Tucker Carlson
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Tucker Swanson McNear Carlson (born May 16, 1969) is an American
conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...
political commentator who hosted the nightly political talk show '' Tucker Carlson Tonight'' on
Fox News The Fox News Channel (FNC), commonly known as Fox News, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Conservatism in the United States, conservative List of news television channels, news and political commentary Television stati ...
from 2016 to 2023. Since his contract with Fox News was terminated, he has hosted ''Tucker on X'' and '' The Tucker Carlson Show.'' An advocate of President
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
, Carlson has been described as "perhaps the highest-profile proponent of Trumpism", "the most influential voice in right-wing media, without a close second," and a leading voice of white grievance politics. Carlson began his media career in the 1990s, writing for '' The Weekly Standard'' and other publications. He was a CNN commentator from 2000 to 2005 and a co-host of '' Crossfire'', the network's prime-time news debate program, from 2001 to 2005. From 2005 to 2008, he hosted the nightly program '' Tucker'' on
MSNBC MSNBC is an American cable news channel owned by the NBCUniversal News Group division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. Launched on July 15, 1996, and headquartered at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in Manhattan, the channel primarily broadcasts r ...
. In 2009, he became a political analyst for Fox News, appearing on various programs before launching his own show. In 2010, Carlson co-founded and served as the initial editor-in-chief of the right-wing news and opinion website '' The Daily Caller'', until selling his ownership stake and leaving in 2020. He has written three books: '' Politicians, Partisans, and Parasites'' (2003), '' Ship of Fools'' (2018), and '' The Long Slide'' (2021). Carlson is known for circulating
far-right Far-right politics, often termed right-wing extremism, encompasses a range of ideologies that are marked by ultraconservatism, authoritarianism, ultranationalism, and nativism. This political spectrum situates itself on the far end of the ...
ideas into mainstream politics and discourse. He has promoted
conspiracy theories A conspiracy theory is an explanation for an event or situation that asserts the existence of a conspiracy (generally by powerful sinister groups, often political in motivation), when other explanations are more probable.Additional sources: * ...
on topics such as demographic replacement,
COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...
, the
January 6 United States Capitol attack On January 6, 2021, the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C., was attacked by a mob of supporters of Donald Trump, President Donald Trump in an attempted self-coup,Multiple sources: * * * * * * * * * * * * * two months afte ...
, and Ukrainian bioweapons; and has been noted for false and misleading statements about these and other topics. Carlson's remarks on race,
immigration Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not usual residents or where they do not possess nationality in order to settle as Permanent residency, permanent residents. Commuting, Commuter ...
, and womenincluding slurs he said on air between 2006 and 2011have been described by some as
racist Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one Race (human categorization), race or ethnicity over another. It may also me ...
and
sexist Sexism is prejudice or discrimination based on one's sex or gender. Sexism can affect anyone, but primarily affects women and girls. It has been linked to gender roles and stereotypes, and may include the belief that one sex or gender is int ...
, and provoked advertiser boycotts of ''Tucker Carlson Tonight''. In April 2023, Fox News dismissed Carlson and canceled his show without any explanation. It was
Lachlan Murdoch Lachlan Keith Murdoch (; born 8 September 1971) is a British and Australian businessman and mass media heir. He is the son of the media Business magnate, tycoon Rupert Murdoch. He is the executive chairman of Nova Entertainment, chairman of N ...
who made the decision to fire him. ''Tucker Carlson Tonight'' had at that point been one of the most-watched cable news shows in the country. Carlson was among the hosts named in the '' Dominion Voting Systems v. Fox News Network''
defamation Defamation is a communication that injures a third party's reputation and causes a legally redressable injury. The precise legal definition of defamation varies from country to country. It is not necessarily restricted to making assertions ...
lawsuit for broadcasting false statements about the plaintiff company's
voting machine A voting machine is a machine used to record votes in an election without paper. The first voting machines were mechanical but it is increasingly more common to use ''electronic voting machines''. Traditionally, a voting machine has been defi ...
s that Fox News settled for $787.5 million and required Fox News to acknowledge that the broadcast statements were false. Carlson is a critic of immigration. Formerly an economic
libertarian Libertarianism (from ; or from ) is a political philosophy that holds freedom, personal sovereignty, and liberty as primary values. Many libertarians believe that the concept of freedom is in accord with the Non-Aggression Principle, according ...
, he now supports
protectionism Protectionism, sometimes referred to as trade protectionism, is the economic policy of restricting imports from other countries through methods such as tariffs on imported goods, import quotas, and a variety of other government regulations ...
. In 2004, he renounced his initial support for the
Iraq War The Iraq War (), also referred to as the Second Gulf War, was a prolonged conflict in Iraq lasting from 2003 to 2011. It began with 2003 invasion of Iraq, the invasion by a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition, which ...
, and has since been skeptical of U.S. foreign interventions. He was said to have influenced some of Trump's decisions as president, including the cancellation of a military strike against Iran in 2019, the dismissal of John Bolton as National Security Advisor the same year, and the commutation of
Roger Stone Roger Jason Stone (born Roger Joseph Stone Jr.; August 27, 1952) is an American Political consulting, political consultant and lobbyist. He is Donald Trump's longest-serving political adviser, best known for the Mueller special counsel investi ...
's prison sentence in 2020, and would criticize Trump when he believed he was straying from "Trumpism". Carlson has often defended the
president of Russia The president of Russia, officially the president of the Russian Federation (), is the executive head of state of Russia. The president is the chair of the State Council (Russia), Federal State Council and the President of Russia#Commander-in-ch ...
,
Vladimir Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who has served as President of Russia since 2012, having previously served from 2000 to 2008. Putin also served as Prime Minister of Ru ...
. In February 2024, he became the first Western journalist to interview Putin since the
Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...
in February 2022.


Early life and education

Carlson was born Tucker McNear Carlson at the
Children's Hospital A children's hospital (CH) is a hospital that offers its services exclusively to infants, children, adolescents, and young adults from birth up to until age 18, and through age 21 and older in the United States. In certain special cases, the ...
in
San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...
, California, on May 16, 1969. He is the elder son of Lisa McNear (; 19452011), an artist from San Francisco, and Dick Carlson (19412025), a former " gonzo reporter" who became the director of
Voice of America Voice of America (VOA or VoA) is an international broadcasting network funded by the federal government of the United States that by law has editorial independence from the government. It is the largest and oldest of the American internation ...
, president of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and the U.S. ambassador to the Seychelles, and more recently a director at the lobbying firm Policy Impact Strategic Communications. Carlson's brother, Buckley Peck Carlson, later Buckley Swanson Peck Carlson, is nearly two years younger and has worked as a communications manager and a Republican Party political operative. Carlson's paternal grandparents were Richard Boynton and Dorothy Anderson, who were teenagers when they placed his father at The Home for Little Wanderers orphanage, where he was fostered by Carl Moberger of Malden, near Boston, a tannery worker of Swedish descent, and his wife Florence Moberger. Carlson's father was adopted at the age of two by upper-middle-class New Englanders, the Carlsons, an executive at the Winslow Brothers & Smith Tannery of Norwood (the oldest tannery in America) and his wife. Carlson's maternal great-great-great-grandfather was Henry Miller, the "Cattle King". Carlson's maternal great-great-grandfather Cesar Lombardi immigrated to New York from
Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
in 1860. Carlson is also a distant relative of
Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...
politicians Ebenezer R. Hoar and George M. Brooks. Carlson himself was named after his great-great-great-grandfather J. C. Tucker and his great-great-grandfather George W. McNear. Carlson is of one thirty-second Italian-Swiss ancestry. In 1976, Carlson's parents divorced after the nine-year marriage reportedly "turned sour". Carlson's father was granted custody of Tucker and his brother. Carlson's mother left the family when he was six and moved to France. The boys never saw her again. When Carlson was in first grade, his father moved Tucker and his brother to the La Jolla neighborhood of
San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...
, California, and raised them there. Carlson attended La Jolla Country Day School and grew up in a home overlooking the La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club. His father owned property in
Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...
and
Vermont Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provinces and territories of Ca ...
, and islands in Maine and
Nova Scotia Nova Scotia is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, located on its east coast. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and Population of Canada by province and territory, most populous province in Atlan ...
. In 1984, his father unsuccessfully challenged the incumbent Republican Party mayor Roger Hedgecock in the San Diego mayoral race. In 1979, Carlson's father married Patricia Caroline Swanson, an heiress to Swanson Enterprises, daughter of Gilbert Carl Swanson and niece of Senator J. William Fulbright. Though Patricia remained a beneficiary of the family fortune, the Swansons had sold the brand to the
Campbell Soup Company The Campbell's Company (doing business as Campbell's and formerly known as the Campbell Soup Company) is an American company, most closely associated with its flagship canned soup products. The classic red-and-white can design used by many Campbe ...
in 1955 and did not own it by the time of Carlson's father's marriage. This was the third marriage for Swanson, who legally adopted Tucker Carlson and his brother. Carlson was briefly enrolled at Collège du Léman, a boarding school in the
Canton of Geneva The Canton of Geneva, officially the Republic and Canton of Geneva, is one of the Cantons of Switzerland, 26 cantons of the Switzerland, Swiss Confederation. It is composed of forty-five Municipality, municipalities, and the seat of the governme ...
in French-speaking Switzerland, but said he was "kicked out". He attained his secondary education at St. George's School, a boarding school in Middletown, Rhode Island, where he started dating his future wife, Susan Andrews, the headmaster's daughter. He then spent four years attending Trinity College in
Hartford, Connecticut Hartford is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The city, located in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, had a population of 121,054 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ce ...
and graduated in 1991 with a B.A. in
history History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the Human history, human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some t ...
. Carlson's Trinity yearbook describes him as a member of the " Dan White Society", an apparent reference to the American political assassin who murdered San Francisco mayor George Moscone and supervisor
Harvey Milk Harvey Bernard Milk (May 22, 1930 – November 27, 1978) was an American politician and the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California, as a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. Milk was born and raised i ...
. After college, Carlson tried to join the
Central Intelligence Agency The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA; ) is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States tasked with advancing national security through collecting and analyzing intelligence from around the world and ...
, but his application was denied, after which he decided to pursue a career in journalism with the encouragement of his father, who advised him that "they'll take anybody".


