Tucker Carlson

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[[File:Tucker carlson cropped.jpg|right|thumb|165px|Picture of Tucker Carlson realizing that nothing he ever did in his life was worth-while.]]
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{{cquote|[[Sinclair's Law|It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends on his not understanding it.]]|||Upton Sinclair<ref>[https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/acref/9780191826719.001.0001/q-oro-ed4-00010168 Upton Sinclair 1878–1968 American novelist and social reformer]</ref>}}
{{cquote|Listening to that Fucker Carlson, I'd like to add that traffic lights have always seemed to me to be an infringement of my personal liberty, and that people's slavish obedience to them shows the alarming effect on individual freedoms brought by such socialist nanny-state measures.|||[[John Cleese]]'s tweet from April 28th, 2021<ref>John Cleese on Twitter at 17:07 PM on April 28<sup>th</sup>, 2021. [https://archive.is/DnsWH Archived.]</ref>}}

{{cquote|Tucker Carlson is a kind of [[Father Coughlin]] of the current moment where he's constantly broadcasting coded anti-Semitism.|||[[Jason Stanley]]<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3eOnFdQgqQ The Far-Right: Examining its Roots and Challenging its Reach] by Jason Stanley (Nov 14, 2022) ''YouTube''.</ref>}}

'''Tucker Swanson McNear Carlson''' {{lived|1969}} is an [[United States|American]] [[white nationalist]]/[[white supremacist]]<ref name=peltz>[https://www.mediamatters.org/research/2019/03/11/unearthed-audio-shows-tucker-carlson-using-white-nationalist-rhetoric-and-making-racist-remarks/223105 Unearthed audio shows Tucker Carlson using white nationalist rhetoric and making racist remarks: During interviews on Bubba The Love Sponge, Carlson said he “love(s)” the idea of young girls sexually experimenting, used sexist terms to refer to a number of women, and defended statutory rape] by Madeline Peltz (March 11, 2019 8:01 PM EDT) ''Media Matters for America''.</ref><ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2019/03/12/new-tucker-carlson-audio-released-this-time-using-racist-homophobic-language/ Fox News host Tucker Carlson uses racist, homophobic language in second set of recordings] by Michael Brice-Saddler & Eli Rosenberg (March 11 at 9:41 PM) ''The Washington Post''.</ref> and [[Fascism|fascist]]<ref name=ecarma>[https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2021/03/tucker-carlson-justifies-fascist-takeover Tucker Carlson Justifies the Idea of a Full-Blown Fascist Takeover: The Fox News host and a guest somehow conclude that failing to lock up Hunter Biden may contribute to Americans choosing to live under fascism in 10 to 20 years.] by Caleb Ecarma (March 26, 2021) ''Vanity Fair''.</ref><ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/apr/28/tucker-carlson-politics-fascism Tucker Carlson is not an anti-war populist rebel. He is a fascist.] by Jason Stanley (April 28 2023) ''The Guardian''.</ref> political commentator, propaganda-spewing news correspondent, [[Donald Trump]] supporter,{{efn|Carlson only supports Trump in public: {{sl|Tucker Carlson, bullshitter for profit}}.}} Russia supporter, TV dinner heir,<ref name="tuckermystery">[https://www.cjr.org/the_profile/tucker-carlson.php "The mystery of Tucker Carlson"] by Lyz Lenz, Columbia Journalism Review, 2018 September 5</ref> and professional jackasshole. He started his career as a semi-respectable [[journalist]] (though his open [[racism]] and [[homophobia]] was documented in college<ref name=trinity/>), and has been sinking lower ever since.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.salon.com/2012/04/26/tucker_carlsons_downward_spiral/|title=Tucker Carlson’s downward spiral|last=Pareene|first=Alex|date=April 26, 2012|publisher=Salon}}</ref> He co-hosted the [[CNN]] political show ''Crossfire'' (until it was cancelled), and the [[MSNBC]] show ''Tucker'' (until it was cancelled). He {{sl|Tucker Carlson, ex-Fox News host|was}} also a major host at [[Fox News]] from 2016–2023,{{efn|Shortly after Fox News gave a $787 million settlement to Dominion Voting Systems in April 2023, Carlson and his producer were fired. Another lawsuit alleging sexism by Carlson may have also been involved.<ref>Matt Stieb and Chas Danner (April 24, 2023). [https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2023/04/tucker-carlson-has-left-fox-news.html "Why Did Fox News Fire Tucker Carlson?"]. The Daily Intelligencer. ''New York''.</ref>}} taking sexual harasser [[Bill O'Reilly|Bill O'Reilly's]] prime-time spot, with his show ''Tucker Carlson Tonight'',<ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2017/tv/news/fox-news-tucker-carlson-bill-oreilly-1202313557/|title=Fox News Will Replace Bill O’Reilly With Tucker Carlson.|last=Steinberg|first=Brian|date=April 19, 2017|publisher=Variety}}</ref> also known as the ''White Power Hour''.<ref>[https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2021/04/tucker-carlson-promotes-racist-replacement-theory Tucker Carlson Leans Into White-Power Hour, Promotes Racist Replacement Theory] by Caleb Ecarma (April 9, 2021) ''Vanity Fair''.</ref> He is also the co-founder and former editor-in-chief of the propaganda outlet ''[[The Daily Caller]]''. Previously known for holding [[libertarian]] views on economic issues, he flipped to a faux-protectionist [[economic]] analysis in which he consistently blames immigrants for every problem in the US.<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2018/12/15/tucker-carlson-said-immigration-makes-america-dirtier-so-an-advertiser-took-action/ Tucker Carlson said immigration makes America 'dirtier.' So an advertiser took action.] by Erik Wemple (Dec. 15, 2018 at 10:24 a.m. PST) ''The Washington Post''.</ref>

Carlson is arguably fully fascist because he embraces several of the aspects of Robert Paxton's definition: [[Good old days|obsession with community decline, humiliation, or victimhood]], white nationalism, working the masses with less-than-uneasy collaboration with [[elite]]s (specifically [[Rupert Murdoch]], although Tucker himself is also an elite), and support for the anti-[[democratic]] violence of the [[2021 U.S. Capitol riot]].<ref name=ecarma/><ref>Paxton, Robert O. ''The Anatomy of Fascism.'' (2005) Knopf. ISBN 1400040949.</ref>{{rp|218}} According to Erik Wemple of ''The Washington Post'', Carlson's ''modus operandi'' is to [[Gish_Gallop|blindside "his guests and keeping them from issuing fully formed answers",]] as well as falsely claiming that his guests are ill-prepared to refute his arguments.<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/erik-wemple/wp/2017/02/15/the-stupendously-dishonest-tucker-carlson/?utm_term=.9a2b07c82d67 The stupendously dishonest Tucker Carlson] by Erik Wemple (February 15, 2017) ''The Washington Post''.</ref> When his guests object to his [[loaded question]]s, he'll keep badgering them for not answering his question and [[Pigeon chess|then subsequently declare victory]].

The "[[elite]]s" are a frequent target of Carlson,<ref>[https://www.vox.com/videos/2019/4/3/18294392/tucker-carlson-pretends-hate-elites-populism-false-consciousness Why Tucker Carlson pretends to hate elites: Why an “out-of-the-closet elitist” rails against the “ruling class.”] by Carlos Maza (Apr 3, 2019, 6:10pm EDT) ''Vox''.</ref> which is [[ironic]], since he himself is an elite, as are his colleagues and his former dark master Rupert Murdoch. This just shows how he is playing a character with regard to anti-elitism, although with regard to his racism and other bigotry, one should believe that it's the real deal. Carlson's father, {{wpl|Dick Carlson}}, was wealthy and politically-connected. Carlson attended exclusive private schools. His father remarried the heir to the Swanson Enterprises fortune, which eventually made Carlson an heir to the fortune as well. Carlson's net wealth as of 2022 was estimated at $420 million,<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20220604013505/https://caknowledge.com/tucker-carlson-net-worth-salary-cars-house/ Tucker Carlson Net Worth $420 Million (Forbes 2022) Salary Inheritance Fox News] by Federick Brown (April 28, 2022) ''CAknowledge.com'' (archived from June 4, 2022).</ref> which puts him at the poorer end of the [[ruling class]] — remember that next time he tells you that the elites are oppressing you. Foreshadowing Tucker's career, Dick lost a defamation case against then-San Francisco Mayor Joseph Alioto because he had falsely and maliciously accused the mayor of having [[mafia]] ties, implicitly smearing Alioto's Sicilian ancestry.<ref>[https://www.sfchronicle.com/vault/article/tucker-carlson-s-father-ties-s-f-libel-scandal-17915850.php Before Tucker Carlson was ousted from Fox, his father triggered an S.F. libel scandal] by Peter Hartlaub (April 24, 2023) ''The San Francisco Chronicle''.</ref>

==''Crossfire'' debacle with Jon Stewart==
On October 15, 2004 [[Jon Stewart]] appeared on ''Crossfire'' and although he criticized the show as a whole, Carlson took it as a personal attack. Stewart attacked the show for sensationalizing political debate and failing to provide hard-hitting interviews with those they agree with, comparing it to professional wrestling. Carlson decided to engage in the ''[[tu quoque]]'' method of debate by pointing out that Stewart did not ask [[John Kerry]] tough questions. Stewart responded with: "You're on CNN! The show that leads into me is puppets making crank phone calls!{{efn| This was a reference to the television show ''Crank Yankers''.}} What is wrong with you?"<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFQFB5YpDZE John Stewart's appearance on Crossfire]</ref>

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Stewart doubled down on his criticism on an episode of ''The Daily Show'' the following Monday. Specifically, he mocked them for claiming to be a show about serious political debate even though their show is "named after the stray bullets that hit innocent bystanders in a gang fight" along with pointing out the irony of him getting criticized for expressing an opinion on an opinion based news show.<ref>[https://www.cc.com/video-clips/mr122o "YOUR SHOW BLOWS"], The Daily Show, Comedy Central</ref>

The show was cancelled a few months later with the president of CNN stating that he felt Stewart was right in his criticisms.<ref>Howard Kurtz (January 6, 2005). [https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A52274-2005Jan6.html "Carlson & 'Crossfire,' Exit Stage Left & Right"]. ''The Washington Post'', p. C01.</ref> However, whether or not this is the real reason is still debatable. Rather pathetically, Carlson is still under the delusion he won the debate,<ref>(March 26, 2010). [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhiBfmfP_tw "Tucker Carlson in 2010 on his fight with Jon Stewart: 'He humiliated himself'"]. ''[[Reason (magazine)|Reason]]TV'', via ''YouTube''.</ref> and has made claims such as that a ''Daily Show'' producer called him to say he was sorry and that Jon Stewart lectured the show's staff for over an hour.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/how-jon-stewart-went-bad|title=How Jon Stewart Went Bad|last=Carlson|first=Tucker|date=March 18, 2009|publisher=The Daily Beast}}</ref> These claims have never been backed up and, given his history of dishonesty (see Keith Olbermann incident below), this leaves him open to skepticism.

==Sexism==
He appears to consider [[Kinder, Küche, Kirche|1950s gender roles]] applicable in modern society, believing that the idea of a woman paying for her man's meals is "disgusting."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rawstory.com/2014/05/fox-news-host-tucker-carlson-women-who-pay-for-mens-dinners-are-disgusting/|title=Fox News host Tucker Carlson: Women who pay for men's dinners are 'disgusting'|last=Edwards|first=David|date=May 6, 2014|publisher=Raw Story}}</ref> His attitudes are also sexist towards men as well since he does not consider [[statutory rape]] a crime if the victim is male and the perpetrator is female, further adding that it is [[blame the victim|"whiny"]] for the boys to report it.<ref>[http://mediamatters.org/video/2014/06/05/to-foxs-tucker-carlson-reporting-statutory-rape/199616 no really]</ref> He has attacked [[rape]] shield laws that protect the identity of victims, and he has defended [[pedophile]] [[Warren Jeffs]].<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2019/03/11/tucker-carlson-calls-women-extremely-primitive-newly-surfaced-audio/ Tucker Carlson unapologetic over ‘misogynistic’ comments on statutory rape, insults against women] by Allyson Chiu (March 11, 2019 at 4:42 AM) ''The Washington Post''.</ref><ref>[https://www.thewrap.com/tucker-carlson-wont-offer-contrition-naughty-past-comments-about-statutory-rape/ Tucker Carlson Refuses to Apologize for ‘Naughty’ Past Comments About Statutory Rape, ‘C–ty’ Women] by Rosemary Rossi (March 10, 2019 @ 7:46 PM) ''Media Matters for America''.</ref><ref>[https://www.thewrap.com/media-matters-teases-release-of-vile-tucker-carlson-tapes-focused-on-race-and-ethnicity/ Media Matters Teases Release of ‘Vile’ Tucker Carlson Tapes Focused on ‘Race and Ethnicity’] by Jon Levine (March 11, 2019 @ 7:35 AM Last Updated: March 11, 2019 @ 7:36 AM) ''Media Matters for America''.</ref><ref>[https://www.mediamatters.org/research/2019/03/10/unearthed-audio-tucker-carlson-makes-numerous-misogynistic-and-perverted-comments/223092 In unearthed audio, Tucker Carlson makes numerous misogynistic and perverted comments: During interviews on Bubba The Love Sponge, Carlson said he "love[s<nowiki>]</nowiki>" the idea of young girls sexually experimenting, used sexist terms to refer to a number of women, and defended statutory rape] by Madeline Peltz (March 10, 2019 7:00 PM EDT) ''Media Matters for America''.</ref>

''[[Media Matters]]'' compiled disgusting comments over the years that Carlson made about women, among other topics:
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===Toxic masculinity===
A related recurring theme in Carlson's broadcasts is hyper-obsession with masculinity — or, at least, Carlson's definition of masculinity, a cartoonish projection of macho "strength", tough-guy swagger, [[misogyny]], and an obsession that modern society (especially [[feminism]]) has devitalized American men and made them "weaker".<ref name="carlsonmasccrisis">[https://theconversation.com/tucker-carlson-pulls-from-an-old-playbook-as-he-stokes-anxiety-about-a-masculinity-crisis-182185 "Tucker Carlson pulls from an old playbook as he stokes anxiety about a masculinity crisis"] by Conor Heffernan, The Conversation, 2022 May 12</ref> Similar hyper-masculine themes were common in [[World War II]] fascist regimes,<ref name="carlsonmasccrisis"/> and are also common themes in the modern strongmen (or strongman-wannabe) authoritarian leaders Carlson admires, such as those of [[Vladimir Putin]], [[Donald Trump]], and [[Viktor Orbán]].<ref>[https://www.mironline.ca/its-a-mans-world-the-worrying-trend-of-hyper-masculinity-in-world-leaders/ "It’s A Man’s World: The Worrying Trend of Hyper-Masculinity in World Leaders"] by Rebecka Eriksdotter Pieder, McGill International Review, 2018 November 13</ref> Like others with this obsession, this may in part be a mask to cover for Carlson's [[Misogyny|fearful hatred of independent women]].<ref>[https://www.newsweek.com/tucker-carlson-feminism-men-vs-women-wages-marriage-fox-news-sexism-crime-1278770 "Fox News' Tucker Carlson: Women Refuse To Marry Men Making Less Money, Feminism Has Negative Side Effects"] by Benjamin Fearnow, Newsweek, 2019 January 3</ref><ref>[https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/tucker-carlson-president-highland-park-comments-disqualify-rcna37317 "Tucker Carlson's greatest fear"] by Ana Marie Cox, NBC News, 2022 July 10</ref> This hatred was confirmed in an interview with {{wpl|Ben Smith (journalist)|Ben Smith}} in July 2022 where he admitted that the archetype of the type of person he really hates is a "38-year-old female white lawyer with a barren personal life".<ref>[https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/tucker-carlson-racism-semafor-interview-b2118226.html "Tucker Carlson admits he hates white liberal women more than anything: ‘I’m not mad at Black people’"] by John Bowden, Independent, 2022 July 7</ref>

