thought, ‘I can’t even deal with this.’”

Within days of that flare-up, Carlson announced his own solution to the problem: ALP, a new nicotine pouch brand.

“I’ve quit Zyn,” Carlson posted on X. In another promo video for the new nicotine competitor, Carlson says, “Zyn is for they/them. Alp is for you.”

ALP is a joint venture between the Tucker Carlson Network and Turning Point Brands. The demand for nicotine pouches from Carlson’s crew previously prompted a preorder delay from November to December 2024.

Carlson later told Business Wire at that time that consumers shouldn’t be forced to buy nicotine pouches from “soulless, pronoun-loving, politicized conglomerates.” He then began highlighting PMI’s diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) agenda and its past contributions to woke political causes.

PMI — which acquired Zyn’s parent company for $16 billion in 2022 — has reportedly committed to achieving 40% female employee representation in management and 35% in senior leadership by 2025, according to Business Wire.

In a past company press release, PMI’s Chief Diversity Officer, Mimi Kurniawan, stated that the goal is to put DEI “at the heart of our organization.”

Additionally, campaign finance records from OpenSecrets show PMI and its employees gave around $168,000 to Democrats in the 2024 election cycle — including $100,000 to the Democratic Lieutenant Governors Association — compared to only roughly $13,000 given to Republicans.

Conservative watchdog group Consumers’ Research issued a “Woke Alert” last fall, accusing PMI of prioritizing “woke politics.” Executive Director Will Hild said that PMI “betrayed its own customer base.”

PMI pushed back publicly to Carlson and Alp. In a statement to USA Today, a PMI spokesperson said, “It’s frustrating that Mr. Carlson wants to turn Zyn into a political football to promote his own business venture.”

For Carlson, the pouch battle is a culture war.

Zyn exploded, maybe partly due to his early promotion and praise, becoming a $1.3 billion product in 2023. Now, ALP is positioning itself as the nicotine choice for consumers who want to avoid brands tied to DEI and progressive politics. With demand outpacing supply after Alp’s initial launch, Carlson’s bet that conservatives are ready to “switch pouches” appears to be paying off.

In summer 2025, according to TobaccoInsider, ALP pouches helped boost sales 63% to $70 million overall for the Turning Point Brands nicotine division.