Career

Carlson began his career in journalism as a fact-checker for '' Policy Review'', a national
conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...
journal then published by
the Heritage Foundation The Heritage Foundation (or simply Heritage) is an American Conservatism in the United States, conservative think tank based in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1973, it took a leading role in the conservative movement in the 1980s during the Presi ...
and later acquired by the
Hoover Institution The Hoover Institution (officially The Hoover Institution on War, Revolution, and Peace and formerly The Hoover Institute and Library on War, Revolution, and Peace) is an American public policy think tank which promotes personal and economic ...
. He then worked as an opinion writer at the ''
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette The ''Arkansas Democrat-Gazette'' is the newspaper of record in the U.S. state of Arkansas, printed in Little Rock with a northwest edition published in Lowell. It is distributed for sale in all 75 of Arkansas's counties. By virtue of one ...
'' newspaper in
Little Rock, Arkansas Little Rock is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Arkansas, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The city's population was 202,591 as of the 2020 census. The six-county Central Arkan ...
, before joining '' The Weekly Standard''
news magazine A news magazine is a typed, printed, and published magazine, radio, or television program, usually published weekly, consisting of articles about current events. News magazines generally discuss stories in greater depth than newspapers or new ...
in 1995. Writer Andrew Ferguson, who served as senior editor of ''The Weekly Standard'', said that Carlson "had as much talent as anybody who ever came through the door." Carlson sought a role with the publication after hearing of its founding, fearing he would be "written off as a wing nut" if he instead joined '' The American Spectator''. In 1999, Carlson interviewed then-Governor
George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...
for '' Talk'' magazine. He quoted Bush mocking Karla Faye Tucker, who was executed in Bush's state of
Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...
, and frequently using the word "
fuck ''Fuck'' () is profanity in the English language that often refers to the act of sexual intercourse, but is also commonly used as an intensifier or to convey disdain. While its origin is obscure, it is usually considered to be first attested ...
". The piece led to bad publicity for Bush's 2000 presidential campaign. Bush claimed that "Mr. Carlson misread, mischaracterized me. He's a good reporter, he just misunderstood about how serious that was. I take the death penalty very seriously." Among liberals, Carlson's piece received praise, with Democratic consultant Bob Shrum calling it "vivid". Carlson said of the interview, "I thought I'd be ragged for writing a puffy piece. My wife said people are going to think you're hunting for a job in the Bush campaign." Further into his career in print, Carlson worked as a columnist for '' New York'' magazine and ''
Reader's Digest ''Reader's Digest'' is an American general-interest family magazine, published ten times a year. Formerly based in Chappaqua, New York, it is now headquartered in midtown Manhattan. The magazine was founded in 1922 by DeWitt Wallace and his wi ...
''; writing for ''
Esquire Esquire (, ; abbreviated Esq.) is usually a courtesy title. In the United Kingdom, ''esquire'' historically was a title of respect accorded to men of higher social rank, particularly members of the landed gentry above the rank of gentleman ...
'', ''
Slate Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous, metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade, regional metamorphism. It is the finest-grained foliated metamorphic ro ...
'', '' The Weekly Standard'', ''
The New Republic ''The New Republic'' (often abbreviated as ''TNR'') is an American magazine focused on domestic politics, news, culture, and the arts from a left-wing perspective. It publishes ten print magazines a year and a daily online platform. ''The New Y ...
'', ''
The New York Times Magazine ''The New York Times Magazine'' is an American Sunday magazine included with the Sunday edition of ''The New York Times''. It features articles longer than those typically in the newspaper and has attracted many notable contributors. The magazi ...
'', ''
The Daily Beast ''The Daily Beast'' is an American news website focused on politics, media, and pop culture. Founded in 2008, the website is owned by IAC Inc. It has been characterized as a "high-end tabloid" by Noah Shachtman, the site's editor-in-chief ...
'', and ''
The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...
''. John F. Harris of ''
Politico ''Politico'' (stylized in all caps), known originally as ''The Politico'', is an American political digital newspaper company founded by American banker and media executive Robert Allbritton in 2007. It covers politics and policy in the Unit ...
'' would later remark on how Carlson was "viewed... as an important voice of the intelligentsia" during this period. While working on a story for ''New York'' covering the
Taliban , leader1_title = Supreme Leader of Afghanistan, Supreme leaders , leader1_name = {{indented plainlist, * Mullah Omar{{Natural Causes{{nbsp(1994–2013) * Akhtar Mansour{{Assassinated (2015–2016) * Hibatullah Akhundzada (2016–present) ...
, Carlson, alongside his father, was involved in a plane crash as it made its landing on a runway in
Dubai Dubai (Help:IPA/English, /duːˈbaɪ/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''doo-BYE''; Modern Standard Arabic, Modern Standard Arabic: ; Emirati Arabic, Emirati Arabic: , Romanization of Arabic, romanized: Help:IPA/English, /diˈbej/) is the Lis ...
on October 17, 2001. Carlson's 2003 ''Esquire'' profile on his journey to
Liberia Liberia, officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to Liberia–Sierra Leone border, its northwest, Guinea to Guinea–Liberia border, its north, Ivory Coast to Ivory Coast–Lib ...
alongside Reverend
Al Sharpton Alfred Charles Sharpton Jr. (born October 3, 1954) is an American civil rights and social justice activist, Baptists, Baptist minister, radio talk show host, and TV personality, who is also the founder of the National Action Network civil rig ...
and other
civil and political rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' political freedom, freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and ...
activists would garner a nomination at the National Magazine Awards. In his early television career, Carlson wore
bow tie The bow tie or dicky bow is a type of neckwear, distinguishable from a necktie because it does not drape down the shirt placket, but is tied just underneath a winged collar. A modern bow tie is tied using a common shoelace knot, which is also ...
s, a habit from boarding school he continued on air until 2006. On June 21, 2021, ''
New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' reporter Ben Smith reported that Carlson was a media source for several journalists and authors, including Michael Isikoff, Michael Wolff,
Brian Stelter Brian Patrick Stelter (born September 3, 1985) is an American journalist best known as the former chief media correspondent for CNN and host of the CNN program ''Reliable Sources'', roles he held from 2013 to 2022. He returned to CNN in 2024. St ...
, and others who wrote critically of
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
.


CNN (2000–2005)

In 2000, Carlson co-hosted the short-lived show ''The Spin Room'' on CNN. In 2001, he was appointed co-host of '' Crossfire'', in which Carlson and Robert Novak represented the political right (alternating on different nights), while James Carville and Paul Begala, also alternating as hosts, represented the left. Carlson's 2003 interview with
Britney Spears Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the "Princess of Pop", she has sold over 150 million records worldwide, making her one of the world's best-selling music artists. Cultural impact of Brit ...
, wherein he asked if she opposed the ongoing
Iraq War The Iraq War (), also referred to as the Second Gulf War, was a prolonged conflict in Iraq lasting from 2003 to 2011. It began with 2003 invasion of Iraq, the invasion by a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition, which ...
and she responded, " should just trust our president in every decision he makes", was featured in the 2004 film '' Fahrenheit 9/11'', for which she won a
Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Supporting Actress The Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Supporting Actress is an award presented annually at the Golden Raspberry Awards (or "Razzies") to the worst supporting actress of the previous year. Nominees and winners are voted on by the Golden Raspberry ...
at the 25th Golden Raspberry Awards.


Jon Stewart debate

In October 2004, comedian and ''
The Daily Show ''The Daily Show'' is an American late-night talk show, late-night talk and news satire television program. It airs each Monday through Thursday on Comedy Central in the United States, with extended episodes released shortly after on Paramount+ ...
'' host Jon Stewart appeared on ''Crossfire'', ostensibly to promote ''
America (The Book) ''America (The Book): A Citizen's Guide to Democracy Inaction'' is a 2004 humor book written by Jon Stewart and other writers of ''The Daily Show'' that parodies and satirizes American politics and worldview. It has won several awards, and gen ...
'', but he instead launched into a critique of ''Crossfire'', saying the show was harmful to political discourse in the U.S. Carlson was singled out by Stewart for criticism, with Carlson in turn criticizing Stewart for being biased toward the left. Carlson and Begala later recalled that Stewart and one of the book's co-authors, Ben Karlin, stayed at CNN for more than an hour after the show to discuss the issues he had raised on the air, with Carlson saying, "It was heartfelt. tewartneeded to do this." In 2017, ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' referred to Stewart's "on-air dressing-down" of Carlson as an "ignominious career oment for Carlson, leading to the show's cancellation. ''
The Atlantic ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher based in Washington, D.C. It features articles on politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 185 ...
'' suggested that Stewart's appearance was a turning point leading to how Carlson remade himself. On January 5, 2005, CNN chief Jonathan Klein told Carlson the network had decided not to renew his contract. CNN announced that it was ending its relationship with Carlson and would soon cancel ''Crossfire''. Carlson later said: "I resigned from ''Crossfire'' in April 004 many months before Jon Stewart came on our show, because I didn't like the partisanship, and I thought in some ways it was kind of a pointless conversation."


PBS (2004–2005)

Carlson was hired to helm a new program for PBS in November 2003, ''Tucker Carlson: Unfiltered'', which ran concurrently with Carlson's ''Crossfire'' gig on CNN. The show launched on June 18, 2004, and was, according to ''
The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. It was founded on February 21, 1925, by Harold Ross and his wife Jane Grant, a reporter for ''The New York T ...
'', "part of a broader effort to push PBS further to the right ideologically". Carlson announced he was leaving the show roughly a year after it started on June 12, 2005, despite the Corporation for Public Broadcasting allocating money for another show season. Carlson wanted to focus on his new
MSNBC MSNBC is an American cable news channel owned by the NBCUniversal News Group division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. Launched on July 15, 1996, and headquartered at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in Manhattan, the channel primarily broadcasts r ...
show '' Tucker'' and said that although PBS was one of the "least bad" instances of government spending he disagreed with, it was still "problematic".


MSNBC (2005–2008)

Carlson's early evening show ''Tucker'', originally titled ''The Situation With Tucker Carlson'', premiered on June 13, 2005, on
MSNBC MSNBC is an American cable news channel owned by the NBCUniversal News Group division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. Launched on July 15, 1996, and headquartered at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in Manhattan, the channel primarily broadcasts r ...
. Rachel Maddow and Jay Severin featured as guests on a rotating panel. He also hosted a late-afternoon weekday wrap-up for the network during the
2006 Winter Olympics The 2006 Winter Olympics (), officially the XX Olympic Winter Games () and also known as Torino 2006, were a winter multi-sport event held from 10 to 26 February in Turin, Italy. This marked the second time Italy had hosted the Winter O ...
. He reported the aftermath of the
Virginia Tech shooting The Virginia Tech shooting was a spree killer, spree shooting that occurred on Monday, April 16, 2007, comprising two attacks on the campus of the Virginia Tech, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) in Blacksbu ...
and Johnson Space Center shooting in 2007. ''Tucker'' was canceled by the network on March 10, 2008, owing to low ratings; the final episode aired on March 14, 2008. He remained with the network as a senior campaign correspondent for the 2008 election.
Brian Stelter Brian Patrick Stelter (born September 3, 1985) is an American journalist best known as the former chief media correspondent for CNN and host of the CNN program ''Reliable Sources'', roles he held from 2013 to 2022. He returned to CNN in 2024. St ...
, writing for ''The New York Times'', reported that, "during Mr. Carlson's tenure, MSNBC's evening programming moved gradually to the left. His former time slots, 6:00p.m. and 9:00p.m., were subsequently occupied by two liberals, Ed Schultz and Rachel Maddow." Carlson said the network had changed a lot and "they didn't have a role for me". Carlson described being fired by MSNBC as leading to a professional "meltdown". In discussing the termination, he described himself as "hav nga lot of problems with authority and being told what to do. I don't react well to it. I become really aggressive


Media outside journalism (2006–2008)

Carlson was a contestant on season 3 of the reality show '' Dancing with the Stars'', which aired in 2006; he was paired with professional dancer Elena Grinenko. Carlson took four-hour-a-day
ballroom dance Ballroom dance is a set of European partner dances, which are enjoyed both socially and competitively around the world, mostly because of its performance and entertainment aspects. Ballroom dancing is also widely enjoyed on stage, film, and te ...
classes to prepare. In an interview a month before the show began, he lamented that he would miss classes during a two-week-long MSNBC assignment in Lebanon, saying, "It's hard for me to remember the moves." Carlson said he accepted ABC's invitation to perform because "I don't do things that I'm not good at very often. I'm psyched to get to do that." Carlson was the first contestant eliminated, on September 13, 2006. Carlson had
cameo appearance A cameo appearance, also called a cameo role and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief guest appearance of a well-known person or character in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking on ...
s as himself in the Season1 episode " Hard Ball" of '' 30 Rock'' and in a Season9 episode of ''
The King of Queens ''The King of Queens'' is an American television sitcom that ran on CBS from September 21, 1998, to May 14, 2007, with a total of 207 half-hour episodes spanning nine seasons. The series was created by Michael J. Weithorn and David Litt, who al ...
''. He had a cameo appearance in the 2008 film ''
Swing Vote A swing vote is a vote that is seen as potentially going to any one of a number of candidates in an election, or, in a two-party system, may go to either of the two dominant political parties. It usually comes from voters who are 'undecided' or ...
'', again playing himself.