Due to this, Carlson will be happy to promote people that share similar hyper-masculine [[misogynistic]] [[asshole]] qualities, regardless of their repulsiveness. For example, Carlson hosted the notoriously toxic [[manosphere]] grifter<ref>[https://www.cnet.com/culture/why-andrew-tate-has-been-banned-from-social-media/ "Why Andrew Tate Has Been Banned From Social Media"] by Daniel Van Boom, CNet, 2022 September 4</ref> [[Andrew Tate]] on his August 25 2022 show, shortly after he was banned from most social media. On Carlson's show, Tate wailed that he was being banned for what he called called flaunting "very traditional masculine values".<ref>[https://variety.com/2022/digital/news/andrew-tate-banned-traditional-masculine-values-tucker-carlson-1235352223/ "Andrew Tate Complains That ‘Traditional Masculine Values’ Got Him Banned From Internet Platforms"] by Todd Spangler, Variety, 2022 August 26</ref> According to social media companies, the actual reason for the bans were due to "misogyny", "hate speech",<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/24/technology/andrew-tate-banned-tiktok-instagram.html/ "Why Social Media Sites Are Removing Andrew Tate’s Accounts"] by Amanda Holpuch, New York Times, 2022 August 24</ref> and "content that attacks, threatens, incites violence against, or otherwise dehumanizes an individual or a group".<ref>[https://www.thecut.com/2022/08/andrew-tate-is-banned-from-tiktok-facebook-and-instagram.html "Andrew Tate Has Finally Been Banned From TikTok"] by Olivia Luppino, The Cut, 2022 August 22</ref> Tate was arrested (along with three others) in Romania in late December 2022, with the allegations against Tate being the "very traditional masculine values" of human trafficking and [[rape]]. Subsequently, remarks from this interview resurfaced and were freshly scrutinized. In the interview, Carlson (using his usual [[just asking questions]] mode) defended Tate and downplayed any notion of wrongdoing concerning an April 2022 police raid on Tate, which occurred due to reports that a woman had been held captive in Tate's house.<ref>[https://www.salon.com/2023/01/01/tucker-carlson-under-scrutiny-for-defending-andrew-tate-in-the-past_partner/?ref=upstract.com "Tucker Carlson under scrutiny for defending Andrew Tate in the past"] by Meaghan Ellis, Salon, 2023 January 1</ref><ref>[https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/tucker-carlson-andrew-tate-arrest-b2253597.html "Clip of Tucker Carlson defending Andrew Tate resurfaces after rape and human trafficking arrest"] by Io Dodds, Independent, 2022 December 31</ref> 

In early July 2023, Carlson (who by that time was fired from [[Fox News]] and was reduced to broadcasting his show on [[Twitter]]) once again hosted Tate for an interview (who by then was officially indicted for human trafficking and rape). Bizarrely in the interview, Tate "forgot" about his long history of running a [[pornography|pornographic]] webcam businesses and went on to lament how porn is destroying "masculine virtue", before launching into an anti-immigration discussion as typically one would find on Carlson's show.<ref>[https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/tucker-carlson-andrew-tate-interview-1234786792/ "Andrew Tate Compares Himself to Titanic Victims In Nauseating Tucker Carlson Interview"] by Nikki McCann Ramierz and EJ Dickson, Rolling Stone, 2023 July 11</ref><ref>[https://www.newsweek.com/andrew-tate-tucker-carlson-twitter-interview-1812396 "Andrew Tate, Tucker Carlson Interview: Five Key Takeaways"] by Gerrard Kaonga, Newsweek, 2023 July 12</ref> While [[Elon Musk]] gave props to the interview (calling it "interesting"), many other conservatives (among them [[Joe Walsh]], [[Erick Erickson]], Benjamin Domenech (of {{wpl|The Federalist (website)|The Federalist|),}} and the [[Washington Examiner]]) were appalled by Carlson choosing to do an interview with an indicted rapist and confirmed pornographer, especially since Carlson was portraying Tate as a "hero".<ref>[https://www.mediaite.com/tv/conservatives-condemn-tucker-carlsons-2-5-hour-interview-with-alleged-sex-trafficking-woman-abusing-fraud-andrew-tate/ "Conservatives Condemn Tucker Carlson’s 2.5 Hour Interview With Alleged ‘Sex Trafficking Woman Abusing Fraud’ Andrew Tate"] by Charlie Nash, Mediaite, 2023 July 12</ref><ref>[https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/what-tucker-carlson-doesnt-know-about-andrew-tate "What Tucker Carlson doesn’t know about Andrew Tate"] by Conn Carroll, Washington Examiner, 2023 July 12</ref>

Also due to this, Carlson will go out of his way to make disparaging and baseless attacks on any organization as "[[woke]]" for the mere "offense" of having women in it. For example, in March 2021, Carlson went out of his way to complain about the United States military being "feminine" and a "mockery" simply for designing combat uniforms and body armor for women. These remarks were widely condemned by [[The Pentagon]], veterans, and people in service, with many senior military leaders (among others) responding with praise for the women in military service, calling them "beacons of freedom" in contrast to Carlson's "divisive" rhetoric (which, of course, was based on "zero days of service in the armed forces").<ref>[https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/tucker-carlson-slammed-military-leaders-mocking-pregnant-service-members-n1260726 "Tucker Carlson slammed by military leaders for mocking pregnant service members"] by Doha Madani, NBC News, 2021 March 11</ref><ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/11/us/tucker-carlson-women-military-pentagon.html "The Pentagon condemns Tucker Carlson’s sexist remarks about women in the military."] by John Ismay, New York Times, 2021 June 21</ref><ref>[https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/11/media/tucker-carlson-mocks-military-women/index.html "Pentagon and senior members of military call out Tucker Carlson for mocking women serving in armed forces: His words 'don't reflect our values'"] by Oliver Darcy and Barbara Starr, CNN, 2021 March 12</ref> Later, in December 2021, Carlson, having learned nothing, hosted a right-wing talk show airhead named Jesse Kelly, who insisted that "we don’t need a military that’s woman-friendly" and that "we can’t even get women off of naval vessels… that should be step one, but most of them are already pregnant anyway.”<ref>[https://www.thedailybeast.com/sexist-fox-news-guest-whines-about-woman-gays-serving-in-military "Sexist Fox News Guest Whines About Women, Gays Serving in Military"] by Zachary Petrizzo, Daily Beast, 2021 December 18</ref>

Carlson's peculiar brand of "masculinity" led to widespread mockery on social media when in April 2022, Carlson unveiled a trailer for an upcoming special for Fox's streaming service ''Fox Nation'' called ''The End of Men'', with the premise concerning "the total collapse of testosterone levels in American men".<ref name="testicletan">[https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/tucker-carlson-film-mocked-homoerotic-end-of-men-b2060181.html "Tucker Carlson’s new documentary on testosterone levels mocked for ‘homoeroticism’ and ‘testicle tanning’ segment" by Johanna Chisholm, Independent, 2022 April 18]</ref> The trailer featured images of hunky shirtless men wrestling, tossing tires, and chopping wood. Such images were naturally widely considered unintentionally homoerotic by many commentators, including a definitive affirmation of such from [[George Takei]].<ref>[https://www.lamag.com/citythinkblog/can-tucker-carlsons-end-of-men-doc-teaser-be-real/ "Can Tucker Carlson’s Bizarrely Beefy ‘End of Men’ Teaser Be Real?"] by Ian Spiegelman, LA Mag, 2022 April 18</ref> The trailer also featured an unusual "[[snake oil|treatment]]" for the supposed (unproven) "problem" of low testosterone: [[Light woo|red light therapy]], where for some reason you become an instant High-Testosterone Manly-Man by shining some red lights on your [[balls]].<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/22/health/tucker-carlson-testosterone.html "Tucker Carlson Has a Cure for Declining Virility"] by Gina Kolata, New York Times, 2022 April 22</ref> This bizarre "[[testicles|testicle]] tanning" [[Broscience#Exploring_the_limits_of_logical_fallacies|broscience]] was widely mocked on social media as proof that Carlson had, indeed, gone completely nuts.<ref name="testicletan"/><ref>[https://www.huffpost.com/entry/tucker-carlson-testicle-tanning_n_625cd22ee4b0be72bff7a25f "Tucker Carlson Goes Nuts For 'Testicle Tanning' And The Internet Has Questions"] by Jazmin Tolliver, Huffington Post, 2022 April 18</ref>

==Assorted dickishness==
[[File:Tucker Carlson yearbook 1991.jpg|thumb|right|250px|1991: Voted most likely to become jackasshole supreme]]

{{cquote|Why do they hate nicotine? Because [[Tobacco smoking|nicotine]] frees your mind and [[Cannabis|THC]] makes you compliant and passive, that's why. They hate it! It's a real threat to them.|||Tucker "Newport" Carlson, January 20, 2023<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7t_GYRp-_4 Tucker Carlson Tonight] ''YouTube''</ref>}}

* During the weekend that [[Keith Olbermann]] was suspended from MSNBC, he actually pretended to be Olbermann in a back-and-forth e-mail exchange with ''Philadelphia Daily News'' columnist Stu Bykofsky. In the exchange, Carlson slandered Olbermann's boss.<ref>[https://www.huffpost.com/entry/keith-olbermann-hoax-did_n_781241 Mirkinson, Jack. "Tucker Carlson Sent Emails Posing As Keith Olbermann", Huffington Post]</ref> It turns out that Carlson's right-wing website ''[[The Daily Caller]]'' purchased the domain KeithOlbermann.com over the summer and Carlson's e-mail address there is "Keith@KeithOlbermann.com."<ref>[https://phawker.com/2010/11/09/hot-document-stu-bykofsky-vs-keith-olbermann/ "HOT DOCUMENT: Keith Olbermann vs. Stu Bykofsky]</ref>
* His insanity includes attacking his then-current network, Fox News, as [[Gun control|anti-gun]] (no really!) for reporting the importance of gun safety around children.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/tucker-carlson-gun-safety-fox-news-friends-bathtub_n_5666262|title=Tucker Carlson Criticizes Fox News' Gun Safety Report While On Fox News|last=Taibi|first=Catherine|date=August 10, 2014|publisher=[[Huffington Post]]}}</ref>
* Like a lot of conservatives he is against [[affirmative action]], [[abortion]], and, &hellip; seat-belt laws.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20121104110031/http:/www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A39712-2004Aug27.html "Republican Convention: Tucker Carlson (washingtonpost.com)"]</ref>
* When interviewing a [[Washington]] state elector about his intention to urge electors to vote their conscience, Carlson engaged in an extremely disingenuous argument. Hold on to your hats and pay attention here: Carlson claimed that electors wanting to support [[Hillary Clinton|the candidate with the most popular votes]] rather than [[Donald Trump|the one with the most electoral votes]] is ''against'' democracy. He was essentially arguing against his own (stupid) position while making it ''seem'' like his guest was guilty of the same thing he is. Absolutely crazy spinning.<ref>https://youtu.be/PrAwgFj7ubc?t=6683</ref>
* He is known for his uncomprehending expression when he cannot understand basic science and is a denier of the overwhelming evidence of global warming. Whenever he realizes that his opponent on the Republican-biased Fox News debate is making a valid point, he chortles in a failed attempt to try to undermine the scientific evidence but deepens his reputation to further stupidity.<ref> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I02LGkyhjFc</ref>
* He referred to [[transgender]] people transitioning as "the act of a crazy person", and compared it to "setting your hair on fire or blinding yourself."<ref>[http://www.nbcnews.com/id/11541130/ns/msnbc-the_ed_show/t/situation-tucker-carlson-february/#.XKFlTphKhPY 'The Situation with Tucker Carlson' for February 23] ''NBC News''. 2/24/2006.</ref>
* He said of [[California]]'s pro-LGBT curriculum "It sounds weird but California public schools could soon be required to teach kids about the sex lives of historical figures. [[Homosexual agenda|It‘s all part of an effort to force kids to approve of homosexuality]]."<ref>[http://www.nbcnews.com/id/12285620/ns/msnbc-the_ed_show/t/situation-tucker-carlson-april/#.XKFnYZhKhPY 'The Situation with Tucker Carlson' for April 11] ''NBC News''. 4/12/2006.</ref>
*In 2019, he attempted to re-ignite a [[culture war]] that was already (mostly) won by idiots like himself in the 1980s, keeping ''English'' units in the US instead of the [[metric system]].<ref>[https://www.newsweek.com/fox-tucker-carlson-attacks-metric-system-1442485 Video: Fox Host Tucker Carlson Attacks 'Inelegant, Creepy' Metric System that the U.S. Alone Has Resisted] by Shane Croucher (6/6/19 at 5:12 AM EDT) ''Newsweek''.</ref>
*Another example of Tucker not being a journalist on any level: he claims that some "damning, authentic" documents that are somehow the only documents to exist in one copy on [[Joe Biden]]'s son [[Robert Hunter Biden|Hunter]] has "disappeared in the mail". Sure, Tucker, we [[Bullshit|believe]] you.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2020/oct/29/fox-news-tucker-carlson-mocked-for-lost-in-the-mail-biden-documents-claim|title=Fox News's Tucker Carlson mocked for 'lost in mail' Biden documents claim|last=Belam|first=Martin|date=October 29, 2020|publisher=[[The Guardian]]}}</ref>
*He casually engaged in [[JAQ]]ing off regarding the [[COVID-19]] vaccine, speculating that "maybe it doesn't work".<ref>[https://www.mediaite.com/tv/tucker-carlson-casually-suggests-to-viewers-maybe-covid-19-vaccine-doesnt-work-and-theyre-simply-not-telling-you-that/ "Tucker Carlson Casually Suggests to Viewers Maybe Covid-19 Vaccine ‘Doesn’t Work and They’re Simply Not Telling You That’"] by Josh Feldman, Mediaite, 2021 April 13</ref> {{wpl|Anthony Fauci}} responded by calling Carlson's blabbering "typical crazy [[conspiracy theory]]".<ref>[https://www.mediaite.com/tv/fauci-hits-tucker-carlsons-conspiracy-theory/ "Dr. Fauci Dismisses Tucker Carlson’s Suggestion that Vaccines Don’t Work: ‘Just a Typical Crazy Conspiracy Theory’"] by Colby Hall, Mediaite, 2021 April 14</ref> Carlson responded to Fauci with even more [[JAQ]]ing off regarding COVID-19 restrictions, showing a complete misunderstanding of the public health guidelines for fully vaccinated people at the time.<ref>[https://www.mediaite.com/tv/tucker-carlson-responds-to-fauci-slamming-him-for-crazy-conspiracy-theory/?utm_source=fark&utm_medium=website&utm_content=link&ICID=ref_fark "Tucker Carlson Responds to Fauci Slamming Him for ‘Crazy Conspiracy Theory’"] by Josh Feldman, Mediaite, 2021 April 14</ref> Carlson kept at it by [[cherry picking]] data and demonstrating that he did not understand the concepts of [[causality]] or [[control group]]s: if millions of people get the vaccine, of course some of them will die within a month but Carlson didn't think about comparing that group to people who weren't vaccinated.<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/05/06/tucker-carlsons-worst-vaccine-segment-yet/ Tucker Carlson’s worst vaccine segment yet] by Aaron Blake (May 6, 2021 at 6:55 a.m. PDT) ''The Washington Post''.</ref> He also compared businesses requiring people be vaccinated to "medical Jim Crow".<ref>[https://www.mediaite.com/tv/tucker-carlson-says-businesses-requiring-people-be-vaccinated-is-medical-jim-crow/ Tucker Carlson: Businesses Requiring People Be Vaccinated Is 'Medical Jim Crow']</ref>
*Carlson has repeatedly invited antivaxxer/anti-[[Face masks|masker]] Alex Berenson onto his show.<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/01/26/tucker-carlson-airs-his-most-dishonest-dangerous-pandemic-segment-yet/ Tucker Carlson airs his most dishonest and dangerous pandemic segment yet] by Philip Bump (January 26, 2022) ''The Washington Post''.</ref> In 2021, Carlson urged people to call the police on parents who have children wearing facemasks.<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/media/tucker-carlson-masks-child-abuse/2021/04/27/aa7c0844-a752-11eb-bca5-048b2759a489_story.html Tucker Carlson’s latest idiocy on masks is dangerous and hypocritical even by his usual standards] by Margaret Sullivan (April 27, 2021 at 11:47 a.m. EDT) ''The Washington Post''.</ref>
*In late April 2021, Carlson went off on a [[Hyperbole|hyperbolic]] rant regarding [[face masks]]. He first compared mask mandates as being the equivalent to living in [[North Korea]] for some reason. He then showed that, regardless of how angry he was at the mask mandates, he really doesn't mind [[authoritarianism]] all that much if it's Tucker Carlson style authoritarianism, by suggesting that parents who have their children wear face masks during the [[COVID-19 pandemic]] were actually committing child abuse, and encouraging all his viewers to call child protective services on these parents if they see this.<ref>[https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2021/04/tucker-carlson-masks-child-protective-services "Tucker Carlson, Who Shouldn’t Be Allowed Within 2,000 Feet of Playgrounds, Tells Viewers to Call Child Protective Services on People Whose Kids Wear Masks"] by Bess Levin, Vanity Fair, 2021 April 27</ref><ref>[https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/04/tucker-carlson-unmasked/618730/ "Tucker Carlson, Unmasked: The self-styled champion of individual liberty wants you to call government agents to punish Americans for their parenting."] by David A. Graham, Atlantic, 2021 April 27</ref> Tucker's opinions on whether masks actually work, meanwhile, change based on what the Democrats are saying about the subject.<ref>[https://youtu.be/usu3-3VW_z0 Tucker Carlson Keeps Flipping His Opinion On Masks]</ref>
*In January 2022, Carlson got mad at (of all things) changes made to some animated characters used in advertising {{wpl|M&M's}} candy. In particular, Carlson was mad that the high stilettos and go-go boots worn by some of the characters were being replaced with "less sexy" shoes, which meant that he was "totally turned off" from the animated talking candies now.<ref>[https://theweek.com/tucker-carlson/1009278/tucker-carlson-complains-new-mms-mascots-are-less-sexy "Tucker Carlson complains new M&M's mascots are 'less sexy'"] by Grayson Quay, TheWeek, 2022 January 22</ref> One year later, Carlson ''again'' got mad at M&Ms after the manufacturer ({{wpl|Mars, Incorporated|Mars Inc.}}) debuted a new promotional wrapper featuring three female M&M cartoons, along with a campaign to support professional pursuits by women. This led to Carlson bizarrely complaining that a new purple M&M character (representing a peanut M&M) was "obese" and somehow thinking that the green M&M was a [[lesbian]].<ref>[https://www.forbes.com/sites/danidiplacido/2023/01/13/tucker-carlson-is-once-again-mad-about-woke-mms/?sh=49ae63085607 "Tucker Carlson Is, Once Again, Mad About ‘Woke M&Ms’"] by Dani Di Placido, Forbes, 2023 Jan 13</ref>{{efn|One article plausibly wondered if part of the appeal of "socially [[progressive]]" promotions to corporations was the free publicity, courtesy of the deranged snarls of those in the right-wing outrage machine, like Carlson.<ref>[https://www.salon.com/2023/01/13/tucker-carlson-is-once-again-enraged-by-woke-mandms-lack-of-appeal/ "Tucker Carlson is once again enraged by "woke M&M's" lack of sex appeal"] by Ashlie D. Stevens, Salon, 2023 January 13</ref>}}
*And to top it all off, Fox News, in late 2020, defended itself in a defamation lawsuit (brought by a former Trump mistress whom Carlson said was committing "a classic case of extortion") by arguing that Carlson cannot be trusted to provide accurate information on his show.<ref>[https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2020/09/judge-rules-fox-news-tucker-carlson-not-source-of-news-defamation-suit-mcdougal-trump.html Judge Rules Fox News' Tucker Carlson is Not a Credible Source of News] (5 Sept 2020, 6:28 AM) ''Slate''</ref>