''The Daily Caller'' (2010–2020)

On January 11, 2010, Carlson and Neil Patel (a former aide to
Dick Cheney Richard Bruce Cheney ( ; born January 30, 1941) is an American former politician and businessman who served as the 46th vice president of the United States from 2001 to 2009 under President George W. Bush. He has been called vice presidency o ...
, and former college roommate of Carlson) launched a political news website titled '' The Daily Caller''. Carlson served as editor-in-chief, and occasionally wrote opinion pieces with Patel. The website was funded by the conservative activist Foster Friess. By February 2010, ''The Daily Caller'' was part of the White House rotating press pool. Carlson reportedly offered his employees free junk food, an unmonitored keg, provided them with a ping pong table, and allowed them to sleep under their desks. In interviews, Carlson said ''The Daily Caller'' would not be tied to ideology but rather "breaking stories of importance", and "We're not enforcing any kind of ideological orthodoxy on anyone." Columnist Mickey Kaus quit after Carlson refused to run a column critical of Fox News's coverage of the immigration policy debate due to his contractual obligations to Fox News. In June 2010, ''The Daily Caller'' published excerpts from e-mails sent between members of JournoList, an invitation-only liberal forum, consisting of "several hundred journalists, academics and policy experts" launched in 2007 by
Ezra Klein Ezra Klein (born May 9, 1984) is an American American liberalism, liberal political commentator and journalist. He is currently a ''The New York Times, New York Times'' columnist and the host of ''The Ezra Klein Show'' podcast. He is a co-founde ...
. The forum barred media reporters and conservatives. Carlson had earlier attempted to join the forum on May 25, 2010, but was denied by Klein. Klein offered to form a bipartisan forum with Carlson, but Carlson declined. ''Daily Caller'' employees later impersonated an editor of the '' Arkansas Times'' to gain entry into JournoList. The e-mails leaked by ''The Daily Caller'', which detailed efforts to, according to Carlson, "formulate the most effective talking points in order to defeat Palin and McCain and help elect
Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...
president", also contained statements by ''
The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...
''s Dave Weigel "wishing for the death of
Rush Limbaugh Rush Hudson Limbaugh III ( ; January 12, 1951 – February 17, 2021) was an American Conservatism in the United States, conservative political commentator who was the host of ''The Rush Limbaugh Show'', which first aired in 1984 and was nati ...
" among other controversial remarks that ''The Washington Post'' considered "untenable", leading to his resignation. In February 2012, ''The Daily Caller'' published an "investigative series" of articles co-authored by Carlson, purporting to be an insiders' exposé of Media Matters for America, the liberal watchdog group that monitors and scrutinizes conservative media outlets, and its founder David Brock.
Reuters Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide writing in 16 languages. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world. The agency ...
media critic and libertarian Jack Shafer, while commenting "I've never thought much of Media Matters' style of watchdogging or Brock's journalism", nevertheless sharply criticized ''The Daily Caller'' piece for relying on conjecture, absence of evidence, and inclusion of "anonymously sourced crap", adding that "''Daily Caller'' is attacking Media Matters with bad journalism and lame propaganda." In June 2017, the Center for Media and Democracy, a liberal watchdog organization, said ''The Daily Caller'' was paid $150,000 by Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign for its list of subscribers, whom the Trump campaign then emailed at least 25 times. The watchdog said Carlson had a conflict of interest and had violated journalistic standards. In June 2020, Carlson sold his one-third stake in ''The Daily Caller'' to Patel for an undisclosed amount and said "Neil atelruns it. I wasn't adding anything. So we made it official".


Fox News Channel (2009–2023)

In May 2009, Fox News announced that Carlson was being hired as a Fox News contributor. He was a frequent guest panelist on Fox's late-night satire show '' Red Eye w/Greg Gutfeld'', made frequent appearances on the All-Star Panel segment of '' Special Report with Bret Baier'', was a substitute host of ''
Hannity ''Hannity'' is an American Conservatism in the United States, conservative television political Talk show, talk program on Fox News hosted by Sean Hannity. Episodes air live at 9:00 p.m. from Monday through Thursday, while episodes that ai ...
'' in
Sean Hannity Sean Patrick Hannity (born December 30, 1961) is an American conservative television presenter, broadcaster and writer. He hosts ''The Sean Hannity Show'', a radio syndication, nationally syndicated talk radio show, has hosted a Hannity, sel ...
's absence, and produced and hosted a special entitled ''Fighting for Our Children's Minds'' in September 2010. On the eve of then-President
Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...
's first debate with
Mitt Romney Willard Mitt Romney (born March 12, 1947) is an American businessman and retired politician. He served as a United States Senate, United States senator from Utah from 2019 to 2025 and as the 70th governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007 ...
in October 2012, Carlson publicized a 2007 video recording of then-
Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or Legislative chamber, chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior ...
Obama criticizing the federal government's response to
Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a powerful, devastating and historic tropical cyclone that caused 1,392 fatalities and damages estimated at $125 billion in late August 2005, particularly in the city of New Orleans and its surrounding area. ...
and complimenting his pastor at the time, Reverend Jeremiah Wright. Wright's sermons had been a
controversy Controversy (, ) is a state of prolonged public dispute or debate, usually concerning a matter of conflicting opinion or point of view. The word was coined from the Latin '' controversia'', as a composite of ''controversus'' – "turned in an op ...
in Obama's 2008 presidential campaign. Portions of the video had been available online since 2007. An anonymous user going by the name "Sore Throwt" (a pun on famous
Watergate The Watergate scandal was a major political scandal in the United States involving the administration of President Richard Nixon. The scandal began in 1972 and ultimately led to Nixon's resignation in 1974, in August of that year. It revol ...
informant Deep Throat) had been looking for a buyer of the tape for a week before Carlson distributed it. In April 2013, Carlson replaced Dave Briggs as a co-host of '' Fox & Friends Weekend'', joining Alisyn Camerota and Clayton Morris on Saturday and Sunday mornings.


''Tucker Carlson Tonight'' (2016–2023)

On November 14, 2016, Carlson began hosting ''Tucker Carlson Tonight'' on Fox News. The premiere episode of the show, which replaced '' On the Record'', was the network's most watched telecast of the year in the time slot, with 3.7 million viewers. ''Tucker Carlson Tonight'' aired at 7:00p.m. each weeknight until January 9, 2017, when Carlson's show replaced
Megyn Kelly Megyn Marie Kelly (; born November 18, 1970) is an American journalist, attorney, political commentator, and media personality. She currently hosts ''The Megyn Kelly Show'', a talk show and podcast that airs daily on Sirius XM's Triumph channe ...
at the 9:00p.m. time slot after she left Fox News. In January 2017, ''
Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917. It has been owned by the Hong Kong–based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments since 2014. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes. The co ...
'' reported that the show had "scored consistently high ratings, averaging 2.8 million viewers per night and ranking as the number two cable news program behind ''The O'Reilly Factor'' in December". In March 2017, ''Tucker Carlson Tonight'' was the most watched cable program in the 9:00p.m. time slot. On April 19, 2017, following the cancellation of '' The O'Reilly Factor'', Fox News announced that ''Tucker Carlson Tonight'' would air at 8:00p.m. ''Tucker Carlson Tonight'' was the third-highest-rated cable news show as of March 2018. In October 2018, ''Tucker Carlson Tonight'' was the second-highest rated cable news show in prime time, after '' The Sean Hannity Show'' with
Sean Hannity Sean Patrick Hannity (born December 30, 1961) is an American conservative television presenter, broadcaster and writer. He hosts ''The Sean Hannity Show'', a radio syndication, nationally syndicated talk radio show, has hosted a Hannity, sel ...
, with 3.2 million nightly viewers. By the end of 2018, the show had begun to be boycotted by at least 20 advertisers after Carlson said
immigration Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not usual residents or where they do not possess nationality in order to settle as Permanent residency, permanent residents. Commuting, Commuter ...
makes the country "poorer, dirtier and more divided". According to Fox News, the advertisers only moved their ad buys to other programs. In November 2018, a "Smash Racism D.C." activist group associated with antifa protested outside Carlson's home in Washington, D.C. Carlson's driveway was vandalized with a spray-painted anarchist symbol. Carlson alleged "someone started throwing himself against the front door and actually cracked the front door," though police observed no damage to the door, nor did ''
Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...
'' columnist Erik Wemple when he visited the Carlson home the next day. Carlson was not home at the time of the incident. By January 2019, Carlson's show dropped to third with 2.8 million nightly viewers, down six percent from the previous year. The show also lost at least 26 advertisers. In March 2019, there were calls to fire Carlson from Fox News after
Media Matters Media Matters for America (MMfA) is a non-profit left-leaning watchdog journalism organization. It was founded in 2004 by journalist and political activist David Brock as a counterweight to the conservative Media Research Center. It seeks to ...
resurfaced remarks he had made over several years to the radio show '' Bubba the Love Sponge'' concerning women, calling them "like dogs" and "extremely primitive", and
statutory rape In common law jurisdictions, statutory rape is nonforcible sexual activity in which one of the individuals is below the age of consent (the age required to legally consent to the behaviour). Although it usually refers to adults engaging in sex ...
,
Iraqis Iraqis ( ; ) are the citizens and nationals of the Republic of Iraq. The majority of Iraqis are Arabs, with Kurds accounting for the largest ethnic minority, followed by Turkmen. Other ethnic groups from the country include Yazidis, As ...
, and immigrants. His ratings rose eight percent that week despite the boycotts. By August 2019, Media Matters calculated that some companies had fulfilled their media buy contracts and advertising inventory for the time slot and had now begun their purchases for other time slots on Fox News. At the close of 2019, Carlson's Nielsen ratings among all viewers 25–54 placed him second only to Fox's ''The Sean Hannity Show'' among cable news shows. In December 2019, ''
Playboy ''Playboy'' (stylized in all caps) is an American men's Lifestyle journalism, lifestyle and entertainment magazine, available both online and in print. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, funded in part by a $ ...
'' model Karen McDougal sued Fox News after Carlson, in a 2018 episode of his show, accused her of extorting Donald Trump. In September 2020, federal judge Mary Kay Vyskocil dismissed the lawsuit, citing Fox News' defense that Carlson's extortion claims were opinion based and not "statements of fact". The judge also agreed with Fox News' defense that reasonable viewers would have "skepticism" over statements Carlson makes on its show, as he often engages in "exaggeration" and "non-literal commentary", and that Carlson is not "stating actual facts" on its show. Beginning the week of June 8–14, 2020, ''Tucker Carlson Tonight'' became the highest-rated cable news show in the U.S., with an average of four million viewers, beating out the shows hosted by fellow Fox News pundits Hannity and Laura Ingraham. This came in the wake of Carlson's remarks criticizing the
Black Lives Matter Black Lives Matter (BLM) is a Decentralization, decentralized political and social movement that aims to highlight racism, discrimination and Racial inequality in the United States, racial inequality experienced by black people, and to pro ...
movement, which had caused some companies to pull their advertising from the show, including
The Walt Disney Company The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was founded on October 16 ...
, , and Papa John's. In July 2020, Carlson's head writer Blake Neff resigned after
CNN Business CNN Business (formerly CNN Money) is a financial news and information website, operated by CNN. The website was originally formed as a joint venture between CNN.com and Time Warner's '' Fortune'' and ''Money'' magazines. Since the spin-off of T ...
reported that he had been using a pseudonym to post remarks that were widely described as racist, sexist, and homophobic on AutoAdmit, a message board known for its lack of moderation of offensive and defamatory content. The incident drew renewed scrutiny to Carlson's program, already under pressure from sponsors because of Carlson's remarks about Black Lives Matter. Neff had also previously been a writer on '' The Daily Caller''. Carlson condemned Neff's posts on the second episode of ''Tucker Carlson Tonight'' that aired after the posts were initially reported. By October 2020, ''Tucker Carlson Tonight'' averaged 5.3 million viewers, with the show's monthly average becoming the highest of any cable news program in history at that point. In the 25–54 demographic, the show maintained an average viewership of just over a million, with 670,000 being between 18 and 49. Carlson's program saw a dip in viewership following the aftermath of the 2020 election, losing out to '' Anderson Cooper 360°'' in the 25–54 demographic, which Carlson had maintained a hold of the prior month. In 2020, ''Tucker Carlson Tonight'' and ''The Sean Hannity Show'' became the first cable news programs to finish a full year with viewership in excess of four million. In the week following the inauguration of
Joe Biden Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...
as president, ''Tucker Carlson Tonight'' remained the only cable news program not to see a drop in viewership, slightly increasing from where it stood one week prior and reclaiming its lead among the 25–54 demographic. It remained the most-watched news-related cable show as of mid-2021. Through May 2022 it was a close second to '' The Five'', while leading in the 25–54 demographic.