===Federal crimes===
* Tucker Carlson has admitted to violating endangered species law by taking a feather from a bald eagle home with him after being explicitly told it was an illegal thing to do; he described his actions as "thrilling".<ref>[https://www.sunjournal.com/2020/11/10/tucker-carlson-exposed-his-life-in-bryant-pond-in-a-2018-newspaper-column/ Tucker Carlson exposed his life in Bryant Pond in a 2018 newspaper column] by Steve Collins (November 11, 2020) ''Sun Journal''.</ref> This infraction alone means he potentially faces 1 year in prison and a $100k fine.<ref>[https://www.fws.gov/law/migratory-bird-treaty-act-1918 Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918] ''U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service''.</ref><ref>[https://www.kwch.com/content/news/Taking-an-eagles-feather-could-get-you-a-100000-fine-and-a-year-in-jail-490671881.html Taking an eagle's feather could get you a $100,000 fine and a year in jail] (Aug. 12, 2018 at 9:14 AM PDT) ''KWCH''.</ref>

===Racism and xenophobia===
{{main|1=Racism|3=Xenophobia}}
[[File:Tucker Carlson. Old school racism. Middle school haircut..jpg|165px|thumb|right|Meme made to mock Tucker Carlson.<ref>[https://twitter.com/TheGoodLiars/status/1526316309989957632?lang=en "Tucker Carlson. Old school racism. Middle school haircut."] by @TheGoodLiars, 5/16/2022</ref>]]

{{cquote|Tucker Carlson is basically ‘[[Daily Stormer]]: The Show.’|||Daily Stormer post, August 24, 2018<ref name="tuckermystery"/>}}

Carlson has a long and storied history of spouting out white nationalist rhetoric.<ref>https://beta.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2018/12/18/advertisers-flee-tucker-carlson-brands-himself-mr-dirtier/?outputType=amp</ref>

*His racism and extreme homophobia dates at least as far back to his 1991 college yearbook, where his biography listed "History, Christian Fellowship 1 2 3 4, [[Jesse Helms]] Foundation, {{wpl|Dan White}} Society".<ref name=trinity>[https://digitalrepository.trincoll.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1120&context=ivy Ivy] (1991) ''Trinity College''.</ref>{{rp|184}} Dan White was the assassin of San Francisco City Councilmember and [[gay rights]] activist Harvey Milk.<ref>[https://datebook.sfchronicle.com/movies-tv/harvey-milk-democratic-clubs-response-to-tucker-carlson-f-you S.F.’s Harvey Milk Democratic Club has two words for Tucker Carlson] by Tony Bravo (April 25, 2021Updated: April 26, 2021, 12:43 am) ''The San Francisco Chronicle''.</ref>
* He claimed that California is becoming a third world country (it's not) because of Latin American migrants.<ref>http://www.businessinsider.com/tucker-carlson-california-third-world-country-latin-american-immigrants-2018-3</ref> He believes [[Mexico]] has interfered in American elections more successfully than [[Russia]] by "packing our electorate".<ref>Bump, Philip. [https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/politics/wp/2018/07/17/tucker-carlson-identifies-the-actual-threat-to-american-democracy-hispanic-voters/?utm_term=.391a3adc605b Tucker Carlson identifies the actual threat to American democracy: Hispanic voters]. [[Washington Post]]. July 17, 2018. [https://twitter.com/ndrew_lawrence/status/1018979195974832128 (video clip)] {{quotebox|I don’t think Russia is our close friend or anything like that. I think of course they’re trying to interfere in our affairs. They have for a long time. Many countries do, some more successfully than Russia, like Mexico which is routinely interfering in our elections by packing our electorate.}}</ref>
* On his MSNBC show, he called [[Canada|Canadians]] "stalkers" and "like your retarded cousin". After the controversy, he went on the [[CBC]] program ''The Hour'' and gave an equally offensive non-apology.<ref>some would consider this ironic https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02_nC9B0vvU</ref>
* He promoted the [[alt-right]] social media platform [[Gab]] on his show.<ref>https://thinkprogress.org/tucker-carlson-promotes-white-nationalist-social-media-site-f5d1bb156d1d/</ref>
* He claimed [[Ilhan Omar]] was "living proof that the way we practice immigration has become dangerous to this country", citing "values are simply antithetical to ours."<ref>[https://www.mediamatters.org/tucker-carlson/tucker-carlson-ilhan-omar-living-proof-way-we-practice-immigration-has-become "Tucker Carlson: “Ilhan Omar is living proof that the way we practice immigration has become dangerous to this country”] by Media Matters Staff, Media Matters, 2019 July 9</ref>
* He called [[Iraq]]is "semiliterate primitive monkeys" and said that [[Afghanistan]] is never going to be a civilized country because the people aren't civilized."<ref name=peltz/>
* He promoted the racist, [[islamophobic]], and [[Antisemitism|anti-semitic]] [[alt-right]] "[[Great Replacement]]" theory on Fox News, both implicitly<ref>[https://www.mediamatters.org/tucker-carlson/tucker-carlson-face-fox-news-just-gave-his-full-endorsement-white-nationalist Tucker Carlson, the face of Fox News, just gave his full endorsement to the white nationalist conspiracy theory that has motivated mass shootings] by Nikki McCann Ramirez (04/09/21 10:35 AM EDT) ''Media Matters for America''.</ref> and explicitly.<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/07/20/why-tucker-carlsons-recent-embrace-great-replacement-is-different/ Why Tucker Carlson’s recent embrace of ‘great replacement’ is different] by Philip Bump (July 20, 2022 at 3:31 p.m. EDT) ''The Washington Post''.</ref> The [[Anti-Defamation League]] responded to this by, in a public letter to Fox News, calling for Carlson to be fired, citing multiple racist and bigoted incidents in the past.<ref>[https://www.adl.org/news/media-watch/adl-letter-to-fox-news-condemns-tucker-carlsons-impassioned-defense-of-great "ADL Letter to Fox News Condemns Tucker Carlson's Impassioned Defense of "Great Replacement Theory"], Jonathan A. Greenblatt, CEO of the ADL, letter to Fox News</ref> Carlson responded to this criticism by doubling down on the racism and xenophobia, wailing that the [[Democratic]] party was "trying to replace the current electorate" with "more obedient voters from the Third World."<ref>[https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/tucker-carlson-s-great-replacement-fox-news-segment-uses-newer-ncna1263880 "Fox News star Tucker Carlson's 'great replacement' segment used a new frame for an old fear"] by Casey Michel, NBC News, 2021 April 12</ref>
*Carlson lied that [[George Floyd]] [[Alt-right_glossary#Saint_Floyd_of_Fentanyl/Fentanyl_Floyd|died of drug overdose]].<ref>[https://www.newsweek.com/fox-news-tucker-carlson-george-floyd-death-1568615 Tucker Carlson Says George Floyd Died of Drug Overdose in Video Watched 3 Million Times]</ref>
*Prior to being dumped by Fox, Carlson had primarily veiled his antisemitism by attacking Jewish financiers George Soros and Paul Singer. Since that time he has become more overtly antisemitic on Twitter.<ref>[https://www.thedailybeast.com/adl-warns-twitter-against-working-with-obvious-antisemite-tucker-carlson ADL Warns Twitter Against Working With ‘Obvious Antisemite’ Tucker Carlson] by Justin Baragona (Jun. 08, 2023) ''Daily Beast''.</ref>
*Tucker once complained a demographic shift in local communities was occurring "without debate," leading Cody Johnston of Some More News to ask if he lived in "the racist town from ''[[Blazing Saddles]]''."<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ngr4bNZsPeQ The Media’s Obsession With Donald Trump’s Sex Life & More - SOME MORE NEWS]</ref>

Due to Carlson's [[racism]] and other toxic dickish behavior, by April 2021, Carlson was too toxic for all but the sketchiest of advertisers (such as [[bullshit]] artists like [[Mike Lindell|Mike Lindell's]] MyPillow, and bogus [[nutritional supplement]] promoters), despite being (depressingly) the most-watched host in cable news at the time.<ref>[https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2021-04-30/tucker-carlson-major-advertisers "Column: The Tucker Carlson mystery — how does his show survive without major advertisers?"] by Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 2021 April 30</ref>

====Tucker Carlson, racist Kremlin propagandist====
Like much of the [[far right]] and similar to [[Donald Trump|his idol, Donald Trump]], Carlson's [[white nationalism]] has fostered a bromance with [[Vladimir Putin]], who also shares similar white nationalist views.<ref>[https://www.msnbc.com/the-reidout/reidout-blog/tucker-carlson-russia-far-right-rcna12932 "It’s not just Tucker Carlson. The right’s soft spot for Putin is also well documented."] by Ja'han Jones, MSNBC, 2022 January 21</ref> This has led Carlson, on occasion, to be somewhat out of step with other conservatives who were still more in the [[neoconservative]] camp (or other forms of conservatism that aren't quite so openly racist), and still considered [[Russia]] America's number one geopolitical foe, as [[Mitt Romney]] notably did in 2012.<ref>[https://www.huffpost.com/entry/mitt-romney-russia-geopolitical-foe_n_1380801 "Mitt Romney: Russia Is 'Our Number One Geopolitical Foe'"] by Luke Johnson, Huffington Post, 2012 March 26</ref>

Throughout late 2021 and early 2022, Tucker Carlson publicly supported the idea of Russia invading Ukraine and criticized US support to help Ukraine's defenses (obviously, Carlson was unconcerned about innocent people dying).<ref>[https://news.yahoo.com/tucker-carlson-justifying-invasion-ukraine-221440645.html Yahoo News]</ref> Helping defend Ukraine against a potential Russian invasion was one of the few issues in 2022 that attracted bipartisan support from most [[Republicans]] and [[Democrats]]. Carlson, however, was opposed to any sort of assistance, preferring instead to defend Putin's aggression against Ukraine by regurgitating Kremlin propaganda.<ref name="slateprop">[https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2021/12/tucker-carlson-is-americas-most-watched-kremlin-propagandist.html "Tucker Carlson Is America’s Most Watched Kremlin Propagandist"] by William Saletan, Slate, 2021 December 10</ref> 