''Tucker Carlson Today''

In February 2021, Carlson announced a multiyear deal with Fox News to host a new weekly
podcast A podcast is a Radio program, program made available in digital format for download over the Internet. Typically, a podcast is an Episode, episodic series of digital audio Computer file, files that users can download to a personal device or str ...
and series of monthly specials dubbed ''Tucker Carlson Originals'' on sister streaming service Fox Nation, which released on March 29. In spring of 2021, he began hosting a show on Fox Nation called ''Tucker Carlson Today''.


Departure from Fox News

On the morning of Monday, April 24, 2023, Fox News dismissed Carlson and the executive producer of his evening show. It does not appear that Carlson received advance notice of his dismissal, given that on Friday, April 21, in what became his final show's sign-off, he told his viewers that he would "be back on Monday". As of October 2023, a rotation of guest hosts fill Carlson's old slot until a permanent replacement is found. On April 26, Carlson responded to his departure by tweeting a video that was watched millions of times. Fox did not provide a reason for Carlson's termination. The ''
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...
'' wrote that Chairman of
Fox Corporation Fox Corporation (commonly referred to as Fox Corp or simply Fox) is an American multinational mass media company headquartered at 1211 Avenue of the Americas, 1211 Avenue of the Americas in Midtown Manhattan, with offices also in Burbank, Cali ...
Rupert Murdoch Keith Rupert Murdoch ( ; born 11 March 1931) is an Australian - American retired business magnate, investor, and media mogul. Through his company News Corp, he is the owner of hundreds of List of assets owned by News Corp, local, national, a ...
was responsible for the firing, and that a pending lawsuit from former Fox producer Abby Grossberg and Carlson's coverage of the January 6 U.S. Capitol insurrection both influenced the decision. ''
The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...
'' wrote that Carlson was dismissed due to private messages in which he criticized Fox's management, using vulgar and offensive language. In May, ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' reported that in one such message Carlson expressed racist views by criticizing three Trump supporters who were beating one antifa activist: "It's not how white men fight." Less than a week before his ouster Fox retained law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz to investigate Tucker over this and potentially other messages due to liability concerns. ''
The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...
'' wrote that the decision to oust Carlson was made by Murdoch's son, Lachlan, and Fox CEO Suzanne Scott. Fox was reported to have a "stockpile" of damaging information that they would be ready to release in case of any retaliation made by Carlson; the network denied this, however.


''Tucker on Twitter'' / ''Tucker on X'' (since 2023)

In a video on his
Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...
feed on May 9, 2023, Carlson said he would relaunch his show on Twitter. Just before making the announcement, Carlson's attorneys sent a letter to Fox executives, alleging that Rupert Murdoch and other senior executives "intentionally" broke their promises to him, an alleged breach of contract that he says ought to free him from his
non-compete clause In contract law, a non-compete clause (often NCC), restrictive covenant, or covenant not to compete (CNC), is a clause under which one party (usually an employee) agrees not to enter into or start a similar profession or trade in competition again ...
. Fox News reportedly sent him a cease and desist after the first episode aired. The first episode of the show, called ''Tucker on Twitter'', was released on June 6, 2023 and lasted just over 10 minutes. During the episode, Carlson claimed that the US had recovered an extraterrestrial
starship A starship, starcraft, or interstellar spacecraft is a theoretical spacecraft designed for interstellar travel, traveling between planetary systems. The term is mostly found in science fiction. Reference to a "star-ship" appears as early as 1 ...
and its pilot; that
Volodymyr Zelensky Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelenskyy (born 25 January 1978) is a Ukrainian politician and former entertainer who has served as the sixth and current president of Ukraine since 2019. He took office five years after the start of the Russo-Ukraini ...
is "sweaty and rat-like", and was persecuting Christians; that the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam was done by Ukrainian forces; that the
Black Lives Matter Black Lives Matter (BLM) is a Decentralization, decentralized political and social movement that aims to highlight racism, discrimination and Racial inequality in the United States, racial inequality experienced by black people, and to pro ...
riots were organized by an unknown entity; and that the truth behind the
September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, also known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing the first two into ...
was still classified. In June 2023, he was reportedly seeking funds to start a new media company with Neil Patel. On August 23, 2023, Carlson hosted Donald Trump on ''Tucker on X'', the re-branded name of Twitter, deliberately to conflict with the first 2024 Republican debate. On September 6, 2023, Carlson interviewed Larry Sinclair, who had a criminal record, largely for crimes of deceit and who claimed that he had "had a night of crack cocaine-fueled sex with
Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...
" 24 years before. The interview was criticized by many, including
Elon Musk Elon Reeve Musk ( ; born June 28, 1971) is a businessman. He is known for his leadership of Tesla, SpaceX, X (formerly Twitter), and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Musk has been considered the wealthiest person in th ...
, owner of X. He launched the streaming service Tucker Carlson Network in December, with both ad-supported and subscription-based content. Initially planned for Twitter/X, Musk's company was unable to deliver the needed technology. Justin Wells, a former executive producer at Fox for Carlson, will oversee programming.


Vladimir Putin interview

Carlson traveled to Russia in February 2024 to interview President
Vladimir Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who has served as President of Russia since 2012, having previously served from 2000 to 2008. Putin also served as Prime Minister of Ru ...
, whom he "has been an outspoken defender of". It was Putin's first one-on-one interview with a Western journalist since he launched the
Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...
in February 2022. Carlson said that while Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelenskyy had been given a platform, "not a single Western journalist has bothered to interview the president of the other country involved in this conflict, Vladimir Putin". This sparked backlash from American and European journalists, who pointed out that they had repeatedly been denied interviews with Putin, and that some had been expelled. The Kremlin Press Secretary, Dmitry Peskov, said Carlson had been allowed an interview because "his position is different", saying, "It's not pro-Russian, not pro-Ukrainian, it's pro-American. It starkly contrasts with the stance of traditional Anglo-Saxon media". Some independent Russian journalists were angered by Carlson's words, noting that at least 1,000 independent journalists had fled Russia due to new censorship laws that ban criticism of the war. They also highlighted that two American journalists were currently imprisoned by Russia: Evan Gershkovich of ''
The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...
'' and Alsu Kurmasheva of
Radio Free Europe Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) is a media organization broadcasting news and analyses in 27 languages to 23 countries across Eastern Europe, Central Asia, the Caucasus, and the Middle East. Headquartered in Prague since 1995, RFE/RL ...
. After the death of prominent Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny in a Russian prison days after the interview, Carlson faced fresh criticism for holding the interview with Putin and saying that "leadership requires killing people". Carlson called Navalny's death "barbaric and awful" in a statement to ''The New York Times''.


''The Tucker Carlson Show'' (since 2024)

In May 2024, Carlson launched the weekly commentary podcast ''The Tucker Carlson Show''. At its launch, ''Slate'' wrote that Carlson had diminished popularity. Quickly, though, Carlson regained his popularity, and ''The Tucker Carlson Show'' soon became one of the highest-rating political podcasts; it was the #1 most popular on
Spotify Spotify (; ) is a List of companies of Sweden, Swedish Music streaming service, audio streaming and media service provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. , it is one of the largest providers of music streaming services ...
in July 2024. On September 2, 2024, Carlson hosted podcaster and amateur historian Darryl Cooper on ''Tucker on X''. Without correction or contradiction from Carlson, Cooper endorsed
Holocaust denial Historical negationism, Denial of the Holocaust is an antisemitic conspiracy theory that asserts that the genocide of Jews by the Nazi Party, Nazis is a fabrication or exaggeration. It includes making one or more of the following false claims: ...
and otherwise departed from the historical consensus regarding World War II, causing controversy. Cooper called
Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965) was a British statesman, military officer, and writer who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 (Winston Churchill in the Second World War, ...
"the chief villain" of
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
and claimed that the
Nazis Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...
did not intentionally perpetrate
the Holocaust The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...
. Three days after the interview, White House senior deputy press secretary Andrew Bates condemned Carlson for "giving a microphone to a Holocaust denier who spreads Nazi propaganda". On September 9, all 24 Democratic Jewish members of Congress issued a joint statement saying that they were "appalled that Tucker Carlson hosted and promoted Nazi apologist and Holocaust denier Darryl Cooper on his podcast". Republican congressman Mike Lawler (who is not Jewish) said in his own condemnation of Carlson that "platforming known Holocaust revisionists is deeply disturbing."


Writing

Carlson authored the memoir '' Politicians, Partisans, and Parasites: My Adventures in Cable News'', published by
Warner Books Grand Central Publishing is a book publishing imprint of Hachette Book Group, originally established in 1970 as Warner Books when Kinney National Company acquired the New York City-based Paperback Library. When Time Warner sold their book publis ...
in September 2003, about his television news experiences. It received favorable reviews from ''
Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...
'' and the '' Washingtonian'', who both complimented the book for its humor. In May 2017, Carlson, represented by the literary and creative agency Javelin, signed an eight-figure, two-book deal with
Simon & Schuster Simon & Schuster LLC (, ) is an American publishing house owned by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts since 2023. It was founded in New York City in 1924, by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. Along with Penguin Random House, Hachette Book Group US ...
's conservative imprint, Threshold Editions. His first book in the series, '' Ship of Fools: How a Selfish Ruling Class is Bringing America to the Brink of Revolution'', was released in October 2018, and debuted at No.1 on ''The New York Times'' Best Seller list. His second book, '' The Long Slide: Thirty Years in American Journalism'', was released in August 2021. In 2023, a biography of Carlson titled ''Tucker'' was released. The book was written by Chadwick Moore with the help of Carlson, who had given the author more than 100 hours of interviews. Moore had stated that the book was intended to tell the story of Carlson's exit from Fox News from the former host's perspective. The book performed poorly, with just over 3,000 copies sold during the first week after its release.


Political views

Carlson has been described in the media as a conservative, paleoconservative,
right-wing Right-wing politics is the range of political ideologies that view certain social orders and hierarchies as inevitable, natural, normal, or desirable, typically supporting this position based on natural law, economics, authority, property ...
extremist Extremism is "the quality or state of being extreme" or "the advocacy of extreme measures or views". The term is primarily used in a political or religious sense to refer to an ideology that is considered (by the speaker or by some implied shar ...
, and far-right. In 2021, ''Time'' magazine said Carlson "may be the most powerful conservative in America". Writing for '' New York'' magazine's '' Intelligencer'' in 2019, Park MacDougald called Carlson a "'' Middle American radical''", which he described as someone who holds populist economic beliefs; hostility to
corporatocracy Corporatocracy or corpocracy is an economic, political and judicial system controlled or influenced by business corporations or corporate Interest group, interests. The concept has been used in explanations of bank bailouts, excessive pay for ...
; fervent positions on
nationalism Nationalism is an idea or movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, it presupposes the existence and tends to promote the interests of a particular nation, Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: Theory, I ...
, race, and
immigration Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not usual residents or where they do not possess nationality in order to settle as Permanent residency, permanent residents. Commuting, Commuter ...
; and a preference for a strong U.S. president. MacDougald identified this form of radicalism as the ideological core of Trumpism. Carlson is noted for circulating
white nationalist White nationalism is a type of racial nationalism or pan-nationalism which espouses the belief that white people are a Race (human categorization), raceHeidi Beirich and Kevin Hicks. "Chapter 7: White nationalism in America". In Perry, Barbara ...
views and terminology into mainstream political discourse, in particular, repackaging the fringe racist "replacement" conspiracy theory into a version that accuses Democrats and "elites" of forcing demographic change. More virulent versions of the conspiracy theory have been cited by gunmen in several
mass shooting A mass shooting is a violent crime in which one or more attackers use a firearm to Gun violence, kill or injure multiple individuals in rapid succession. There is no widely accepted specific definition, and different organizations tracking su ...
s targeting minorities; Carlson has denounced the attacks. Carlson is a Republican. He was previously registered as a Democrat in Washington, D.C., from 2006 to 2020. In 2017, Carlson said his registration as a Democrat was to gain the right to vote in the primaries for mayoral elections in the district, and that he nevertheless "sincerely despise the Democratic Party and "always vote for the more corrupt candidate over the idealist" in order to favor the status quo and stem
progressivism Progressivism is a Left-right political spectrum, left-leaning political philosophy and Reformism, reform political movement, movement that seeks to advance the human condition through social reform. Adherents hold that progressivism has unive ...
. Carlson campaigned for Republicans and Republican-affiliated causes during his time as a Democrat.