For instance, when Republican representative {{wpl|Mike Turner}} appeared on Carlson's show in November 2021 and defended assistance to Ukraine, citing the "strategic importance" and the need to defend [[democracy]], Carlson countered by openly wondering "why wouldn’t we be on Russia’s side?" To explain this stance, Carlson cited Russia's energy reserves (perhaps hinting at the threat of [[Argumentum ad baculum|Russia cutting off natural gas to Europe]]),<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jan/25/us-europe-russia-gas-supplies-energy "US finalizing plans to divert gas to Europe if Russia cuts off supply"] by Julian Borger, Guardian, 2022 January 25</ref> insinuated that Russia for some reason would help counterbalance "the actual threat, which is [[China]]", and wondered why military troops weren't being used instead for an issue of vastly more importance to Carlson: [[xenophobia|closing the US-Mexico border.]]<ref>[https://www.thedailybeast.com/tucker-carlson-asks-why-would-we-take-ukraines-side-and-not-russias "Tucker Carlson: ‘Why Would We Take Ukraine’s Side and Not Russia’s?’"] by Justin Baragona, Daily Beast, 2021 November 10</ref> Later, Carlson created a conspiracy theory that US defense contractors were the real people behind the crisis, building a bizarre narrative based on a single quote [[Cherry picking|cherry-picked]] from a Biden press conference concerning shortages and geopolitical concerns on a completely unrelated topic, semiconductors.<ref>[https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/tucker-carlson-war-russia-ukraine "Tucker Carlson: We're moving closer to war with Russia",] transcript of "Tucker Carlson Tonight", Fox News, January 21 2022</ref><ref>[https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2022/01/21/remarks-by-president-biden-on-increasing-the-supply-of-semiconductors-and-rebuilding-our-supply-chains/ "Remarks by President Biden On Increasing the Supply of Semiconductors And Rebuilding Our Supply Chains"], press conference transcript, 2022 January 21</ref> In another show, Tucker ranted that all of the pundits and politicians who were demanding strong action from the Biden administration (from [[Joe Scarborough]] to [[Bill Kristol]] to {{wpl|Dan Crenshaw}} to {{wpl|Adam Schiff}}) were just "pathetic" "Twitter trolls" spewing "[[ad hominem]]" attacks against his other idol, Vladimir Putin (in the same opening segment where he complained about people saying mean things about Putin, Carlson demonstrated his vapid geopolitical knowledge when he insinuated that no one knew what [[NATO]] is).<ref>[https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/tucker-carlson-ukraine-russia-chinese-government "Tucker Carlson: Our attention to Ukraine drives Russia into alliance with the Chinese government"], Tucker Carlson Tonight transcript, 2022 January 20</ref>

This created a small rift in the bipartisan consensus on Ukraine when a few of the more extremist and not-so-bright Republican representatives (such as insurrection supporters [[Lauren Boebert]], [[Paul Gosar]], and [[Marjorie Taylor Greene]]) migrated towards Carlson's viewpoint.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/26/us/politics/republicans-ukraine.html "Republican Rift on Ukraine Could Undercut U.S. Appeals to Allies"] by Jonathan Weisman, New York Times, 2022 January 26</ref>

Later, the day after a major development in the Ukraine situation — where Putin declared two regions of Ukraine to be "independent states", bizarrely asserted that the regions were no longer part of Ukraine, and authorized Russian forces to be deployed to the region as "peacekeepers"<ref>[https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2022/02/22/remarks-by-president-biden-announcing-response-to-russian-actions-in-ukraine/ "Remarks by President Biden Announcing Response to Russian Actions in Ukraine"], Joe Biden White House speech, 2022 February 22</ref> — Carlson went out of his way to defend Putin. During the rant, Carlson embraced [[culture war]] [[whataboutism]] tactics to try and assert that Putin was really a swell guy ("Has Putin ever called me a [[racist|racist?]]... Did he [[COVID-19 denialism|manufacture a worldwide pandemic]] that wrecked my business and kept me indoors for two years?"), quote mined remarks from [[Kamala Harris]] made at the 2022 {{wpl|Munich Security Conference}}<ref>[https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2022/02/20/remarks-by-vice-president-harris-in-press-gaggle-2/"Remarks by Vice President Harris in Press Gaggle"], White House Speeches and Remarks, 2022 February 20</ref> and used them to insinuate that her completely understandable remarks regarding [[NATO]] and Ukraine were somehow completely incomprehensible and asserted that everyone should love Putin because if you don't, [[Argumentum ad baculum|energy prices will go up.]]<ref>[https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/tucker-carlson-hate-putin-americans-suffer "Tucker Carlson: Americans have been trained to hate Putin, and will suffer because of it"], Tucker Carlson, Fox News, 2022 February 23</ref>

Carlson's pro-Kremlin viewpoints on Ukraine in 2022 are, of course, nothing new. Carlson had previously exclaimed "why shouldn't I root for Russia? Which, by the way, I am." in a November 2019 show, in regards to Russia's long armed conflict with Ukraine's democracy.<ref>[https://www.vox.com/2019/11/26/20983778/tucker-carlson-rooting-for-russia-ukraine-invasion-america-first "Tucker Carlson’s defense of Russia takes “America First” to its logical conclusion"] by Aaron Rupar, Vox, 2019 November 26</ref>

Russian media were delighted to find such a prominent [[useful idiot]] and frequently broadcast Carlson's Russian propaganda after it was aired.<ref>[https://www.thedailybeast.com/how-tucker-carlson-is-boosting-russias-new-propaganda-war "How Tucker Carlson Is Boosting Russia’s New Propaganda War"] by Julia Davis, Daily Beast, 2021 December 30</ref> A leaked memo from the Kremlin even went so far as to call him "essential" to the Russian government.<ref>[https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2022/03/exclusive-kremlin-putin-russia-ukraine-war-memo-tucker-carlson-fox/ Leaked Kremlin Memo to Russian Media: It Is “Essential” to Feature Tucker Carlson]</ref>

In a political discussion program on Russian state-controlled TV, there was consensus that Carlson was an American who should not be killed.<ref>[https://www.newsweek.com/russian-analyst-tucker-carlson-one-american-who-shouldnt-killed-1775593 "Russian Analyst: Tucker Carlson Is 'One American' Who Shouldn't Be Killed"], Newsweek, 22 January 2022</ref>

In February 2024, Carlson confirmed his position as Putin's most prominent American useful idiot<ref>[https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/tucker-carlson-fact-checked-kremlin-putin-interview-1234963327/ "Kremlin All But Admits Tucker Carlson Is a Useful Idiot"] by Nikki McCann Ramirez, Rolling Stone, 2024 February 7</ref> by actually being granted an interview with Putin himself. Carlson was the first American "journalist" to interview Putin since October 2021.<ref name="putininterviewreuters">[https://www.reuters.com/world/putin-gave-tucker-carlson-an-interview-because-he-differs-one-sided-media-2024-02-07/ "Kremlin confirms Putin gave interview to ex-Fox News host Tucker Carlson"], Reuters, 2024 February 7</ref> This wasn't for a lack of trying; multiple Western news organizations tried to arrange an interview with Putin, but were denied access for not being pro-Putin [[propaganda]] outlets.<ref name="putininterviewreuters"/><ref>[https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/06/media/tucker-carlson-russia-putin-interview-reliable-sources/index.html "Tucker Carlson is in Russia to interview Putin. He’s already doing the bidding of the Kremlin"] by Oliver Darcy, CNN, 2024 February 7</ref> After the Russian invasion of Ukraine occurred in 2022, the Kremlin criminalized criticism of the war and drove out virtually all independent Russian media organizations, along with hundreds of journalists.<ref name="abcputininterview">[https://abcnews.go.com/US/tucker-carlson-interview-vladimir-putin/story?id=104870731 "Tucker Carlson to interview Vladimir Putin"] by Patrick Reevell, ABC News, 2024 February 7</ref> At the time of the interview, two ''actual'' American journalists, {{wpl|Evan Gershkovich}} (of the ''[[Wall Street Journal]]'') and {{wpl|Alsu Kurmasheva}} (of Radio Free Liberty) were being detained in Russia on flimsy espionage or foreign agent charges that were widely condemned by the West as politically motivated.<ref name="abcputininterview"/> It has been suggested that Carlson could face sanctions by the EU for airing the interview of a charged war criminal, since Carlson has long been a propagandist rather than a journalist.<ref>[https://www.newsweek.com/tucker-carlson-sanctions-eu-putin-interview-1867655 Tucker Carlson Could Face Sanctions Over Putin Interview] by David Brennan (Feb 07, 2024) ''Newsweek''.</ref> 

After the interview, Carlson filmed some segments fawning over how Moscow purportedly was "so much nicer than any US city".<ref name="reasontuckergrocery">[https://reason.com/volokh/2024/02/16/tucker-carlson-vs-the-evidence-of-russians-voting-with-their-feet/ "Tucker Carlson vs. the Evidence of Russians Voting with their Feet"] by Ilya Somin, 2024, February 16</ref> Bizarrely, in order to demonstrate just how much better life is in Moscow, he glowingly showcased decades old shopping cart security technology that was already quite common in many US grocery stores already.<ref>[https://www.businessinsider.com/tucker-carlson-shopping-cart-russia-2024-2 "Tucker Carlson gets roasted for praising decades-old shopping cart tech in Russia"] by Dominick Reuter, Business Insider, 2024 February 16</ref> Carlson also praised the low prices (in US dollar terms) at the Moscow supermarket he visited, and claimed that these low prices "radicalized" him "against our (United States) leaders". This demonstrates that Carlson is unaware (or at least ''pretends'' to be unaware) of the concept of {{wpl|purchasing power parity||.}}<ref>[https://www.newsweek.com/tucker-carlson-mocked-praising-russian-grocery-stores-1870396 "Tucker Carlson Mocked for Praising Russian Grocery Stores"] by Rachel Dobkin, Newsweek, 2024 February 16</ref> Reality is different: compared to the United States, food is much less affordable in Russia for the average citizen. After the Ukraine war began in 2022, the percentage of disposable income Russians spent on food doubled to 40%.<ref>[https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russians-spending-food-doubles-following-ukraine-war-un-food-agency-2022-04-08/ "Russians' spending on food doubles following Ukraine war, U.N. food agency says"] by Maytaal Angel, Reuters, 2022 April 8</ref> In contrast, in 2022, the USDA reported that Americans spent 11.3 percent of their disposable income on food, with half of this figure coming from food away from home.<ref>[https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/ag-and-food-statistics-charting-the-essentials/food-prices-and-spending "Food Prices and Spending"], USDA Economic Research Service, US Department of Agriculture</ref> Carlson's glowing propaganda contrasts with the [[brain drain]] Russia was experiencing at the time. From 2022 to 2023, an estimated 1 million Russians left the country entirely, with the technology sector particularly hard hit by emigration.<ref>[https://share.america.gov/russias-top-talent-fleeing-to-other-countries/ "Russia’s top talent fleeing to other countries"] by Michael Laff, ShareAmerica, 2023 August 3</ref>

====Tucker Carlson, antisemitic authoritarian asshat====
{{cquote|I do believe that there is a pattern with [[Pat Buchanan]] of needling the Jews. Is that antisemitic? Yeah! … Pat Buchanan obviously has a lot of personal and affectionate relationships with people who are Jewish. So on a personal level, perhaps he's not. But on a different, maybe thematic level, I think he probably is.|||Tucker Carlson (1999 edition)<ref>(September 24, 1999). [https://www.c-span.org/video/?152331-1/news-review "Washington Journal / News Review"]. ''C-SPAN''. Quoted commentary begins at about 50:10.</ref><ref>Isaac Schorr (April 16, 2024). [https://www.mediaite.com/opinion/watch-young-tucker-carlson-deliver-stunning-takedown-of-anti-semitic-pat-buchanan-over-rhetoric-hes-using-now/ "Opinion: Watch Young Tucker Carlson Deliver Stunning Takedown of ‘Anti-Semitic’ Pat Buchanan Over Rhetoric He’s Using Now"]. ''Mediaite''.</ref>}}
{{cquote|Tucker Carlson and his guest Darryl Cooper engaged in one of the most repugnant forms of [[Holocaust denial]] of recent years. These far-fetched [[conspiracy theories]] are not only dangerous and malevolent, they are [[antisemitic]].|||Chairman of {{w|Yad Vashem||,}} [[Israel]]'s official memorial to victims of the [[Holocaust]] (2024)<ref name="JNSDC"/>}}
Russia is not the only authoritarian government that Carlson has formed a bromance with. 

In January 2018, the government of [[Hungary]], led by [[Viktor Orbán]], passed Bill T/333.<ref>[https://helsinki.hu/wp-content/uploads/T333-ENG.pdf "Bill No. T/333 amending certain laws relating to measures to combat illegal immigration"] by Dr. Sándor Pintér, Minister of the Interior, unofficial translation provided by the {{wpl|Hungarian Helsinki Committee}}, May 2018, Budapest</ref> This bill, framed as the "STOP [[George Soros|Soros]]" act due to Orban's obsession with the billionaire [[philanthropist]], criminalized the activity of providing assistance for asylum seekers. Widely condemned by human rights organizations,<ref>[https://www.npr.org/2018/06/20/622045753/hungary-passes-stop-soros-laws-bans-aid-to-undocumented-immigrants "Hungary Passes 'Stop Soros' Laws, Bans Aid To Undocumented Immigrants"] by Vanessa Romo, NPR, 2018 June 20</ref> the bill was loaded with the type of nativist [[xenophobia]] and strong whiffs of [[authoritarianism]] that appeals to many of Orbán's voters.<ref>[https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/6/22/17493070/hungary-stop-soros-orban "Hungary just passed a “Stop Soros” law that makes it illegal to help undocumented migrants"] by Zack Beauchamp, Vox, 2018 June 22</ref>

As Carlson (and his audience) is no stranger to xenophobia and authoritarianism, it is no surprise that Carlson also ended up idolizing Orbán. In late January 2022, Carlson created a documentary for the streaming service ''Fox Nation'' called ''Hungary vs. [[George Soros|Soros]]''. There, he created [[propaganda]] straight from Orbán's playbook, depicting Hungary as a traditional [[conservative]] [[Christian]] paradise, and applauding Orbán's strict immigration policies (no matter how dehumanizing they were). Unusually, Carlson was even allowed to visit Hungary's southern border fence, and he actually was able to interview Orbán — practices normally not allowed to media outlets not known to be an Orbán lapdog. Naturally, Soros ended up being the boogeyman of the documentary, which used standard [[propaganda]] documentary tricks (black and white imagery, ominous music) to complain that Soros was trying to force a [[liberal]], [[globalist]], open-borders agenda onto Hungarian society.<ref name="orbandocone">[https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/tucker-carlson-hungary-viktor-orban-george-soros-1291890/ "What It’s Like to Have Tucker Carlson Praise Your Country’s Authoritarian Leader"] by Jack Crosbie, Rolling Stone, 2022 January 29</ref><ref name="orbandoctwo">[https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2022/02/01/tucker-carlson-hungary-orban-00004149 "Tucker Carlson Has Become Obsessed With Hungary. Here’s What He Doesn’t Understand."] by VIKTÓRIA SERDÜLT, Politico, 2022 February 1</ref> Another recurring visual motif in the documentary is a supposed contrast between [[xenophobia|chaotic, scary footage of non-white migrants and tranquil images of happy, white families]], as well as an underlying [[concern troll|concern]] over [[White genocide|white demographic decline]].<ref name="orbandocvox">[https://www.vox.com/22904444/tucker-carlson-hungary-soros-fox-nation-documentary-special "Why Tucker Carlson’s special on Hungary and Soros matters"] by Zack Beauchamp, Vox, 2022 January 29</ref> 

A few Hungarians who responded with a review of Carlson's "documentary" noted how similar Carlson's propaganda was to Orbán's, which was widespread and well known in Hungary. Thus (similar to Carlson's bromance with Putin) Carlson was basically acting as a [[useful idiot]] in creating [[propaganda]] that suited Orbán's agenda. Unsurprisingly, the pro-Orbán television channel {{wpl|HírTV}} aired Carlson's documentary just a couple weeks after the documentary premiered on ''Fox Nation''.<ref name="orbandocone"/><ref name="orbandoctwo"/> Other reviewers commented on the [[racism]] that underpinned the documentary. For instance, one reviewer thought that the documentary could easily be summarized by taking the [[white nationalist]] phrases of the [[Fourteen Words|"14 Words"]] and swap "Hungarian" for "white".<ref name="orbandocvox"/> Several reviewers, not to mention activist organizations such as the [[Anti-Defamation League]], also commented that Carlson's framing of Soros as a shadowy puppet master was, simply put, a nasty [[antisemitic]] trope.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/media/2022/feb/03/tucker-carlson-film-antisemitic-attack-against-george-soros "Tucker Carlson film on George Soros is his latest antisemitic dog-whistle"] by Adam Gabbatt, Guardian, 2022 February 4</ref>  