Parties and candidates

In public correspondence in ''
Slate Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous, metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade, regional metamorphism. It is the finest-grained foliated metamorphic ro ...
'' with '' Texas Monthly''s Evan Smith on November 29, 1999, Carlson agreed with Smith's low opinion of Donald Trump, who was then running for president with the Reform Party. Carlson wrote that Trump was "the single most repulsive person on the planet" and that the Reform Party consisted of "a bunch of wackos". Separately, he criticized the party's eventual nominee, Pat Buchanan. In his 2018 book, ''Ship of Fools'', Carlson wrote that he had adopted some of Buchanan's views. Carlson voted for
George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...
in the 2000 election. Carlson told ''Salon'' in 2003 that some Washington conservatives suspected he was "secretly liberal" because he liked
John McCain John Sidney McCain III (August 29, 1936 – August 25, 2018) was an American statesman and United States Navy, naval officer who represented the Arizona, state of Arizona in United States Congress, Congress for over 35 years, first as ...
. Carlson said in an interview, "by my criteria, Bush isn't much of a conservative". Carlson did not vote in the 2004 election, citing his souring on the
Iraq War The Iraq War (), also referred to as the Second Gulf War, was a prolonged conflict in Iraq lasting from 2003 to 2011. It began with 2003 invasion of Iraq, the invasion by a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition, which ...
, his disillusionment with the once small-government Republican Party, and his disappointment with Bush and like-minded conservatives. Carlson was reportedly floated as a potential candidate for the
Libertarian Libertarianism (from ; or from ) is a political philosophy that holds freedom, personal sovereignty, and liberty as primary values. Many libertarians believe that the concept of freedom is in accord with the Non-Aggression Principle, according ...
nomination in the 2008 presidential election. He was included in polling at the 2008 Libertarian National Convention, with unconfirmed speculation arising that he was personally funding the effort. Carlson spoke at
Ron Paul Ronald Ernest Paul (born August 20, 1935) is an American author, activist, and politician who served as the U.S. representative for Texas's 22nd congressional district from 1976 to 1977, and again from 1979 to 1985, as well as for Texas' ...
's independent Rally for the Republic convention, opposite the official
2008 Republican National Convention The 2008 Republican National Convention took place at the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minnesota, from September 1, through September 4, 2008. The first day of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party's convention fell on Labo ...
, in
Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...
, which served as a "message of revolt to the Republican Party" and a general celebration of Paul's policy proposals. He expressed his disappointment with the Republican nominee for the 2012 election,
Mitt Romney Willard Mitt Romney (born March 12, 1947) is an American businessman and retired politician. He served as a United States Senate, United States senator from Utah from 2019 to 2025 and as the 70th governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007 ...
, and the health care reform he signed in 2006 as
governor of Massachusetts The governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is the head of government of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The governor is the chief executive, head of the state cabinet and the commander-in-chief of the commonw ...
, which contained an individual mandate, saying, "out of 315 million Americans, the Republican Party managed to find the one guy who couldn't run on Obamacare." Writing for ''Politico'' in January 2016, Carlson expressed his support for Donald Trump's candidacy and his positions, such as his proposed " Muslim ban", and criticized the other Republican candidates for not similarly making immigration a core issue. During the Trump presidency, Carlson was described in ''Politico'' as "perhaps the highest-profile proponent of 'Trumpism'a blend of anti-immigrant nationalism, economic populism and America First isolationism". Carlson's commentaries did not uniformly praise Trump, but he had frequent scorn for Trump's critics; some commentators called Carlson an exemplar of "anti-anti-Trump" arguments. In March 2023, Carlson defended Trump after he was indicted in New York, calling the indictment "election interference". Despite his praise for Trump, he has at times been critical. Carlson criticized the
assassination of Qasem Soleimani On 3 January 2020, Qasem Soleimani, an Iranian major general, was Targeted killing, killed by an American drone strike ordered by U.S. president Donald Trump near Baghdad International Airport in Iraq, while travelling to meet Iraqi prime mi ...
, ordered by Trump in January 2020 and said in June 2020 that Trump had let
Black Lives Matter Black Lives Matter (BLM) is a Decentralization, decentralized political and social movement that aims to highlight racism, discrimination and Racial inequality in the United States, racial inequality experienced by black people, and to pro ...
protests go too far. In private correspondence, he referred to Trump as a "demonic force" and wrote, "I hate him passionately". Following the 2020 election, Carlson reportedly told people he had voted for
independent candidate An independent politician or non-affiliated politician is a politician not affiliated with any political party or bureaucratic association. There are numerous reasons why someone may stand for office as an independent. Some politicians have polit ...
Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer and record producer. One of the most prominent figures in hip-hop, he is known for his varying musical style and polarizing cultural and political commentary. After ...
, though ''Politico'' points out that it was unclear whether Carlson "was serious or merely joking". In July 2021, Carlson told ''Time'' magazine that the Republican Party is "inept and bad at governing" and "much more effective as an oppositional force than it is as a governing party". Carlson supported J. D. Vance in the 2022 Republican U.S. Senate primary in Ohio and privately persuaded Trump to endorse him despite Vance's past anti-Trump comments. Former Hawaii congresswoman and Democratic presidential primary contender
Tulsi Gabbard Tulsi Gabbard (; born April 12, 1981) is an American politician and military officer serving as the director of National Intelligence, director of national intelligence (DNI) since 2025. She has held the rank of Lieutenant colonel (United Stat ...
was a substitute host on ''Tucker Carlson Tonight'' in 2022; she appeared on the show the night she left the Democratic Party in October 2022, to Carlson's praise.


Abortion

Carlson opposes abortion and has said it is the only political issue he considers non-negotiable. Carlson has described '' Roe v. Wade'' as "the most embarrassing court decision handed down in the last century". In 2024, Carlson dismissed the link between climate change and the increased frequency and intensity of hurricanes, attributing it instead to abortion.


Death penalty

Carlson wrote in 2000 that capital punishment "deserves more vigorous debate", and in 2003 told ''
Salon Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon A beauty salon or beauty parlor is an establishment that provides Cosmetics, cosmetic treatments for people. Other variations of this type of business include hair salons, spas, day spas, ...
'', "I'm opposed to the death penalty as I am adamantly opposed to abortion". After saying on Fox News in 2010 that
Michael Vick Michael Dwayne Vick (born June 26, 1980) is an American college football coach and former player who is the Head coach, head football coach at Norfolk State Spartans football, Norfolk State University. He played quarterback in the National F ...
"should have been executed" for dog fighting, Carlson stated that he is "not comfortable with the death penalty under any circumstances".


Guns

Carlson supports the
right to keep and bear arms The right to keep and bear arms (often referred to as the right to bear arms) is a legal right for people to possess weapons (arms) for the preservation of life, liberty, and property. The purpose of gun rights is for Self-defense#Armed, self ...
. He has opposed
gun control Gun control, or firearms regulation, is the set of laws or policies that regulate the manufacture, sale, transfer, possession, modification, or use of firearms and ammunition by civilians. Most countries allow civilians to own firearms, bu ...
and the assault weapons ban. He has debated several Democrats on gun control. In 2015, he said Australian gun laws were "insane" and "childish". In March 2018, he criticized Donald Trump for comments supporting gun control after the
Stoneman Douglas High School shooting On February 14, 2018, a mass shooting occurred when 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz opened fire on students and staff at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, part of the Miami metropolitan area, Parkland, Florida, killing 17 people and injuring 18 ot ...
. In a 2019 interview, Carlson said he owns an AR-15 style rifle and said "all my guns are working-class guns". He has a concealed carry permit in the District of Columbia. Carlson aired segments defending Kyle Rittenhouse, a 17-year-old who shot three protesters, killing two, in August 2020 in confrontations during unrest after a police shooting in
Kenosha, Wisconsin Kenosha () is a city in Kenosha County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of cities in Wisconsin, fourth-most populous city in Wisconsin, with a population of 99,986 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. S ...
. At trial, Rittenhouse pled self defense, and was found not guilty on all charges.


Economics

Early in his career, Carlson supported
libertarian Libertarianism (from ; or from ) is a political philosophy that holds freedom, personal sovereignty, and liberty as primary values. Many libertarians believe that the concept of freedom is in accord with the Non-Aggression Principle, according ...
economics. He supported
Ron Paul Ronald Ernest Paul (born August 20, 1935) is an American author, activist, and politician who served as the U.S. representative for Texas's 22nd congressional district from 1976 to 1977, and again from 1979 to 1985, as well as for Texas' ...
's 1988 presidential candidacy, when Paul ran as the candidate for the Libertarian Party, along with his 2008 presidential candidacy, when Paul ran as a Republican. Carlson said in 2004, "I hate all nanny-state regulations, such as seat belt laws and smoking bans." From 2009 through 2015, Carlson was a senior fellow at the
Cato Institute The Cato Institute is an American libertarian think tank headquartered in Washington, D.C. It was founded in 1977 by Ed Crane, Murray Rothbard, and Charles Koch, chairman of the board and chief executive officer of Koch Industries.Koch ...
, a libertarian think tank. Since 2018, he has promoted more populist economics, attacking
libertarianism Libertarianism (from ; or from ) is a political philosophy that holds freedom, personal sovereignty, and liberty as primary values. Many libertarians believe that the concept of freedom is in accord with the Non-Aggression Principle, according t ...
, saying " market capitalism is not a religion" and portraying some Republicans as "controlled by the banks". In an interview, he said that economic and
technological change Technological change (TC) or technological development is the overall process of invention, innovation and diffusion of innovations, diffusion of technology or business process, processes.From ''The New Palgrave Dictionary otechnical change by S. ...
that occurs too quickly can cause widespread
social Social organisms, including human(s), live collectively in interacting populations. This interaction is considered social whether they are aware of it or not, and whether the exchange is voluntary or not. Etymology The word "social" derives fro ...
and political upheaval, and praised President
Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), also known as Teddy or T.R., was the 26th president of the United States, serving from 1901 to 1909. Roosevelt previously was involved in New York (state), New York politics, incl ...
, saying his intervention in the economy in the early 1900s may have prevented a communist revolution in the United States. In 2019 on ''Tucker Carlson Tonight'', Carlson said America's "
ruling class In sociology, the ruling class of a society is the social class who set and decide the political and economic agenda of society. In Marxist philosophy, the ruling class are the class who own the means of production in a given society and apply ...
" are, in effect, the "
mercenaries A mercenary is a private individual who joins an War, armed conflict for personal profit, is otherwise an outsider to the conflict, and is not a member of any other official military. Mercenaries fight for money or other forms of payment rath ...
" behind the decline of the American middle class, and "any economic system that weakens and destroys families is not worth having. A system like that is the enemy of a healthy society." He cited parallels between the problems of inner cities and rural areas as evidence that the "
culture of poverty Culture ( ) is a concept that encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities, attitudes, and habits of the individuals in these gro ...
" cited by conservatives as the cause of urban decline "wasn't the whole story", and that "Certain economic systems allow families to thrive. Thriving families make market economies possible." In January 2019, Carlson used a ''The Washington Post''
op-ed An op-ed, short for "opposite the editorial page," is a type of written prose commonly found in newspapers, magazines, and online publications. They usually represent a writer's strong and focused opinion on an issue of relevance to a targeted a ...
by Romney to criticize what he described as the "mainstream Republican" worldview, consisting of "unwavering support for a finance-based economy. Carlson has criticized
hedge fund A hedge fund is a Pooling (resource management), pooled investment fund that holds Market liquidity, liquid assets and that makes use of complex trader (finance), trading and risk management techniques to aim to improve investment performance and ...
s (singling out the Republican donor Paul Singer in 2019) and
private equity Private equity (PE) is stock in a private company that does not offer stock to the general public; instead it is offered to specialized investment funds and limited partnerships that take an active role in the management and structuring of the co ...
(in criticizing
Mitt Romney Willard Mitt Romney (born March 12, 1947) is an American businessman and retired politician. He served as a United States Senate, United States senator from Utah from 2019 to 2025 and as the 70th governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007 ...
, former CEO of
Bain Capital Bain Capital, LP is an American Investment company, private investment firm based in Boston, Massachusetts, Boston, Massachusetts, with around $185 billion of assets under management. It specializes in private equity, venture capital, credit, p ...
). He described the business model of firms like Bain as: "Take over an existing company for a short period of time, cut costs by firing employees, run up the debt, extract the wealth and move on, sometimes leaving retirees without their earned pensions. ... Meanwhile, a remarkable number of the companies are now bankrupt or extinct." He attacked payday lenders, saying they "loan people money they can't possibly repay" and "charge them interest that impoverishes them" He praised Democratic presidential candidate
Elizabeth Warren Elizabeth Ann Warren (née Herring; born June 22, 1949) is an American politician and former law professor who is the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States senator from the state of Massachusetts, serving since 2013. A mem ...
's economic plan and called her book '' The Two Income Trap'' "one of the best books I've ever read on economics".


Environment

On his show, Carlson frequently hosts guests who downplay the
scientific consensus on climate change There is a nearly unanimous scientific consensus that the Earth has been consistently warming since the start of the Industrial Revolution, that the rate of recent warming is largely unprecedented, and that this warming is mainly the result o ...
, and disagreed with Bill Nye on the subject. Carlson has also said that he does not consider climate change a threat. Carlson argues that global warming will have many positive effects on Earth, namely "more arable land in places like Canada and northern Europe". In 2023, Carlson, Clean Ocean Action, and multiple Republicans criticized
New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...
and New York's use of
wind power Wind power is the use of wind energy to generate useful work. Historically, wind power was used by sails, windmills and windpumps, but today it is mostly used to generate electricity. This article deals only with wind power for electricity ge ...
, falsely claiming that it has been contributing to the deaths of whales.


Foreign policy

Carlson is skeptical of foreign intervention, has expressed regret for his public support of the U.S. invading Iraq in 2003, and has said "the U.S. ought to hesitate before intervening abroad". Carlson is known for some defenses of
authoritarian Authoritarianism is a political system characterized by the rejection of political plurality, the use of strong central power to preserve the political ''status quo'', and reductions in democracy, separation of powers, civil liberties, and ...
foreign leaders, including President
Vladimir Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who has served as President of Russia since 2012, having previously served from 2000 to 2008. Putin also served as Prime Minister of Ru ...
of Russia, President Nayib Bukele of
El Salvador El Salvador, officially the Republic of El Salvador, is a country in Central America. It is bordered on the northeast by Honduras, on the northwest by Guatemala, and on the south by the Pacific Ocean. El Salvador's capital and largest city is S ...
, and
Prime minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...
Viktor Orbán Viktor Mihály Orbán (; born 31 May 1963) is a Hungarian lawyer and politician who has been the 56th prime minister of Hungary since 2010, previously holding the office from 1998 to 2002. He has also led the Fidesz political party since 200 ...
of Hungary. Carlson was noted for defending Putin in the lead-up to Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Carlson's praise for Orbán included a visit and his online film ''Hungary vs. Soros''.


Russia

Carlson is sympathetic to Russian president
Vladimir Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who has served as President of Russia since 2012, having previously served from 2000 to 2008. Putin also served as Prime Minister of Ru ...
, has defended Putin's Russia, and has promoted pro-Russian disinformation and propaganda. Carlson said he does not consider Russia a serious threat to the United States, and called for the United States to work with Russia in the Syrian Civil War against a common enemy like the
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant The Islamic State (IS), also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and Daesh, is a transnational Salafi jihadist organization and unrecognized quasi-state. IS occupied signi ...
(ISIS). He asserts that Putin does not hate the United States as much as American liberals do, and suggested there is no reason to dislike Putin, asking his viewers to consider whether Putin has ever called them racist or threatened to get them fired for disagreeing with him. Carlson said it is "not treason, it is not un-American" to support Putin. In 2019, while discussing U.S. military aid to Ukraine during the Donbas War, Carlson said on his show: "Why shouldn't I root for Russia? Which I ''am''". At the end of the show, he claimed to have been joking. Afterwards, he explained: "I think we should probably take the side of Russia if we have to choose between Russia and Ukraine". In early 2022, Carlson downplayed Russia's military buildup on Ukraine's borders as a "border dispute". Although Carlson called the
Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...
"awful" and acknowledged Putin's responsibility, he has promoted pro-Russian disinformation since then, such as a Russian conspiracy theory that the U.S. and
Kyiv Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...
were developing biological weapons in Ukraine. Many of Carlson's broadcasts have been used by Russian state media to support their messaging, and '' Mother Jones'' reported that the Kremlin sent a memo to state media outlets saying it was "essential" to use video clips of Carlson "as much as possible". '' Mother Jones'' further observed Carlson was the only Western media pundit that the Kremlin adopted in this way. Carlson's views of Putin's Russia have changed markedly since the 2000s. Back then, he agreed that Russia was becoming a "police state" where "freedom of the press is disappearing", and said that Putin was "in league with our enemies". Peter Beinart of ''
The Atlantic ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher based in Washington, D.C. It features articles on politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 185 ...
'' said Carlson has been an " apologist for Donald Trump on the Russia scandal". Carlson described the controversy over revelations that Donald Trump Jr. was willing to accept opposition research about Hillary Clinton from a Russian government official as a "new level of hysteria" and said that Trump Jr. had only been "gossiping with foreigners". After the death of prominent Russian opposition activist Alexei Navalny in a Russian prison days after the interview, Carlson faced fresh criticism for holding the interview with Putin and saying that "leadership requires killing people". Carlson called Navalny's death "barbaric and awful" in a statement to ''The New York Times''.


Iraq

Carlson initially supported the Iraq War. A year after the invasion of Iraq, he began criticizing the war, telling ''
The New York Observer ''The New York Observer'' was a weekly newspaper established in 1987. In 2016, it ceased print publication and became the online-only newspaper ''Observer''. The media site focuses on culture, real estate, media, politics and the entertainment ...
'': "I think it's a total nightmare and disaster, and I'm ashamed that I went against my own instincts in supporting it." In 2004, Carlson wrote a commentary in ''Esquire'' accusing Bush of weakness after the
September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, also known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing the first two into ...
and in the invasion of Iraq. Carlson said "Iraq is a crappy place filled with a bunch of, you know, semi-literate primitive monkeys, that's why it wasn't worth invading.".


Iran

In July 2017, Carlson said that "we actually don't face any domestic threat from
Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...
". He asked Max Boot to "tell me how many Americans in the United States have been murdered by terrorists backed by Iran since 9/11?" According to ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'', Carlson played an influential role in dissuading Trump from launching military strikes against Iran in response to the shooting down of an American drone in June 2019. Carlson reportedly told Trump that if he listened to his hawkish advisors and went ahead with the strikes, he would not win re-election. In 2019, Carlson lobbied Donald Trump to fire his national security advisor, John Bolton. Carlson said Bolton was "demented" for seeking a military strike against Iran and accused him of undermining Trump by disagreeing publicly with Trump's decisions. Trump fired Bolton on September 10, 2019. Carlson called the 2020 assassination of
Qasem Soleimani Qasem Soleimani (; 11 March 1957 – 3 January 2020) was an Iranian military officer who served in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). From 1998 until Assassination of Qasem Soleimani, his assassination by the United States in 2020, h ...
a "quagmire". He criticized the "chest-beaters" who promote foreign interventions, particularly Senator Ben Sasse ( R-NE), and asked, "By the way, if we're still in Afghanistan, 19 years, sad years, later, what makes us think there's a quick way out of Iran?"


Syria

Carlson opposes overthrowing Syrian President
Bashar al-Assad Bashar al-Assad (born 11September 1965) is a Syrian politician, military officer and former dictator Sources characterising Assad as a dictator: who served as the president of Syria from 2000 until fall of the Assad regime, his government ...
and has downplayed some of the Assad regime's
human rights violations Human rights are universally recognized moral principles or norms that establish standards of human behavior and are often protected by both national and international laws. These rights are considered inherent and inalienable, meaning t ...
in the Syrian Civil War. In April 2018, Carlson questioned whether Assad was responsible for the Douma chemical attack that had occurred a few days earlier and killed dozens. In November 2019, Carlson repeated this claim and queried whether the attack had happened at all. Carlson suggested that a similar attack that occurred the year before (the Khan Shaykhun chemical attack), which was attributed to Assad's forces and which the OPCW JIM indicated was carried out with sarin that bore the regime's signature, was a
false flag A false flag operation is an act committed with the intent of disguising the actual source of responsibility and pinning blame on another party. The term "false flag" originated in the 16th century as an expression meaning an intentional misrep ...
attack perpetrated to falsely implicate the Assad government. Carlson compared Assad's war crimes during the Syrian Civil War to
Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...
's war crimes in Yemen.


Israel

In 2006, Carlson appeared live from Israel during the
2006 Lebanon War The 2006 Lebanon War was a 34-day armed conflict in Lebanon, fought between Hezbollah and Israel. The war started on 12 July 2006, and continued until a United Nations-brokered ceasefire went into effect in the morning on 14 August 2006, thoug ...
between Israel and
Hezbollah Hezbollah ( ; , , ) is a Lebanese Shia Islamist political party and paramilitary group. Hezbollah's paramilitary wing is the Jihad Council, and its political wing is the Loyalty to the Resistance Bloc party in the Lebanese Parliament. I ...
in southern Lebanon. Early on in the conflict, Carlson proposed that Lebanon fight and push out Hezbollah instead of going to war with Israel. During the conflict, he criticized Syria's involvement in the conflict in supporting Hezbollah and later expressed some support for the
Israel Defense Forces The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the State of Israel. It consists of three service branches: the Israeli Ground Forces, the Israeli Air Force, and ...
. However, he also criticized the tactics used by the Israel Defense Forces in fighting Hezbollah. During the
Gaza war The Gaza war is an armed conflict in the Gaza Strip and southern Israel fought since 7 October 2023. A part of the unresolved Israeli–Palestinian conflict, Israeli–Palestinian and Gaza–Israel conflict, Gaza–Israel conflicts dating ...
, Carlson criticized both President Joe Biden and Republican House speaker
Mike Johnson James Michael Johnson (born January 30, 1972) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the List of speakers of the United States House of Representatives, 56th speaker of the United States House of Representatives since 2023. A member ...
for their support for military aid to Israel and called for American neutrality during the conflict. He declared Israel guilty of
war crime A war crime is a violation of the laws of war that gives rise to individual criminal responsibility for actions by combatants in action, such as intentionally killing civilians or intentionally killing prisoners of war, torture, taking hostage ...
s. Commentators have described him as part of a growing faction within the Republican Party that is either indifferent, or directly opposed, to
Zionism Zionism is an Ethnic nationalism, ethnocultural nationalist movement that emerged in History of Europe#From revolution to imperialism (1789–1914), Europe in the late 19th century that aimed to establish and maintain a national home for the ...
.


Hungary

In August 2021, Carlson traveled to
Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...
, broadcasting from
Budapest Budapest is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns of Hungary, most populous city of Hungary. It is the List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, tenth-largest city in the European Union by popul ...
. He praised the country and its prime minister,
Viktor Orbán Viktor Mihály Orbán (; born 31 May 1963) is a Hungarian lawyer and politician who has been the 56th prime minister of Hungary since 2010, previously holding the office from 1998 to 2002. He has also led the Fidesz political party since 200 ...
, for rejecting asylum seekers on its border, and ridiculed the idea that Orbán was authoritarian. He spoke at a conference sponsored by the Mathias Corvinus Collegium. In January 2022, Carlson released the film ''Hungary vs. Soros'' on Fox Nation. According to '' Vox'', it promoted conspiracy theories about Soros and suggested that criticism of the Hungarian government was a function of jealousy from the political left. The
Open Society Foundations Open Society Foundations (OSF), formerly the Open Society Institute, is an American grantmaking network founded by business magnate George Soros. Open Society Foundations financially supports civil society groups around the world, with the s ...
, a group founded by Soros, called the film "anti-American propaganda", and its Vice President Laura Silber stated that "Carlson appears to prefer authoritarian rule, state capture of media and the courts, crony corruption and rigged elections."