Carlson, of course, has endorsed other authoritarian governments when it conveniently fits his narrative. In September 2021, Tucker [[Horseshoe theory|praised]] the [[China|Chinese government]] as "virtuous" for intervening in its citizens' private lives and placing restrictions on gaming and celebrity culture{{efn|You know, the same Chinese government he believes is the biggest threat to the United States today.}} and argued that the Biden administration should do the same. This is in spite of him [[hypocrisy|attacking the CDC]] for promoting COVID-19 vaccinations and restrictions.<ref>[https://www.yahoo.com/news/tucker-carlson-praised-chinese-government-031649617.html Tucker Carlson praised the Chinese government for doing 'something virtuous' with its new restrictions on gaming and celebrity fandoms]. Business Insider (via Yahoo News), September 2, 2021</ref> Of course, Carlson doesn't see anything wrong with the behavior of governments like Putin or Orbán. Instead, Carlson prefers to assign [[authoritarian]] labels to leaders of [[democracies]]. For instance, in the wake of the 2022 [[Canada convoy protest]], Carlson declared "there's no more fearful despot in the world" that is more dictatorial than... Canadian prime minister [[Justin Trudeau]].<ref>[https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/tucker-carlson-canada-prime-minister-justin-trudeau "Tucker Carlson: There's no more fearful despot than Canada's Prime Minister"] by Tucker Carlson, Fox News, 2022 January 31</ref> Additionally, in February 2022, Carlson insinuated that the Ukrainian president, [[Volodymyr Zelenskyy]], who was elected in April 2019 with 73% of the vote,<ref>[https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-48007487 "Ukraine election: Comedian Zelensky wins presidency by landslide"], BBC News, 2019 April 22</ref> was "a dictator who’s friends with everyone in Washington", instead of the leader of a fledgling democracy that was being threatened by Carlson's authoritarian bud Putin.<ref>[https://www.mediaite.com/tv/tucker-carlson-claims-ukraine-is-run-by-dictator-whos-friends-with-everyone-in-washington/ "Tucker Carlson Claims Ukraine Is ‘Run By Dictator Who’s Friends With Everyone in Washington’"] by Kipp Jones, Mediaite, 2022 February 14</ref>

He later, in 2023, called Zelenskyy [[Evil Jew|"sweaty and rat-like, a comedian turned oligarch, a persecutor of Christians, a friend of BlackRock", "shifty", and "dead-eyed"]].<ref>Io Dodds (June 7, 2023). [https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/tucker-carlson-twitter-video-ukraine-dam-b2352930.html "Tucker Carlson calls Ukraine's Jewish leader 'rat-like' as he launches new Twitter show with pro-Kremlin rant"]. ''The Independent''.</ref><ref>Andrew Bernard (June 7, 2023). [https://www.algemeiner.com/2023/06/07/he-likens-jews-to-rats-american-jewish-committee-condemns-tucker-carlsons-description-of-ukrainian-president-zelensky/ "‘He Likens Jews to Rats’: Jewish Groups Condemn Tucker Carlson’s Description of Ukrainian President Zelensky"]. ''The Algemeiner Journal''.</ref> This appears to be about the point where Carlson's rhetoric began exhibiting much more obvious signs of antisemitism — the descriptors for Zelenskyy such as "shifty" or "rat-like", for instance, are not only gratuitous in context but identical to actual Nazi [[propaganda]] such as ''Der ewige Jude''.<ref>[https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/der-ewige-jude "Der ewige Jude"]. ''Holocaust Encyclopedia'' (The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum).</ref> As the 2023 {{wpl|Israel–Hamas war}} began, Carlson was offered another opportunity to drive a wedge between Christians and Jews. Interviewing [[Candace Owens]] (herself an Israel critic and occasional Nazi apologist), Carlson compared anti-Israel protests on college campuses to [[social justice]] movements. He then asserted that because pro-Israel donors to these universities were concerned with the former but not the latter, that they must support the [[White genocide|extermination of white people]] using [[DEI|diversity initiatives]].<ref>Nikki McCann Ramirez (November 16, 2023). [https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/tucker-carlson-israel-college-donors-funded-white-genocide-1234880901/ "Tucker Carlson: Pro-Israel Ivy League Donors Funded ‘White Genocide’"]. ''Rolling Stone''.</ref> Carlson, in separate segments, also criticized pro-Israel conservatives and suggested that the government of Israel especially oppresses Christians, also claiming they may be dying "disproportionately" from the war.<ref>Ryan Smith (April 10, 2024). [https://www.newsweek.com/tucker-carlson-israel-gaza-christianity-munther-isaac-video-1888845 "Conservatives Turn on Tucker Carlson"]. ''Newsweek''.</ref><ref>Haley Strack (April 11, 2024). [https://archive.ph/MkVwT "Tucker Carlson’s Apologia for Christian Antisemitism"]. ''National Review''.</ref><ref>Alex Griffing (April 10, 2024). [https://www.mediaite.com/politics/right-fumes-at-tucker-carlson-over-interview-blasting-how-israel-treats-christians-this-is-embarrassing/ "Right Fumes at Tucker Carlson Over Interview Blasting How Israel Treats Christians: ‘This Is Embarrassing’"]. ''Mediaite''.</ref>

In May 2024, Carlson took a leaf from 2013 Trump's playbook,<ref>(May 4, 2013). [https://www.sj-r.com/story/entertainment/television/2013/05/04/donald-trump-slams-jon-stewart/43763457007/ "Donald Trump Slams Jon Stewart After Comedian Reveals His 'Real Name'"]. ''The State Journal-Register'' and ''TV Guide''.</ref><ref>Judy Kurtz (November 2, 2016). [https://thehill.com/blogs/in-the-know/303943-jon-stewart-tears-into-trump-at-ny-event/ "Jon Stewart tears into Trump at NY event"]. ''The Hill''.</ref> bringing up that [[Jon Stewart]] changed his name from "Jon Leibowitz", stating: "It's not even your real name. Like, everything about you is fake. You're just fake."<ref>Phillip Nieto (May 23, 2024). [https://www.mediaite.com/media/tucker-carlson-says-he-wouldnt-interview-pathetic-jon-stewart-after-crossfire-beatdown-i-have-so-much-contempt-for-him/ "Tucker Carlson Says He Wouldn’t Interview ‘Pathetic’ Jon Stewart After Crossfire Beatdown: ‘I Have So Much Contempt For Him’"]. ''Mediaite''.</ref><ref>(May 25, 2024). [https://news.meaww.com/he-sounds-afraid-tucker-carlson-ripped-after-he-dubs-jon-stewart-pathetic-and-reveals-he-would-never-have-him-on-his-show "‘He sounds afraid’: Tucker Carlson skewered after he dubs Jon Stewart 'pathetic', reveals he would never have him on his show"]. ''Meaww''.</ref> Clearly he never got over [[Tucker Carlson#Crossfire debacle with Jon Stewart|an exchange twenty years earlier]]. Carlson's choice to bring up Stewart's name change could conceivably have been an antisemitic insinuation; Stewart himself comments that the name change was to distance himself from his dad but yet "people always view it through the prism of ethnic identity".<ref>Hadley Freeman (April 18, 2015). [https://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/apr/18/jon-stewart-why-i-quit-the-daily-show "Jon Stewart: why I quit The Daily Show"]. ''The Guardian''.</ref> "Stewart" is actually a derivation of his middle name at birth, Stuart.<ref>{{wpa|Jon Stewart}}</ref> For Carlson's friend [[J. D. Vance]] (formerly J. D. Hamel<ref>Julie Carr Smyth (July 26, 2024). [https://apnews.com/article/election-2024-republicans-vice-president-vance-name-359c3d1361c94f5d2d1e9798b7854477 "What's in a name? Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance has had many of them"]. ''The Associated Press''.</ref>), the scorn at name-changers is quite absent.<ref>Jonathan Swan and Maggie Haberman (July 16, 2024). [https://archive.ph/4Rh5h "How J.D. Vance Won Over Donald Trump"]. ''The New York Times''. "Mr. Trump seemed uncertain right until the end, privately raising some of the negative comments Mr. Vance had made about him in the past. Allies of Mr. Vance, including Elon Musk and Tucker Carlson, ran a counter campaign to reassure Mr. Trump about the selection [of his running mate]".</ref><ref>Helen Lewis (September 24, 2024). [https://archive.ph/3A7w3 "Tucker Carlson and J. D. Vance Couldn't Agree More"]. ''The Atlantic''.</ref>

In September 2024, he interviewed {{wpl|Darryl Cooper (historian)|Darryl Cooper,}} a [[Holocaust denier|Holocaust distortionist]], who said [[Winston Churchill]] was the "chief villain" of [[World War II]]<ref>Katie Robertson (September 6, 2024). [https://archive.ph/gRQbc "Tucker Carlson Sharply Criticized for Hosting Holocaust Revisionist"]. ''The New York Times''.</ref><ref name="NRMAW">Mark Antonio Wright (September 4, 2024). [https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/no-winston-churchill-was-not-the-chief-villain-of-the-second-world-war/ "No, Winston Churchill Was Not the ‘Chief Villain’ of the Second World War"]. ''National Review''.</ref><ref name="StelterCNN">Brian Stelter (September 5, 2024). [https://www.cnn.com/2024/09/05/media/white-house-condemns-tucker-carlson-nazi-propaganda-interview/index.html "White House condemns Tucker Carlson’s ‘Nazi propaganda’ interview as ‘disgusting and sadistic insult’"]. ''CNN''.</ref> and had claimed [[Adolf Hitler]] tried "to reach an acceptable solution to the [[Jewish question|Jewish problem]]."<ref name="AtlanticAA"/><ref>Darryl Cooper a.k.a. "@martyrmade" (September 3, 2024). [https://archive.md/NCUoL "Hitler tried again, going on the radio to broadcast a call for peace directly to the British people. He would give back the parts of Poland that were not majority German, and would work with the other powers to reach an acceptable solution to the Jewish problem. He was ignored. /21"]. ''Twitter'', via archive.today.</ref> He also suggested the [[Holocaust]] occurred because the [[Nazis]] planned poorly for the war, so they simply "did not have enough food" and killed people as a "more humane" solution to prevent them from dying of starvation first.<ref name="JNSDC"/><ref name="AtlanticAA"/> Carlson said he "may be the best and most honest popular historian in the United States",<ref>Andreas Koureas (September 11, 2024). [https://nationalinterest.org/feature/debunking-tucker-carlson%E2%80%99s-darryl-cooper-interview-212703 "Debunking Tucker Carlson’s Darryl Cooper Interview"]. ''The National Interest''.</ref><ref name="NRMAW"/><ref name="StelterCNN"/> despite Cooper’s lack of serious credentials or original research.<ref name="JNSDC"/><ref name="AtlanticAA">Arash Azizi (September 10, 2024). [https://archive.ph/U7DUu "The Dangerous Rise of the Podcast Historians"]. ''The Atlantic''.</ref> For his comments, Darryl Cooper was censured ({{IdEst}} condemned) by {{w|Yad Vashem||,}} [[Israel]]'s official memorial to victims of the Holocaust; they called his claims "patently false".<ref name="JNSDC">(September 4, 2024). [https://www.yadvashem.org/press-release/04-september-2024-16-52.html "Yad Vashem Denounces Remarks Made by Darryl Cooper Regarding Nazi Atrocities as Historically False"]. ''Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center''.</ref> Despite all of this criticism and condemnation (incl. from such right wing stalwarts as [[Victor Davis Hanson]]), [[Joe Rogan]] decided to host Darryl Cooper a mere six months later.

====Tucker Carlson, domestic terrorism and hate crime apologist====
On multiple occasions, Carlson has deflected, engaged in [[whataboutism]], or even [[blaming the victim|blamed the victim]] whenever an American mass shooting has occurred. Of course, Carlson never blames the sort of racism, homophobia, and hate that Carlson likes to promote... or other American right-wing ''cause célèbres'', like firearms policy and culture.