Mexico

Carlson supported Trump's expansion of the Mexico–United States border wall, saying a wall was needed to "restore sovereignty" to the border. In a July 2018 interview about Russian involvement in U.S. elections, Carlson claimed that Mexico had interfered in U.S. elections "more successfully" than Russia by "packing our electorate" through mass immigration. This assertion was disputed by journalist Philip Bump, who wrote that the number of Mexicans in the U.S. had decreased since 2009 and asked rhetorically: "What good has it done Mexico to have a number of its citizens move to the United States and gain the right to vote?" In May 2019, Carlson defended Trump's decision to place
tariff A tariff or import tax is a duty (tax), duty imposed by a national Government, government, customs territory, or supranational union on imports of goods and is paid by the importer. Exceptionally, an export tax may be levied on exports of goods ...
s on Mexico unless Mexico stopped illegal immigration to the United States. Carlson said, "When the United States is attacked by a hostile foreign power it must strike back, and make no mistake Mexico is a hostile foreign power."


El Salvador

Carlson has visited El Salvador on three occasions, twice under Nayib Bukele's administration, and routinely defended his strongman policies to reduce crime and combat the MS-13 gangs.


North Korea

In June 2019, when President Trump met North Korean leader
Kim Jong-un Kim Jong Un (born 8 January 1983 or 1984) is a North Korean politician and dictator who has served as supreme leader of North Korea since 2011 and general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) since 2012. He is the third son of Kim ...
at the
Korean Demilitarized Zone The Korean Demilitarized Zone () is a heavily militarized strip of land running across the Korea, Korean Peninsula near the 38th parallel north. The demilitarized zone (DMZ) is a border barrier that divides the peninsula roughly in half. It wa ...
, Carlson, who was touring with Trump, defended Trump's friendship with Kim. Carlson told '' Fox & Friends'' that the North Korean regime was "monstrous" and North Korea was a "disgusting place" but "On the other hand, you've got to be honest about what it means to lead a country. It means killing people". Carlson went on to argue that "a lot of countries commit atrocities including a number that we're closely allied with".


China

Carlson has said normalization of relations with China following President
Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 until Resignation of Richard Nixon, his resignation in 1974. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican ...
's 1972 visit led to unforeseen consequences, and that America became progressively worse off for it. He criticized
LeBron James LeBron Raymone James Sr. ( ; born December 30, 1984) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "King James", he is the NBA's all-time leading scorer and ...
for speaking out against Daryl Morey, the latter having tweeted in support of the 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests, and referred to the former CEO of
The Walt Disney Company The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was founded on October 16 ...
,
Bob Iger Robert Alan Iger (; born February 10, 1951) is an American media executive who is chief executive officer (CEO) of the Walt Disney Company. He previously was the president of the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) between 1994 and 1995 and p ...
, as a "propagandist" for the
Chinese Communist Party The Communist Party of China (CPC), also translated into English as Chinese Communist Party (CCP), is the founding and One-party state, sole ruling party of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Founded in 1921, the CCP emerged victorious in the ...
. On November 20, 2020, ''The New York Times'' reported that Steve Bannon and Chinese businessman Guo Wengui had brought Li-Meng Yan to America to promote the COVID-19 lab leak theory, a theory that states COVID-19 was made in a Chinese laboratory and then escaped from the lab. Bannon and Guo set up appearances for Yan on Carlson's show to promote the theory. Carlson would later say that he did not endorse her theories. Nonetheless, Carlson still hosted her on his show for a second appearance.


Colonialism

In March 2021, Carlson stated that issues like the Latin American immigration crisis should be blamed on "other colonial powers centuries ago" instead of the United States, and suggested that the Spanish government, having a " legacy responsibility for what is happening in Latin America", should start by "sending back the gold now sitting in its central bank." Carlson's statements on Spain were criticized by Hermann Tertsch and Mamela Fiallo for supporting the Spanish Black Legend, though Fiallo's rebuttal article in '' La Gaceta'' was retracted in November 2023 after Carlson appeared with Santiago Abascal in support of the 2023 Spanish protests. After the death of
Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...
in September 2022, Carlson opined that the
British Empire The British Empire comprised the dominions, Crown colony, colonies, protectorates, League of Nations mandate, mandates, and other Dependent territory, territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It bega ...
, although "not perfect", had brought civilization to regions it occupied with "decency unmatched by any empire in human history". He was criticized in India by figures including the politician and historian Shashi Tharoor, who had written a book detailing atrocities by the British Raj.


Immigration and race

Carlson is a frequent critic of immigration, and has been described by multiple writers as demonizing both documented and undocumented immigrants. White grievance politics is a persistent theme in Carlson's commentary. Sources such as CNN and ''The Washington Post'' have said Carlson promotes racism, a charge he denies, saying in 2018, "I'm not a racist. I hate racism." Carlson has repeatedly promoted a conspiracy theory that Democrats are seeking "demographic replacement" to increase their voter base, and in 2021 he described this as "the Great Replacement conspiracy theory in the United States, Great Replacement", using white nationalist terminology. Carlson has described white supremacy as "not a real problem in America". Heidi Beirich of the Southern Poverty Law Center has said that "Carlson probably has been the No.1 commentator mainstreaming bedrock principles of white nationalism in [the U.S.]." Terry Smith, a law professor at St. Thomas University, has called Carlson's rhetoric an example of white identity politics. University of Michigan professor Alexandra Stern has written that Carlson propagates demographic fear. Neoconservative pundit Bill Kristol described Carlson's commentaries in 2018 as "close now to racism" and "Ethnic nationalism, ethno-nationalism of some kind, let's call it".


Racism and white supremacy

Carlson has compared the Presidency of Barack Obama, Obama administration's stance on anti-police protests to Nazism for "[categorizing] people by race", and he has alleged that the George Floyd protests were about "ideological domination" rather than Police brutality in the United States, police brutality. The latter comment prompted several advertisers to boycott his program. Carlson has falsely claimed that Floyd was not killed by officer Derek Chauvin and that Chauvin was only found guilty because the jurors felt threatened by rioters. When
Mitt Romney Willard Mitt Romney (born March 12, 1947) is an American businessman and retired politician. He served as a United States Senate, United States senator from Utah from 2019 to 2025 and as the 70th governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007 ...
, the 2012 Republican nominee for president, Mitt Romney's 2016 anti-Trump speech, denounced Trump in March 2016, saying Trump made a "disqualifying and disgusting response" by evading questions about former Ku Klux Klan Grand Wizard David Duke's support, Carlson criticized Romney and dismissed his speech by suggesting "Obama could have written this."


Criticisms of racism

After Neff, his head writer, was fired for hateful blog posts in 2020, Carlson said of the posts, "They have no connection to the show. It is wrong to attack people for qualities they cannot control." Separately, Carlson said in 2017 that he does not approve of white supremacy. In 2018, he criticized China's treatment of Muslims. In 2022, in response to ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' publishing a report criticizing Carlson and his show, Carlson said that his show did not have a controversial opinion on race, saying "Our view of race is really simple. We believe Martin Luther King Jr. We don't think your skin color is the most important thing about you. We think all people were created by God and should therefore be judged by what they do, not by how they look." Carlson has also offered praise for Malcolm X, saying that unlike other civil rights leaders, Malcolm X "didn't talk like a sharecropper. He spoke dignified standard English. He wasn't running a shakedown racket to fleece guilty white liberals."


Views on Islam

Carlson is Criticism of Islam, critical of Islam and has hosted guests on his program that criticize Islam. He has described the existence of an "Islamic cult" and an "Islamic problem", describing it as a threat to the United States. He was critical of the Obama administration's terrorism policy, arguing that it should have considered Islam as a cause of terrorism. In 2019, advocacy group Media Matters for America released recordings of racist comments that Carlson made in 2006 including that Iraq was not worth invading because he believed it to be a country made up of "semi-literate primitive monkeys" and "lunatic Muslims who are behaving like animals".


Immigrants and the Great Replacement conspiracy theory

In 2018, Carlson described the effects of mass immigration on the United States using the terms ''dirtier'', ''poorer'', and ''more divided'' and said it "has badly hurt this country's natural landscape". On another 2018 episode, Carlson criticized multiculturalism in the United States, skeptically asking "how, precisely, is diversity our strength?" and whether any other institutions benefitted from a lack of commonalities. Talking about Hazleton, Pennsylvania, Hazleton, Pennsylvania, where Hispanics had quickly become a majority of the population, Carlson said it was "more change than human beings are designed to digest". In May 2019 he said, "The flood of illegal workers into the United States has damaged our communities, ruined our schools, burdened our healthcare system and fractured our national unity." In December 2019, he falsely claimed that immigrants were responsible for making the Potomac River "dirtier and dirtier". Carlson has accused Democrats of supporting increased immigration to change the racial demographics of the United States to increase the Democratic voter base. Commentators and organizations such as the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) have described these views as endorsement of the Great Replacement conspiracy theory in the United States, Great Replacement conspiracy theory. Carlson has also accused President Joe Biden of engaging in eugenics and "Great Replacement" through a policy of increased immigration. Despite this, Carlson has challenged accusations that he believes the Great Replacement conspiracy theory, describing it as a "voting rights question". He has also questioned the popularity of the conspiracy theory after it was invoked by multiple white supremacist mass shooters, including the 2019 El Paso shooting and the 2022 Buffalo shooting, contradicting his previous endorsement of the conspiracy theory and calling its existence a "hoax".


South Africa

In August 2018, Carlson alleged that the Government of South Africa, South African government was South African farm attacks, targeting white farmers because "they are the wrong skin color" and falsely said the country's president had changed the constitution to allow land thefts from whites during ongoing Land reform in South Africa, land reform efforts. CBS News, Associated Press, ''The New York Times'' and ''The Wall Street Journal'' described Carlson's segment (with guest Marian Tupy of the
Cato Institute The Cato Institute is an American libertarian think tank headquartered in Washington, D.C. It was founded in 1977 by Ed Crane, Murray Rothbard, and Charles Koch, chairman of the board and chief executive officer of Koch Industries.Koch ...
) as false or misleading, because South African farm attacks, violence against farmers had reached an all-time low and the reforms had yet to pass and were primarily aimed at land that had fallen into disuse. Following the Carlson segment, President Trump tweeted that he had instructed Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to "closely study the South Africa land and farm seizure and large scale killing of farmers". The South African government responded that Trump's tweet was "misinformed" and said it would address the matter through diplomatic channels. AfriForum, a South African non-governmental organization focused mainly on the interests of Afrikaners, took credit for Carlson's and Trump's statements, saying it believed that its campaign to influence American politics had succeeded. The evening after the segment, Carlson acknowledged that the proposed amendment was still being debated and added that no farms had yet been Eminent domain, expropriated, though he did not admit to having made errors. Carlson later said in an interview that his South Africa segment made "an argument against tribalism".


Ilhan Omar

Carlson concluded ''Tucker Carlson Tonight'' on July 9, 2019, with a three-minute monologue about Representative Ilhan Omar (Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party, D-MN), who was born in Somalia and immigrated to the United States as a Asylum in the United States, refugee as an adolescent. Carlson accused Omar of being ungrateful to the United States, and called her "living proof that the way we practice immigration has become dangerous to this country". His monologue was described by ''The Guardian'' as "racially loaded" and "full of anti-immigrant rhetoric". Omar responded on Twitter, saying that "advertisers should not be underwriting this kind of dangerous, hateful rhetoric". ''
The Daily Beast ''The Daily Beast'' is an American news website focused on politics, media, and pop culture. Founded in 2008, the website is owned by IAC Inc. It has been characterized as a "high-end tabloid" by Noah Shachtman, the site's editor-in-chief ...
'' commented that Carlson had devoted numerous segments to criticizing Omar, and that largely due to "right-wing attacks that have then been amplified by members of Congress and the president", Omar had been receiving death threats since her election to Congress.