* {{wpl|2019 El Paso shooting}} (August 3 2019): Three days after a white supremacist committed a mass shooting in El Paso, Carlson dismissed [[white supremacy]] as "a hoax", "just like the [[Trump-Russia connection|Russia hoax]]".<ref group=note> Referring to the [[Trump-Russia connection|influence of Russia on American elections]], a topic Tucker Carlson has [https://www.mediamatters.org/tucker-carlson/tucker-carlson-russias-2016-election-interference-i-dont-think-it-really-hurt?redirect_source=/video/2019/03/26/tucker-carlson-russias-2016-election-interference-i-dont-think-it-really-hurt-country-actually-i/223242 dismissed as a lie] quite often… despite [https://www.cnn.com/2019/07/24/politics/russia-trump-election-interference/index.html all the evidence to the contrary.]</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/tucker-carlson-white-supremacy-is-a-hoax-and-not-a-real-problem-in-america|title=Tucker Carlson: White Supremacy Is a ‘Hoax’ and ‘Not a Real Problem in America’|last=Baragona|first=Justin|date=August 6, 2019|publisher=The Daily Beast}}</ref> (He then declared that he never "met anybody, not one person, who subscribes to white supremacy", suggesting that he hasn't looked in a mirror lately...perhaps out of shame?).<ref>[https://www.mediamatters.org/tucker-carlson/tucker-carlsons-descent-white-supremacy-timeline "Tucker Carlson's descent into white supremacy: A timeline"] by Madeline Peltz with research contributions from Nikki McCain Ramirez. Published on October 28, 2018. Updated April 7, 2023. Published by Media Matters for America.</ref>
* {{wpl|2022 Buffalo shooting}} (May 14 2022): A hate-motivated mass shooter killed 10 [[African American|Black]] people due to racist ideology he picked up on the Internet. The shooter wrote a "manifesto" which in particular was littered with the [[The Great Replacement|Great Replacement conspiracy theory]]. Carlson was well associated with promoting this theory — according to one analysis, at the time of the shooting, he had pushed the concept in more than 400 of his shows. Therefore, his rhetoric was under fresh scrutiny by the media. Carlson, of course, refused to acknowledge his connection to the "great replacement" [[bullshit]] the shooter promoted. Instead, he responded by first engaging in [[whataboutism]] ("Many other metro areas recorded murders over the weekend. That's typical now."). Then he deflected from the issue by complaining that [[Democrats]] have ''some nerve'' being ticked off about hate speech. In the process, he made up a new definition of hate speech as "speech that our leaders hate", and then complained that "the left" is somehow not allowing racists like Carlson to "express your political views out loud". (Of course, he was stating this as host of one of the most depressingly popular cable news shows at the time.)<ref>[https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/tucker-tucker-no-race-politics-better-than-others-its-all-poison "Tucker: No race politics is bett"] by Tucker Carlson, Fox News, 2022 May 16</ref><ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/may/17/buffalo-shooting-fox-news-tucker-carlson-great-replacement-theory "Fox News suddenly goes quiet on ‘great replacement’ theory after Buffalo shooting"] by Adam Gabbatt, Guardian, 2022 May 17</ref>
* {{wpl|Highland Park parade shooting}} (July 4 2022): Carlson, operating in his usual "[[just asking questions]]" mode, responded to this shooting first by blaming [[Antidepressant#SSRI|SSRIs]] (or, as he describes it, "endless psychotropic drugs that are handed out at every school in the country by crackpots posing as counselors"). Noting that many mass shooters are young men (who in Carlson's mind live in "a solitary fantasy world of [[social media]], [[porn]] and [[video games]]" smoking "government-endorsed [[marijuana]]"), Carlson then tries to push his "theory", using all the anti-[[feminism]] [[misogyny]] he can muster, that the reason "a lot of young men in America are going nuts" is due to "the authorities in their lives, mostly women" lecturing men about "their so-called privilege".<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/07/06/tucker-carlsons-sloppy-effort-leverage-highland-park-shooting/ "Tucker Carlson’s sloppy effort to leverage the Highland Park shooting"] by Philip Bumo, Washingtong Post, 2022 July 6</ref><ref>[https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/why-tucker-carlson-blames-women-highland-park-parade-shooting-n1296853 "Tucker Carlson blames women and prescription drugs for the Highland Park shooting"] by Zeeshan Aleem, MSNBCV, 2022 July 6</ref>
* {{wpl|Colorado Springs nightclub shooting}} (November 19 2022): On this date, a mass shooting occurred at a [[LGBTQ]] nightclub in Colorado Springs. Although [[hate crime]] charges were being looked into, the motive was unknown for several days after the event. That did not stop Carlson from using the shooting as a launchpad to go on a [[transphobic]] rant on the following Monday ''and'' Tuesday about {{wpl|Boston Children's Hospital}} "sexually mutilating kids",<ref>[https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/tucker-carlson-children-destroyed-by-this "TUCKER CARLSON: Children are being destroyed by this"], Tucker Carlson, Fox News, 2022 November 21</ref><ref>[https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/tucker-carlson-no-healthy-society-tolerate-pedophilia "TUCKER CARLSON: No healthy society can tolerate pedophilia"] by Tucker Carlson, 2022 November 22</ref> a wildly exaggerated conspiracy theory regarding transgender care that had already led to several bomb threats aimed at the hospital.<ref>[https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/11/21/metro/congressional-leaders-urge-doj-action-after-threats-against-boston-childrens/ "Congressional leaders urge DOJ action after threats against Boston Children’s Hospital"]</ref><ref>[https://www.masslive.com/police-fire/2022/10/canadian-man-charged-with-bomb-threats-against-boston-childrens-hospital.html "Canadian man charged with bomb threats against Boston Children’s Hospital"] by Will Katcher, MassLive, 2022 October 24</ref> In addition, on Tuesday November 22, Carlson hosted a guest named Jaimee Mitchell who reportedly ran a group called "Gays Against [[Dogwhistle|Groomers]]".{{efn|Which, you will be shocked to know, has nothing to do with ''actual'' groomers}} Mitchell first claimed that people who accurately describe the anti-LGBTQ slur "{{wpl|LGBT grooming conspiracy theory|groomer}}" as a [[homophobic]] [[conspiracy theory]] were "putting a really large target on our backs".{{efn|As if the group hadn't already done that itself by using a transphobic dogwhistle}} Then she blamed the victim by declaring that "the tragedy that happened in Colorado Springs the other night, it was expected and predictable" and she speculated these sort of attacks wouldn't "stop until we end this evil agenda (of gender-affirming care) that is attacking children".<ref>[https://www.huffpost.com/entry/tucker-carlson-anti-lgbtq-colorado-shooting_n_637d8fbce4b006c42d38e2de "Tucker Carlson Segment Torched After Guest's 'Grotesque' Take On Club Q Shooting"] by Josephine Harvey, Huffington Post, 2022 November 23</ref><ref>[https://www.thedailybeast.com/tucker-carlson-guest-says-attacks-like-club-q-wont-stop-until-we-end-this-evil-agenda "Tucker Guest: Expect More Attacks Like Club Q ‘Until We End This Evil Agenda’"] by William Vaillancourt, Daily Beast, 2022 November 23</ref>
* {{wpl|2023 Covenant School shooting}} (March 27 2023): On this date, a mass shooting occurred at a private Presbyterian parochial school. In contrast to the archetypes of the perpetrators of other mass shootings Carlson has commented on, initial information indicated that the shooting was committed by one of Carlson's [[Other|Others]], a [[transgender]] individual. This allowed Carlson (who in a previous segment broadcast a few days earlier insinuated that transgender people arming themselves for self-defense was "not the exercise of the [[Second Amendment]]" but "political hysteria")<ref>[https://www.thedailybeast.com/pro-gun-tucker-carlson-pumps-brakes-on-armed-transgender-people "Pro-Gun Tucker Carlson Pumps Brakes on Armed Transgender People"] by William Vaillancourt, Daily Beast, 2023 March 24</ref> to use the shooting as an excuse to hyperbolize during the next couple nights of ''Tucker Carlson Tonight'', using [[cherry-picking]] as well and second-guessing of the perpetrator's motive, that this was evidence of an emerging movement of "trans [[terrorism]]" which specifically targets [[Christians]], of whom he declared transgender people were a "natural enemy".<ref>[https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/tucker-carlson-accuses-transgender-community-targeting-christians-1234705993/ "Tucker Carlson Says Trans People Hate Christians Because They Won’t Accept Them as ‘Gods’"] by Nikki McCann Ramirez, Rolling Stone, 2023 March 29</ref><ref>[https://www.thedailybeast.com/tucker-turns-nashville-shooting-into-war-between-trans-people-and-christians "Tucker Turns Shooting Into Apocalyptic War Between Trans People and Christians"] by William Vaillancourt, Daily Beast, 2023 March 28</ref><ref>[https://www.newsweek.com/tucker-carlson-says-trans-movement-natural-enemy-christianity-1791016 "Tucker Carlson Says Trans Movement 'Natural Enemy' of Christianity"] by Giulia Carbonaro, Newsweek, 2023 March 29</ref> In one instance, Carlson supported his arguments using a Twitter hoax post with a modified version of a racist [[4chan]] copypasta; Carlson quoted the modified version of the copypasta verbatim.<ref>Alex Kaplan (March 30, 2023). [https://www.mediamatters.org/4chan/4chan-anti-trans-hoax-about-trans-day-vengeance-spread-twitter-various-right-wing-figures "A 4chan anti-trans hoax about 'Trans Day of Vengeance' spread from Twitter to various right-wing figures, including Tucker Carlson"]. ''Media Matters for America''.</ref> If you have paid attention to the insanity going on at Fox for long enough, you may recall [[Lesbian gang epidemic|a similar moral panic]] whipped up by [[Bill O'Reilly|Carlson's predecessor]] against an Other that was [[Homophobia|more fashionable to hate]] at the time.

===Tucker Carlson, double agent===
It was revealed in June 2021 that not only is Carlson a frequent source for journalists of unflattering material about Trump, but that he is also a primary source for Fox News' internal politics.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/20/business/media/tucker-carlson.html Tucker Carlson Calls Journalists ‘Animals.’ He’s Also Their Best Source. His platform on Fox News made him a big player in Donald Trump’s circle. Off camera, he shapes the coverage of Trump’s world and Fox’s own internal politics.] by Ben Smith (Published June 20, 2021; Updated June 21, 2021, 9:30 a.m. ET) ''The New York Times''.</ref> Playing both sides like this not only makes Carlson a [[hypocrite]], but feeding internal politics on the down-low to journalists ("cringing animals who are not worthy of respect", as Carlson calls them) is the kind of thing that gets an ordinary person fired for violating the non-disclosure agreement.

===Tucker Carlson, insurrection cheerleader===
{{main|2021 U.S. Capitol riot}}
Leading up the riot, when Carlson was having election-denialist guests such as Trump lawyers Jenna Ellis and [[Sidney Powell]], Fox Vice President Raj Shah and Carlson's then-producer Alex Pfeiffer discussed the insanity of their denialist claims while balancing the needs of Carlson's audience. In internal communication, Pfeiffer went so far as to refer to Carlson's balancing act in speaking to the audience as:<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/03/12/raj-shah-fox-trump/ Ex-Trump aide at Fox wrestled with election lies, network’s interests: Documents show Fox Vice President Raj Shah privately derided the White House’s narrative of a stolen election. But he also pushed back on efforts to dispute the claims.] by Rosalind S. Helderman & Josh Dawsey (March 12, 2023 at 6:00 a.m. EDT) ''The Washington Post''.</ref>
{{cquote|Like negotiating with terrorists, but especially dumb ones. Cousin fucking types not [[saudi]] royalty.}}

Tucker Carlson has frequently defended the perpetrators of the [[2021 U.S. Capitol riot]]. Carlson's general tactic on the issue has been to engage in [[gaslighting]] in order to downplay the nature of the violent, anti-democratic insurrection attempt. On his show's alternate reality, the insurrection attempt really is an event where "many of [the indicted individuals] did nothing wrong" and the mob (which carried various weapons and had members of groups like the [[Proud Boys]] in it, and waved [[Confederate flags]]) "wasn’t an armed invasion by a brigade of dangerous white supremacists."<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/03/05/tucker-carlson-capitol-riot-wasnt-racist-fbi-uh-wrong/ "Opinion: Tucker Carlson: Capitol riot wasn’t racist! FBI: Uh, wrong."] by Erik Wemple, Washington Post, 2021 March 5</ref> Individuals with clear violent intent, such as Eric Munchel (who stormed the Capitol in tactical gear, carrying disposable handcuffs), were referred to as merely someone who "just walked into what we used to refer to as ‘The People’s House’" whose "only crime was trespassing in the Capitol".<ref>[https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/tucker-carlson-fox-capitol-riot-b1827929.html "Tucker Carlson slammed for ‘full-throated’ defence of Capitol rioters including ‘zip tie guy’"] by Gustaf Kilander, Independent, 2021 April 07</ref> Naturally, according to Carlson, the fault for any viewpoint grounded in reality (that is, this was a violent insurrection attempt) lies with [[social media]].<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5NO-n0e64w Tucker: Did Dorsey admit Twitter's role in Capitol riot?]</ref>

Carlson hasn't hesitated to also use the [[racism]] so prevalent on his show to bizarrely downplay the riot, either. In later April 2021, after [[Joe Biden]] gave a speech obliquely referring to the riot as the "worst attack on our democracy since the Civil War", Carlson responded by saying that the worst attack on democracy in 160 years actually was the {{wpl|Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965||,}} because "the law [[xenophobia|completely changed the composition of America's voter rolls]], purely to benefit the [[Democratic]] Party."<ref>[https://www.mediamatters.org/tucker-carlson/tucker-carlson-worst-attack-our-democracy-160-years-how-about-immigration-act-1965 "Tucker Carlson: “The worst attack on our democracy in 160 years? How about the Immigration Act of 1965?”"] by Media Matters Staff, Media Matters, 2021 April 29</ref>

On multiple occasions, Carlson even has alluded to the riot being a supposed [[false flag]], infiltrated by an "[[agent provocateur]]" who was there to make [[Donald Trump]] look bad [[bullshit|"for reasons we cannot comprehend"]]. Of course, one of the accused "agent provocateurs" clearly documented (via his [[Facebook]] posts) not only his full willing participation in the riot, but also how much he loved [[Donald Trump]], how much he believed Trump's [[2020 U.S. presidential election#Fraud claims|"Big Lie"]], and how much he loved Carlson's show.<ref>[https://www.huffpost.com/entry/tucker-carlson-capitol-attack-jan-6-rally-runner_n_61afb97de4b01fcf12b89bd9 "Tucker Carlson's Jan. 6 'Agent Provocateur' Is A Big Tucker Fan And An Amateur Cardinals Mascot"] by Ryan J. Reilly, Huffington Post, 2021 December 9</ref> In another instance, Carlson's argument for the riot being "organized at least in part by government agents" was based on a bizarre interpretation of an early indictment of one of the participants, Thomas Caldwell (an [[Oath Keepers|Oath Keeper]] who has frequently appeared on Carlson's show).<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/12/10/tucker-carlson-shoddy-quest-find-jan-6-provocateurs/ "Tucker Carlson and the desperate, shoddy search for Jan. 6 ‘provocateurs’"] by Aaron Blake, Washington Post, 2021 December 10</ref>

On November 2021, Carlson made a [[Pseudohistory|pseudohistorical]] schlockumentary on the insurrection, called "Patriot Purge", that added further crazy claims to support his notion that the Capitol Attack was a [[false flag]] to take ‘way err reigghts!!!!!!<ref>[https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/political-commentary/tucker-carlson-fox-news-january-6-fascism-1251277/ "Tucker Carlson’s ‘Patriot Purge’ Is Too Crazy to Believe — and Too Dangerous to Ignore"] by Jason Stanley, Rolling Stone, 20201 November 2</ref> This special pissed off [[Jonah Goldberg]] (along with his business partner, Stephen Hayes) enough to sever all ties with the Fox News network.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/21/business/jonah-goldberg-steve-hayes-quit-fox-tucker-carlson.html "Two Fox News Contributors Quit in Protest of Tucker Carlson’s Jan. 6 Special"] by Ben Smith, New York Times, 2021 November 21</ref>

One year after the riot in 2022, Carlson's power over the [[Republican]] party was demonstrated when [[Ted Cruz]] had to beg Carlson for forgiveness and walk back his words after calling the riot participants who attacked Capitol police [[terrorists]].<ref>[https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2022/01/ted-cruz-begs-tucker-carlson-terrorists-january-6-capitol-police.html "Ted Cruz Begs Tucker Carlson’s Forgiveness for Being Mean to Violent Insurrectionists"] by Jonathan Chiat, NYMag, 2022 January 6</ref> According to Carlson, actually denouncing the violence that occurred at the insurrection like Cruz did was scandalously "repeating the [[reality|talking points]]" of the [[Biden]] administration, and such made Carlson's audience feel that the Republican party was "worthless" for not fully embracing Carlson's gaslighting and conspiracy theories.<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/01/06/tucker-carlson-slams-ted-cruz-republicans-calling-jan-6-capitol-riot-a-violent-terrorist-attack/ "Tucker Carlson mocks Ted Cruz, Republicans for saying Jan. 6 was a ‘violent terrorist attack’"] by Timothy Bella, Washington Post, 2022 January 6</ref><ref group=note>The Republican Party needs ''help'' to look worthless? Now that's a laugh!</ref>

On January 13, 2022, 11 [[Oath Keepers]] were charged with seditious conspiracy for not only merely participating in the [[2021 U.S. Capitol riot]] but allegedly actively plotting to undermine the lawful transfer of presidential power by force. On January 14, 2022, one of the accused Oath Keepers, Thomas Caldwell, once again appeared on Carlson's program. Carlson downplayed Caldwell as a "senior citizen who walks with a cane", a "devout Christian", and a "[[Irony|thoroughly loyal American]]."<ref>[https://www.salon.com/2022/01/15/tucker-carlson-has-history-of-promoting-oath-keepers-member-faces-capitol-riot-sedition-charges_partner/ "Tucker Carlson has history of promoting Oath Keepers member who faces Capitol riot sedition charges"] by Meaghan Ellis, Salon, 2022 January 15</ref><ref>[https://www.mediamatters.org/tucker-carlson/tucker-carlson-praises-alleged-oath-keeper-charged-sedition-thoroughly-loyal "Tucker Carlson praises alleged Oath Keeper charged with sedition as “a thoroughly loyal American”"], Media Matters staf, Media Matters, 2022 January 14</ref>

On January 8 2023 in [[Brazil]], supporters of [[Jair Bolsonaro]] (who had recently lost an election to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva) [[2021_U.S._coup_attempt#2022-23_Brazilian_coup_attempts|attempted their own version]] of a "January 6th" style insurrection and stormed the Brazilian presidential palace and other government buildings. Unsurprisingly, Carlson cheered these insurrectionists on as well. Carlson described the recent Brazil presidential election (without any evidence) as "very rigged", and claimed (without any evidence) that Brazil's "democracy has been hijacked possibly forever". Carlson then extended sympathy to the rioters, and also (without any evidence) claimed that "Lula is working to turn Brazil into a Chinese-style dictatorship".<ref>[https://www.newsweek.com/tucker-carlson-blasts-brazils-rigged-election-1772688 "Tucker Carlson Backs Jair Bolsonaro, Blasts Brazil's 'Rigged Election'"] by Jack Dutton, Newsweek, 2023 January 10</ref><ref>[https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/brazil-riot-tucker-carlson-backs-bolsonaro-supporters-b2259154.html "Tucker Carlson under fire for backing Brazil Bolsonaro riot"] by Shweta Sharma, Independent, 2023 January 10</ref> Carlson had previously given a very sympathetic interview to Bolsonaro on his show in late June 2022.<ref>[https://www.mediaite.com/tv/tucker-carlson-previews-amazing-interview-with-bolsonaro-who-bears-no-resemblance-to-how-hes-portrayed-in-u-s-media/ "Tucker Carlson Previews ‘Amazing Interview’ with Bolsonaro, Who ‘Bears No Resemblance’ to How He’s Portrayed in U.S. Media"] by Michael Luciano, Mediaite , 2022 June 29th</ref>

====Tucker Carlson, insurrection footage whitewasher====
In late February 2023, after the [[Republicans]] took the House of Representatives in the [[2022 midterm elections]], the new House speaker, [[Kevin McCarthy]], decided (in a pandering to the [[MAGA]] voters) that the best person to have exclusive access to roughly 40,000 hours of security footage from the coup attempt was Carlson. Shortly after this, [[Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez]] warned that providing the footage would probably merely be fodder to boost his claims that the coup attempt was a "false flag" attempt... a warning that proved to be, fairly obviously, quite correct.<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/02/28/kevin-mccarthy-tucker-carlson-jan-6-footage/ "McCarthy defends Carlson’s access to Jan. 6 footage, calls media ‘jealous’"] by Jacqueline Alemany, Marianna Sotomayor and Leigh Ann Caldwell, Washington Post, 2023 February 28</ref> 

On March 6 2023, Carlson released the first ''Tucker Carlson Tonight'' episode devoted to this exclusive footage. Carlson, along with [[New York Post]] columnist {{wpl|Miranda Devine}}, attempted to promote a [[gaslighting]] style [[propaganda]] narrative, using [[cherry-picking|cherry-picked]] clips, that the coup participants were "politely queuing, very peaceable" and were "orderly and meek" sightseers instead of participants in a violent coup. In addition, Carlson insinuated that there was no connection whatsoever between the death of officer Brian Sicknick and the coup, even though Sicknick was badly beaten during the event and died one day after the coup attempt.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20230307033206/https://www.foxnews.com/media/tucker-carlson-releases-exclusive-jan-6-footage-says-politicians-media-lied-about-sicknick-qanon-shaman "Tucker Carlson releases exclusive Jan. 6 footage, says politicians, media lied about Sicknick, 'QAnon Shaman'"] by Joseph A. Wulfsohn, Fox News, 2023 March 6, archived on 2023 March 7</ref><ref name="nprcarlsontapes">[https://www.npr.org/2023/03/07/1161686255/fox-tucker-carlson-jan-6-security-tapes-mcconnell-manger "Senate Republican Leader McConnell slams Fox and Tucker Carlson for Jan. 6 portrayal"] by Claudia Grisales, NPR, 2023 March 7</ref> 

Even among ''Republicans'' the reaction was incredibly negative, with a strong rebuke from, among many others, [[Mitch McConnell]], [[Mitt Romney]] (who compared Carlson's whitewashing attempt to [[Alex Jones]]'s portrayal of the [[Sandy Hook massacre]]) and {{wpl|Thom Tillis}} (who simply flat out called Carlson's untruths "[[bullshit]]").<ref name="nprcarlsontapes"/><ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/03/07/gop-capitol-jan-6-mccarthy-carlson/ "The GOP backlash on Tucker Carlson"] by Aaron Blake, Washington Post, 2023 March 7</ref> In addition, the Sicknick family also lambasted Carlson and [[Fox News]] (comparing the network to the former [[Soviet]] [[Communist]] newspaper {{wpl|Pravda}}<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/mar/07/jan-6-footage-tucker-carlson-brian-sicknick-family "‘Sleaze-slinging’ Fox News denounced by family of January 6 officer who died"] by Martin Pengelly, Guardian, 2023 March 7</ref>). Capitol Police Chief {{wpl|J. Thomas Manger}} also ripped into Carlson, and the downplaying of Sicknick's death in particular, in a letter sent to the rest of the Capitol Police force.<ref>[https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/capitol-police-chief-tears-tucker-carlson-claims-officer-brian-sicknic-rcna73813 "Capitol Police chief tears into Tucker Carlson for claims about Officer Brian Sicknick"] by Frank Thorp V and Rebecca Shabad, NBC News, 2023 March 7</ref> Of course, predictably, [[Donald Trump]] was full of praise for Carlson's propaganda, using Carlson's program as the premise to write an all-caps tirade on his Truth Social platform demanding to "LET THE JANUARY 6 PRISONERS GO".<ref>[https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/republicans-bash-tucker-carlson-lying-jan-6-violence-1234692024/ "Even Republicans Are Bashing Tucker Carlson for Lying About Jan. 6 Violence"] by Ryan Bort, Rolling Stone, 2023 March 7</ref>

====Tucker Carlson, bullshitter for profit====
Privately, as exposed in 2023 in several documents for a defamation lawsuit against Fox News instituted by {{wpl|Dominion Voting Systems||,}} Carlson was ticked with the [[Big Lie]] direction Trump undertook, acknowledging that "there wasn't enough fraud to change the outcome", and complaining that Trump and his team of "lawyers" were "fuckers (that) are destroying our credibility". Carlson also speculated that Trump "could easily destroy us if we play it wrong", and was particularly irked with {{wpl|Sidney Powell||,}} calling her a "lunatic", "crazy person", and a "nutcase" in multiple texts.<ref name="slatetuckerprivate">[https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2023/02/tucker-carlson-text-messages-dominion-lawsuit-fox-news.html "Tucker Carlson’s Dominion Text Messages Are a Thing of Beauty"] by Jeremy Stahl, Slate, 2023 February 17</ref> Later documents reveal that Carlson privately "passionately" hated Trump, and appeared to also privately believe that Trump's presidency was a "disaster" in contrast to his opinions about Trump on air.<ref>[https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-64886188 "Tucker Carlson said he hates Trump 'passionately', lawsuit reveals"] by BBC News, 2023 March 8</ref> In April 2023, Fox settled the lawsuit with Dominion for $787 million, conceding the obvious from their disclosed internal documents.

Excerpts from the disclosed Fox News internal documents:<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/08/business/media/tucker-carlson-trump.html 5 Times Tucker Carlson Privately Reviled Trump: ‘I Hate Him’: The Fox host’s private comments, revealed recently in court documents, contrast sharply with his support of conservatives on his show.] by Katie Robertson (March 8, 2023) ''The New York Times''.</ref>
{{blockquote|'''Alex Pfeiffer''' (Carlson's producer): Trump has a pretty low rate at success in his business ventures.

'''Carlson''': That’s for sure. All of them fail. What he’s good at is destroying things. He’s the undisputed world champion of that.}}
{{blockquote|'''Carlson''': I’d heard that about the inauguration. Hard to believe. So destructive. 

It’s disgusting. I’m trying to look away.}}
{{blockquote|'''Carlson''': I had to try to make the WH [White House] disavow her [Sidney Powell, Trump's election denial lawyer], which they obviously should have done long before.

'''[[Laura Ingraham]]''': No serious lawyer could believe what they were saying.

'''Carlson''': But they said nothing in public. Pretty disgusting. And now Trump, I learned this morning, is sitting back and letting them lose the senate. He doesn’t care. I care.}}
{{blockquote|'''Carlson''': We are very, very close to being able to ignore Trump most nights. I truly can’t wait.

I hate him passionately.}}
{{blockquote|'''Carlson''': Trump has two weeks left. Once he’s out, he becomes incalculably less powerful, even in the minds of his supporters.

'''Carlson''': He’s a demonic force, a destroyer. But he’s not going to destroy us. I’ve been thinking about this every day for four years.

'''Pfeiffer''': You’re right. I don’t want to let him destroy me either. [REDACTED]. The Trump anger spiral is vicious.

'''Carlson''': That’s for sure. Deadly. It almost consumed me in November when Sidney Powell attacked us. It was very difficult to regain emotional control, but I knew I had to. We’ve got two weeks left. We can do this.
}}
{{blockquote|An unidentified individual told Tucker Carlson on 9 November 2020 that Trump should concede the election. Carlson replied: "Oh I'm fully aware," and referred to Trump as a “total piece of shit." But, he added, “We can’t control him obviously. Got to do the responsible thing regardless of how he behaves."<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/media/2025/nov/24/fox-news-coverage-2020-election-documents-key-takeaways What happened at Fox News after the 2020 election? Documents reveal new details: Tens of thousands of documents were released as part of Smartmatic’s defamation lawsuit against the network] by Jeremy Barr (24 Nov 2025 13.05 EST) ''The Guardian''.</ref>}}

Despite his personal opinions, Carlson appeared to acknowledge that there was financial incentives for Fox News to kowtow to Trump's Big Lie, in order to prevent their audience from migrating to fringe "news" networks that enthusiastically embraced and promoted Trump's bullshit. (As Carlson put it: "an alternative like [[newsmax]] could be devastating to us".)<ref name="slatetuckerprivate"/>

===Tucker Carlson, criminal fanboy===
In 2022, Carlson made a special trip from his 'coastal elite' house in [[Maine]] to California to give a tribute at the funeral of Sonny Barger, founder of the Hells Angels outlaw motorcycle club. Barger had been convicted of drug dealing, conspiracy to transport explosives with intent to commit murder and damage buildings,<ref name=barger>{{wpa|Sonny Barger}}</ref> and domestic violence.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jul/17/sonny-barger-obituary Sonny Barger obituary] by Michael Carlson (no relation) (July 17, 2022) ''The Guardian''.</ref> Realistically, Barger committed many other crimes that he was not convicted of since he was a Hells Angel (murder, kidnapping, and assault with a deadly weapon).<ref name=barger/> Nonetheless, Carlson delivered his squeaky-voiced eulogy, quoting Barger:<ref>[https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/sonny-barger-funeral-carlson-speech-17470009.php Tucker Carlson gives speech at Sonny Barger's funeral in Northern California] by Katie Dowd (Sep. 27, 2022) ''SFGATE''.</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20220926184650/https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/watch-tucker-carlson-tribute-hells-angels-motorcycle-club-founder-sonny-barger Tucker Carlson speaks at tribute to Hells Angels founder Sonny Barger] by Julia Johnson (September 26, 2022 02:28 PM) ''The Washington Examiner'' (archived from September 26, 2022).</ref>
{{cquote|Why is it left to Sonny Barger to say, ‘Stand tall, stay loyal, remain free, and always value honor?' The president of the United States should be saying that every single morning as he salutes the flag, but only Sonny Barger is saying it. I thought to myself, if there is a phrase that sums up more perfectly what I want to be, what I aspire to be, and the kind of man I respect, I can’t think of a phrase that sums it up more perfectly than that.}}
Speaking before the Hells Angels, Carlson looks and sounds<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20221001110951/https://twitter.com/JackPosobiec/status/1574391939243380740 BREAKING: Tucker Carlson make surprise appears to deliver tribute at funeral of Hells Angels biker gang founder in California] by Jack Posobiec (6:34 AM · Sep 26, 2022) ''Twitter''.</ref> like someone that the Angels would happily turn into hamburger meat.

===Tucker Carlson, creationist===
In an April 2024 interview with [[Joe Rogan]], Carlson declared that the "[[Darwinism|theory of evolution as articulated by Darwin]]" was "kind of not true".<ref name="carlsoncreationist">[https://www.mediaite.com/podcasts/tucker-carlson-completely-dismisses-darwins-theory-of-evolution-citing-no-evidence-with-joe-rogan-its-not-a-new-idea/ "Tucker Carlson Completely Dismisses Darwin’s Theory of Evolution, Citing ‘No Evidence’ with Joe Rogan: ‘It’s Not a New Idea!’"] by Zachary Leeman, Mediaite, 2024 April 22</ref> Of course, it's not wrong that Darwin's theory was "kind of not true", since it has been improved upon and refined considerably since ''Origin of Species'' was published.  In particular, genetics was unknown at the time but is now understood to be the mechanism for the changes he observed. 

If you've been paying attention, however, you might suspect that wasn't where he was going with that comment, and you'd be right.  To "prove" this point, he proclaimed that there was no evidence in the [[fossil record]] of [[evolution]], a bogus argument often used by creationists. (In [[reality]], ''evolution'' actually is, by far, the most accepted explanation by scientists for the patterns observed in the fossil record.)<ref>Russo CAM, André T. [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6428117/ Science and evolution.] Genet Mol Biol. 2019 Feb 28;42(1):120-124. doi: 10.1590/1678-4685-gmb-2018-0086. PMID: 30816905; PMCID: PMC6428117.</ref> Instead, Carlson advanced a [[creationism|creationist]] argument ("[[Creation Week|God created people, you know, distinctly, and animals]]."), justifying his stance with a weak [[appeal to tradition]]. ("I mean, I think that’s what every person on Earth thought until the mid-19<sup>th</sup> Century, actually. It’s not a new idea!")<ref name="carlsoncreationist"/> Even the normally [[credulous]] Rogan pushed back against Carlson's creationism.<ref name="carlsoncreationist"/>

==Tucker Carlson, ex-Fox News host==
{{cquote|There is no Tucker on tonight. Tonight, no smirk, no squint, no sneer, no racist rhetoric, accompanied by a stifled giggle. Tonight, if you turn on the TV, it will not stare back at you perplexed and angry as though you are {{wpl|Wicked Bible|a startling typo that has made the Bible sexy|.}} You will not be all but directed on whom to harass or threaten. You will have to make things up as you go along. Tonight, if you say, "Roku, show me the exact diametric opposite of 'Mister Rogers' Neighborhood,'" your TV will not have a ready answer.|||Alexandra Petri<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/04/26/tucker-carlson-leaves-fox-news-satire There is no Tucker Carlson on tonight] by Alexandra Petri (April 26, 2023 at 7:15 a.m. EDT) ''The Washington Post''.</ref>}}
Shortly after Dominion settled with Fox News, on Monday April 24 2023, Fox News announced that they "and Tucker Carlson have agreed to part ways."<ref>[https://www.cbsnews.com/news/tucker-carlson-leaving-fox-news/ "Tucker Carlson is leaving Fox News, network announces"] by Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 2023 April 24</ref> The announcement was sudden and unexpected; on the previous ''Tucker Carlson Tonight'' program on Friday April 20 2023, Carlson cheerily told his viewers that "we'll be back on Monday".<ref>[https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/tucker-carlson-fox-news-final-show-b2325876.html "Was Tucker Carlson caught off guard by Fox News exit? His final show would suggest so"] by Rachel Sharp, Independent, 2023 April 24</ref> Ads for Carlson's supposedly-forthcoming show were still running the Monday morning that Carlson was pushed out the door.<ref name="wpcarlsonout">[https://www.washingtonpost.com/media/2023/04/24/tucker-carlson-leaves-fox-news/ Tucker Carlson is out at Fox News after Dominion lawsuit disclosures] by Jeremy Barr & Sarah Ellison (April 24, 2023) ''The Washington Post''.</ref> 

One source reported that the decision to terminate Carlson came directly from Fox chairman [[Rupert Murdoch]] himself.<ref>[https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2023-04-24/tucker-carlson-is-out-at-fox-news "Tucker Carlson departs Fox News, pushed out by Rupert Murdoch"] by Stephen Battaglio, Los Angeles Times, 2023 April 24</ref> Aside from Carlson's role in the defamation lawsuit, reportedly negative comments about Fox management by Carlson (that were revealed in the Dominion case), as well as vulgar [[misogynistic]] slurs directed at guests and management (as reportedly found in private messages that were redacted from public legal filings), also played a significant role in Carlson's departure.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/26/business/media/tucker-carlson-dominion-fox-news.html "On Eve of Trial, Discovery of Carlson Texts Set Off Crisis Atop Fox"] by Jim Rutenberg, Jeremy W. Peters and Michael S. Schmidt, New York Times, 2023 April 26</ref> An additional factor cited was a sexual harassment (and other alleged wrongs) lawsuit against Fox by a former ''Tucker Carlson Tonight'' producer named Abby Grossberg, which claimed that Grossberg was subject to a hostile and discriminatory environment while working for Carlson, which included frequent use of vulgarities to describe women and frequent [[antisemitic]] "jokes".<ref name="wpcarlsonout"/><ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/24/business/media/tucker-carlson-abby-grossberg-lawsuit.html "In a Lawsuit, Tucker Carlson Is Accused of Promoting a Hostile Work Environment"] by Katie Robertson, New York Times, 2023 April 24</ref> 

The ''[[New York Times]]'' also reported that a text message sent to a producer around the [[2021 U.S. coup attempt]], where Carlson flirted with justifying political violence (with a hint of overt [[racism]]) before moralizing the temptation away, played a role in the dismissal.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/02/business/media/tucker-carlson-text-message-white-men.html "Carlson’s Text That Alarmed Fox Leaders: ‘It’s Not How White Men Fight’"] by Jeremy W. Peters, Michael S. Schmidt, and Jim Rutenberg, New York Times, 2023 May 2</ref> One of the reporters of this article, {{wpl|Michael S. Schmidt}}, claimed in a later interview that many of the texts that had not been released to the public were actually far worse than anything revealed to the public, and when Fox executives saw them, "they didn't think it was survivable for the network to have known about it and to allow him to stay on the air."<ref>[https://www.salon.com/2023/04/28/tucker-carlsons-unreleased-texts-were-so-fox-news-didnt-think-it-was-survivable-reporter/ "Tucker Carlson’s unreleased texts were so bad Fox News didn’t think it was “survivable”: reporter"] by Tatyana Tandanpolie, Salon, 2023 April 28</ref>

In early May 2023, Carlson announced that he would be relaunching a new version of his political commentary program on [[Twitter]]. Reportedly this would be in violation of Carlson's non-compete clause with Fox News, but Carlson's legal team shortly before the announcement tried to get ahead of any contractual disputes by firing off a letter accusing Fox News of fraud and breaching Carlson's contract themselves.<ref>[https://www.salon.com/2023/05/10/tucker-carlson-accuses-fox-of-fraud-as-he-reportedly-snubs-25-million-to-flee-to-twitter/ "Tucker Carlson accuses Fox of fraud as he reportedly snubs $25 million to flee to Twitter"] by Igor Derysh, Salon, 2023 May 10</ref> Promisingly, the first episode of his new show started by promoting claims about an [[Extraterrestrial|alien]] [[UFO|spacecraft]] being recovered, before descending into more run-of-the-mill pro-Russia and pro-Trump conspiracy theories.<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/06/07/tucker-carlson-ufos-twitter-fox-news/ "Tucker Carlson becomes just another social-media conspiracy theorist"]. ''The Washington Post'', June 7, 2023.</ref> Carlson apparently wasn't content to remain a mere Twitter personality, so he announced in December 2023 that he'd launch his own paid streaming service, the "Tucker Carlson Network", with Neil Patel (who he co-founded the ''Daily Caller'' with) as his CEO.<ref>David Bauder (December 11, 2023). [https://apnews.com/article/tucker-carlson-streaming-service-a782bd14a17250cef45ee084562664dd "Former Fox host Tucker Carlson is launching his own streaming network with interviews and commentary"]. ''The Associated Press''.</ref><ref>Michael Sainato (December 11, 2023). [https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/dec/11/tucker-carlson-network-subscription-streaming-service "Tucker Carlson to launch his own $72-a-year subscription streaming service"]. ''The Guardian''.</ref>

In 2023, Carlson stated that he had an "[[Open mind#The paradox of an "open mind"|open mind]]" about the [[flat Earth]] conspiracy theory. His 'open mind' is despite his stating that there's [[gun nut]] evidence to the contrary, "As far as the curvature of the Earth, that's a thing in shooting. I like rifle shooting and past a certain distance you have to take that in account. That suggests it's real. Because one thing I know that is guns. Guns are real."<ref>[https://www.meidastouch.com/news/tucker-carlson-on-flat-earth-theory-im-open-to-anything Tucker Carlson on Flat Earth Theory: "I'm Open to Anything". Carlson: "There's been so much deception that you can't trust your preconceptions"] by J.D. Wolf (Dec 16, 2023) ''Meidas Touch''.</ref> The amount of deflection is indirectly caused by Earth curvature and rotation (Coriolis & Eötvös effects), and only causes a 0.03m adjustment per 900m (i.e., only sharpshooters might care about this).<ref>[https://flatearth.ws/sniper Long-Range Snipers and the Coriolis & Eötvös Effects] ''FlatEarth.ws''.</ref>

==We pause now for a few moments of not being a dick==
{{main|Stopped clock}}
While he supported the [[Iraq War]] at first, he would later criticize it<ref>"LP: Newly Dovish, Tucker Carlson Goes Public (Tucker Carlson turns against the war)"</ref> and the [[W|Bush]] Administration in general.<ref>"Republican Convention: Tucker Carlson (washingtonpost.com)"</ref> He has also been strongly critical of the Trump administration's attempts to start a war with [[Iran]].<ref>https://www.cnn.com/2020/01/04/media/fox-news-iran-soleimani/index.html</ref><ref>https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2020/01/07/one-trumps-most-vocal-critics-iran-fox-newss-tucker-carlson/</ref>

In August 2018, he dedicated a segment of his Fox News show to calling out Amazon, [[Walmart]], and Uber for not paying workers a living wage (and thus, [[Corporate welfare|forcing taxpayers to pick up the slack instead]]), in weighing the benefits of the "Stop Bezos Act" proposed by [[Bernie Sanders]] and Ro Khanna.

Tucker has supported Palestinian resistance and criticized Israel. He has brought attention to the plight of Palestinian Christians (who suffer from Israeli imperialism like Palestinian Muslims) and platformed Munther Isaac, a Palestinian pastor who has voiced significant opposition.<ref>[https://youtu.be/eHayOkXe5ig?si=_SQC_BzJG7RY4622 How does the government of Israel treat Christians?] YouTube</ref>

After [[Charlie Kirk]] was assassinated in 2025, sending MAGA into a frenzy to try and silence all criticism of Kirk by any means necessary, Tucker took the time to voice a(n admittedly less than scathing) defense of free speech and call out the Trump administration for their threats to legally crack down on anyone saying bad things about Kirk.<ref>[https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/tucker-carlson-charlie-kirk-free-speech-b2829145.html Tucker Carlson says Trump administration is using Charlie Kirk’s killing to trample First Amendment], ''The Independent''</ref>

==Follow the money==
{{cquote|It works by you taking (the [[Koch Industries|Koch family's]]) money, it's as simple as that. You are a millionaire funded by billionaires, that's what you are.|||Dutch historian {{wpl|Rutger Bregman||,}} in an interview for ''Tucker Carlson Tonight'' that Carlson refused to air<ref>[https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/a26432056/tucker-carlson-fox-news-interview-rutger-bergman/ "Behold the Tucker Carlson Interview Where He Got Owned So Bad He Refused to Air It"] by Jack Holmes, Esquire, 2019 February 20</ref>}}

Many journalists who have followed the career of Carlson have asked, what happened to the serious reporter of the 1990s, who still believed in integrity and, while [[conservative]], wouldn't hesitate to take potshots at [[George W. Bush]] in the {{wpl|Weekly Standard||?}}<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1999/08/17/the-opinionated-journalist/4340b332-e33d-442b-b681-fbb97cffee71/ "The Opinionated Journalist"] by Howard Kurtz, Washington Post, 1999 August 17</ref><ref group=note>The obvious answer? Hypocrisy is [[Denialism|mind cancer]], and that goes double for Fox News.</ref>

In 2009, when Carlson still had a shred of credibility left, Carlson gave a speech at {{wpl|Conservative Political Action Conference|CPAC}}. During the speech, he defended accuracy in reporting news and felt that there was a need for more conservative news organizations with the accuracy and integrity of newspapers like the ''[[New York Times]]''. The mere ''suggestion'' that accuracy in reporting was a good thing was met with a chorus of boos.<ref>[https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2018/06/tucker-carlson-is-hurting-america-again/563138/ "Tucker Carlson Is Hurting America Again"] by Conor Friedersdorf, Atlantic, 2018 June 20</ref> Perhaps this was the point when he realized that the profitable side of conservative "news" really wasn't in actual factual reporting. Instead, the real money was in the [[Rush Limbaugh]]-pioneered style of outrage, where shock-jock verbal stunts (accuracy be damned) were combined with "[[good old days]]" [[jingoism]] about "[[White nationalism|real Americans]]." Historically, after all, it certainly has been very profitable in America to bash the "[[elite]]", portray oneself as an underdog, and babble about [[conspiracy theories]].<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/made-by-history/wp/2018/07/18/how-the-right-became-addicted-to-conspiracies/ "How the right became addicted to conspiracies"] by Nicole Hemmer, Washington Post, 2018 July 18</ref> (The fact that, as someone whose mother is an heir to the {{wpl|Swanson}} frozen dinner fortune, Carlson ''is'' part of the elite is irrelevant to the target audience.)<ref name="tuckermystery"/>

It's not like there wasn't a little bit of the Carlson white grievance demagogue in the past, when he was doing things like writing stories in {{wpl|Esquire (magazine)|''Esquire''}} that all but accused [[Al Sharpton]] of [[reverse racism]].<ref name="tuckermystery"/> But his stint at the ''[[Daily Caller]]'' (where Carlson followed in ''[[Breitbart]]'''s footsteps and devolved the Caller into [[truthiness]] and [[bullshit]] for the future [[Donald Trump]]-worshiping crowd)<ref>[https://archives.cjr.org/feature/the_great_right_hype.php "The Great Right Hype"] by Joel Meares, Columbia Journalism Review, 2011 July/August</ref> and maybe a few appearances in the 2000s on a radio program run by a shock jock named {{wpl|Bubba the Love Sponge}} seemed to have taught Carlson that there was no need to bother with difficult elements of journalism such as "[[fact]]s" and "accuracy", especially when outrage is such a profitable enterprise.<ref>[https://newrepublic.com/article/163567/tucker-carlson-profile-lost-mind "How Tucker Carlson Lost It"] by Alex Shephard, New Republic, 2021 September 16</ref> And so, Carlson set out on his path to [[lie]] and shock all the way up to the highest viewership of any cable news show in US history.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/media/2021/sep/14/fox-news-host-tucker-carlson-i-lie "Fox News host Tucker Carlson tells interviewer: ‘I lie’"] by Martin Pengelly, Guardian, 2021 September 14</ref><ref>[https://www.businessinsider.com/tucker-carlson-fox-news-too-big-to-cancel-911-calls-2021-4 "Why Tucker Carlson is too big for Fox News to cancel"] by Jake Lahut, Business Insider, 2021 April 28</ref> 

As stated by [[Republican]] speechwriter {{wpl|Michael Gerson}} in a ''[[Washington Post]]'' op-ed, Carlson provides his audience with "mass-marketed [[racism]]", sophisticated sounding (but intellectually empty) "rationales for their [[white nationalism|worst, most prejudicial instincts.]]"<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/04/12/how-tucker-carlsons-racist-rhetoric-gives-new-life-trumpism/ "Tucker Carlson shows what mass-marketed racism looks like"] by Michael Gerson, Washington Post, 2021 April 12</ref> Even if mainstream advertisers flee Carlson's program due to the content, this type of message is depressingly popular with a ''lot'' of Americans, which translates into high TV ratings.<ref>[https://www.forbes.com/sites/jonathanberr/2020/08/29/why-fox-news-pays-a-price-to-stick-by-tucker-carlson/ "Why Fox News Pays A Price To Stick By Tucker Carlson"] by Jonathan Berr, Forbes, 2020 August 29</ref> As long as [[Rupert Murdoch]], the puppeteer pulling Carlson's strings,<ref>[https://theintercept.com/2019/03/12/tucker-carlson-tapes-rupert-murdoch/ "Tucker Carlson on Rupert Murdoch in 2010 Radio Segment: 'I'm 100 Percent His Bitch'"] by Aida Chavez, Intercept, 2019 March 12</ref> thought that Carlson's political shock jock performance was both good for [[Fox News]]'s business and good for the businesses aligned with the Republican Party (businesses that, say, certainly approved if Carlson inserts a rant against measures to prevent [[climate change]] in the middle of his white grievance spiel),<ref>[https://gizmodo.com/tucker-carlson-thinks-climate-change-is-a-conspiracy-to-1847158016 "Tucker Carlson Thinks Climate Change Is a Conspiracy to Shrink Your Kids"] by Dharna Noor, Gizmodo, 2021 June 23</ref> Carlson's racist [[conspiracy theory]]-promoting shitshow was allowed to continue. At least until April 2023, when in the wake of a costly defamation lawsuit by Dominion against Fox, Tucker left Fox News. And nothing of value was lost.<ref>[https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2021-04-21/fox-news-and-the-murdochs-will-keep-tucker-carlson-despite-ad-boycott-over-race "Fox News Thinks Tucker Carlson Is Still Good for Business"] by Timothy L. O'Brien, Bloomberg Opinion, 2021 April 21</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/tucker-carlson-leaving-fox-news/|title=Tucker Carlson is leaving Fox News, network announces|last=Quinn|first=Melissa|date=April 25, 2023|publisher=CBS News}}</ref>

==Relationship with Alex Jones==
Although Carlson and ultra-conspiracy theorist [[Alex Jones]] have kept distance from each other in public in the past, Jones has been shown to have a mutual brotherhood with Carlson on Fox News because of Carlson's previously stepping over the line in 2019.<ref name=peltz/><ref name=wemple>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/01/19/tucker-carlson-texts-alex-jones-takeaways/ 3 takeaways from Tucker Carlson’s texts with Alex Jones] by Erik Wemple (January 19, 2023 at 1:19 p.m. EST) ''The Washington Post''.</ref> The dump of Jones' phone text conversations with Carlson revealed what many leftists have suspected, that being a close relation because of their pro-trump rhetoric despite Carlson (formerly) being a television host while Alex is a banned commentator.<ref>[https://www.huffpost.com/entry/exclusive-tucker-carlson-alex-jones-texts-revealed_n_63b5ad3ce4b0d6f0b9f77efa Alex Jones Phone Dump Reveals Text Convos With Tucker Carlson: "Everyone who thought it was fine that they deplatformed Alex Jones will look like a f**king moron," Tucker Carlson told the Infowars boss in a text.] by Sebastian Murdock] (Jan 12, 2023) ''Huffington Post''.</ref><ref name=wemple/>

==See also==
*[[Alex Jones]], his close buddy.
*[[Laura Ingraham]], his coworker, both previously being Fox’s biggest racist hosts.
*[[Sean Hannity]], his less insane coworker.
*[[Fox News]], his former workplace.

==In a nutshell==
{{video|youtube|XMGxxRRtmHc}}

==External links==
*[https://youtube.com/watch?v=Oq4UHWSTdO8 SWANSON: Eldritch Tucker Carlson]

==Notes==
{{notelist|2|80%}}

==References==
{{reflist|2|80%}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Carlson, Tucker}}
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