Kanye West interview

On the October 6 and 7, 2022 episodes of ''Tucker Carlson Tonight'', Carlson aired an edited version of an interview with rapper and fashion designer Ye, also known by his birth name
Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer and record producer. One of the most prominent figures in hip-hop, he is known for his varying musical style and polarizing cultural and political commentary. After ...
. West and conservative commentator Candace Owens had recently been photographed at Paris Fashion Week wearing matching shirts that read "White Lives Matter", a phrase often associated with White supremacy, white supremacist groups. In his interview with Carlson, West said he had worn the shirt because he found it "funny" and agreed with the message. When Carlson asked West about a badge West was wearing on a lanyard around his neck, West stated that it was an image from an Obstetric ultrasonography, obstetric ultrasound, and added, "It just represents life. I'm United States anti-abortion movement, pro-life"; he claimed without evidence "that there are more Black babies being aborted than born in New York City at this point." On October 11, 2022, the ''Vice (magazine), Vice'' website ''Motherboard'' published leaked unaired footage from the interview. In the unaired footage, West expressed Black Hebrew Israelites, Black Hebrew Israelite views, stated he had received a COVID-19 vaccine, and claimed that paid child actors had been "placed into [his] house to sexualize [his] kids"; in one instance, referring to a Kwanzaa celebration at his children's school, West said, "I prefer my kids knew Hanukkah than Kwanzaa [sic]. Antisemitic trope, At least it will come with some financial engineering." The leaked footage was heavily scrutinized in light of other antisemitic statements West had made on social media in the days after the ''Tucker Carlson Tonight'' interview aired, including an October 8 tweet in which he threatened to go "DEFCON, death con 3 [sic]" on Jewish people. Philip Bump of ''The Washington Post'' wrote that Carlson had presented "a very specific version" of West's remarks that "mirrored Carlson's rhetoric on race and politics". Ben Samuels of ''Haaretz'' wrote that the episode "brings Carlson's history of providing a platform for antisemitism further into focus".


Gender and sexuality

Carlson is an opponent of feminism. In a December 2021 segment despairing the falling Employment-to-population ratio, labor participation rate of U.S. men, Carlson said, "Men and women are very different, extremely different. Society is built on their differences." He has alleged that feminists want girls to make gains at the expense of boys. He was rebuked by the U.S. military in March 2021 after he ridiculed maternity flight suits for U.S. women soldiers and described a decision by the Chinese military to build ships as "more masculine". He used the words ''pig'' and ''cunt'' to describe several individual women in remarks from 2006 to 2011 on the radio show ''Bubba the Love Sponge''. In 2022, Carlson released ''The End of Men'', a ''Tucker Carlson Original'' alleging a decline in American masculinity. The episode featured Raw Egg Nationalist, a pseudonymous author affiliated with Neo-Nazi publishing house Antelope Hill Publishing, Antelope Hill. Carlson is critical of the use of SSRIs because of their impact on sexual drive. Carlson has highlighted what he considers excesses of LGBT community, LGBT people on the political left. Some of his comments on air have been described as Homophobia, homophobic, including a 2006 radio conversation in which he and Bubba the Love Sponge used the word ''faggot'' to describe their affection for each other, and his 2007 description of an incident during high school of beating up a gay man who had made an advance on him in a public bathroom. In the same year, he called 2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries, Democratic primary contenders cowards for not pledging to legalize same sex marriage and stated that he would support that. In 2021, Carlson belittled the Parental leave, paternity leave taken by U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, a gay man, joking that Buttigieg could be "trying to figure out how to breastfeed". Carlson's promotion of inflammatory rhetoric about LGBTQ controversies was scrutinized after the Colorado Springs nightclub shooting, Colorado Springs nightclub mass shooting in November 2022. Carlson has strongly criticized the transgender rights movement, including saying hospitals that provide Transgender health care, gender-affirming healthcare to minors are criminals who harm children, and that they should not be surprised to receive threatening phone calls. In September 2023, Tucker Carlson interviewed a man who claimed to have had sex with
Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...
.


COVID-19 pandemic and vaccines

Carlson differed with Trump and some of his colleagues at Fox News in early 2020 by saying COVID-19 should be taken more seriously in the U.S, and he reportedly influenced then-President Trump to take the virus more seriously. Carlson blamed China for causing the pandemic. By May 2020, Carlson began to publicly question the severity of the virus. Carlson criticized stay-at-home orders brought on by the pandemic and defended 2020 United States anti-lockdown protests, protests against lockdowns in rural areas. In February 2022, he supported the Canadian freedom convoy, Canada convoy protest against COVID-19 restrictions and called it "the single most successful human rights protest in a generation". He also claimed that some U.S. officials were overstating the deadliness of the virusa claim that PolitiFact called mostly false. Carlson mentioned the anti-parasite medication ivermectin as a possible COVID-19 treatment, though the FDA warned against its use. Carlson has repeatedly misrepresented the safety of COVID-19 vaccines and asserted that U.S. officials were "lying" about them. He has falsely suggested that COVID-19 vaccines suppress the immune system, and he has misrepresented federal data to claim that 30 Americans died after receiving the vaccine each day, misleading his audience by citing the unverified Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System, VAERS database that included deaths from Correlation does not imply causation, unrelated causes. He has likened Vaccine passports during the COVID-19 pandemic, vaccine passports to segregationist Jim Crow laws, Jim Crow laws, and he claimed that a COVID-19 vaccination mandates in the United States, vaccine mandate in the United States Armed Forces, U.S. Armed Forces was designed to oust "the sincere Christians in the ranks, the free thinkers, the men with high testosterone levels, and anyone else who doesn't love Joe Biden". He has also falsely claimed that the government was attempting to "force people to take medicine they don't want or need" through door-to-door vaccines. Carlson says he has not been vaccinated against COVID-19. Carlson routinely criticized National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases director Anthony Fauci during Fauci's tenure. This criticism included repeated false allegations that Fauci was responsible for the creation of COVID-19, with Carlson also falsely claiming that Fauci lied about the origin of COVID-19 to sell vaccines. According to Jon Cohen (physician), Jon Cohen in ''Science (journal), Science'', "Carlson took facts out of context and cited long-debunked studies or reports to attack Fauci". Fauci responded to Carlson's remarks by calling them a "crazy conspiracy theory". Carlson was a vocal critic of the use of Face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic, face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic, calling people wearing masks outdoors "zealots and neurotics". He received significant public backlash for his claim that having children wear face masks was tantamount to child abuse and that it warranted a response "no different from your response to seeing someone beat a kid in Walmart". Carlson has pointed to the use of masks as evidence that vaccines do not work, falsely claiming that there would be no benefits to mask use with an effective vaccine.


2020 election aftermath

Ahead of the 2020 election, in September, Carlson told viewers that Democrats were promoting Postal voting in the 2020 United States elections, mail-in voting to create "uncertainty over the outcome of the election, so they can manipulate the results". After Joe Biden won the election in November, Carlson raised Attempts to overturn the 2020 United States presidential election, false allegations of Republican reactions to Donald Trump's claims of 2020 election fraud, fraud in the election. On his show, he mentioned the names of purportedly dead individuals who voted in Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia; investigative reporting subsequently found that some of the individuals whom he claimed to be dead were in fact alive. Carlson apologized on his show for the error. Carlson distanced himself from Trump's Post-election lawsuits related to the 2020 United States presidential election, post-election legal fights, in which Carlson said the election was "not fair" but acknowledged that it still would not produce a Trump victory. Later that month, Carlson cast doubt on unfounded conspiratorial claims made by former federal prosecutor Sidney Powell, who alleged that Venezuela, Cuba and unidentified communist interests had used a secret algorithm to hack into voting machines and commit widespread electoral fraud. Carlson said "what Powell was describing would amount to the single greatest crime in American history", but that Powell became "angry and told us to stop contacting her" when he asked for evidence of widespread voter fraud. Prominent defenders of Trump criticized Carlson for his skepticism, though Powell was dropped from Trump's legal team shortly afterward. Carlson later brought on Mike Lindell on January 26, 2021, whose company My Pillow was the largest advertiser on ''Tucker Carlson Tonight'', to criticize Dominion Voting Systems and claim it had "hired hit groups and bots and trolls" to target him following his Twitter account's permanent suspension for promoting unfounded fraud claims. In July 2021, Carlson suggested that "there actually was meaningful voter fraud in Fulton County, Georgia, Fulton County, Georgia, last November" despite the state's 2020 United States presidential election in Georgia, election results being validated via both hand and machine recounts. PolitiFact found that none of the evidence provided by Carlson substantiated his conclusion. For example, because Trump and Biden ballots were sorted into separate piles during the hand recount, tally sheets with votes exclusively for either candidate are not indicative of fraud. In August 2022, Carlson was deposed as part of a lawsuit by Dominion Voting Systems against Fox News over false claims of voter fraud made about the company. The following February, Dominion's legal team released texts and other products of Discovery (law), discovery against Fox, revealing that Carlson privately doubted the false claims that the 2020 election was stolen and mocked Trump advisors, including Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell. Carlson texted to Laura Ingraham, "Sidney Powell is lying by the way. I caught her. It's insane" and "Our viewers are good people and they believe it." Carlson also texted
Sean Hannity Sean Patrick Hannity (born December 30, 1961) is an American conservative television presenter, broadcaster and writer. He hosts ''The Sean Hannity Show'', a radio syndication, nationally syndicated talk radio show, has hosted a Hannity, sel ...
, saying Fox News White House correspondent Jacqui Heinrich should be fired for tweeting a fact-check of false claims Carlson and Trump circulated about Dominion. He wrote "Please get her fired. Seriously ... What the fuck? I'm actually shocked ... It needs to stop immediately, like tonight. It's measurably hurting the company. The stock price is down. Not a joke.", and said he "just went crazy on" a Fox executive over Heinrich's reporting. Heinrich's tweet was deleted by the next morning. Also published were texts of Carlson regarding Donald Trump, with Carlson stating: "I hate him passionately". About Trump's presidency, he texted: "We're all pretending we've got a lot to show for it, because admitting what a disaster it's been is too tough to digest. But come on. There really isn't an upside to Trump." In March 2023, Carlson said in an interview that he was "enraged that my private texts were pulled" for the court case, and asserted: "I love Trump … I think Trump is funny and insightful."


2021 U.S. Capitol attack

In February 2021, after attorney general nominee Merrick Garland pledged at his confirmation hearing to supervise the prosecution of "white supremacists and others" involved in the
January 6 United States Capitol attack On January 6, 2021, the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C., was attacked by a mob of supporters of Donald Trump, President Donald Trump in an attempted self-coup,Multiple sources: * * * * * * * * * * * * * two months afte ...
, Carlson alleged, "There's no evidence that white supremacists were responsible for what happened on January 6. That's a lie." PolitiFact rated Carlson's claim false, because several rioters had known ties to white supremacist groups, according to court records and congressional testimony by law enforcement leaders, and video and photos from the incident showed white supremacist symbols prominently displayed. Philip Bump of ''The Washington Post'' wrote in an analysis that Carlson was blurring the lines between "being involved" and "being responsible for" to create a strawman in an effort to "undercut the public understanding of what happened and, by extension, to soften the implications for Trump and his supporters". Carlson has also inaccurately stated that "[n]ot a single person in the crowd on January 6 was found to be carrying a firearm." In June 2021, Carlson promoted a conspiracy theory alleging that the Capitol storming was a "
false flag A false flag operation is an act committed with the intent of disguising the actual source of responsibility and pinning blame on another party. The term "false flag" originated in the 16th century as an expression meaning an intentional misrep ...
" Federal Bureau of Investigation, FBI operation intended to "suppress political dissent". He alleged that unindicted co-conspirators in rioters' indictments were government agents, saying, "FBI operatives were organizing the attack on the Capitol on January 6, according to government documents". Legal experts said Carlson's claim was unfounded because prosecutors cannot describe an undercover agent as an unindicted co-conspirator. One of the unindicted co-conspirators was readily identifiable as Stewart Rhodes, founder and leader of Oath Keepers, a far-right anti-government militia; another unindicted co-conspirator was likely the wife of an indicted alleged conspirator. Carlson's guest, Darren Beattie of Revolver News, whose writing the segment was primarily based on, had been fired as a Trump speechwriter in 2018 after CNN asked the White House about his attendance at a gathering of white nationalists. Carlson also said Russian president Vladimir Putin raised "fair questions" when Putin mentioned the fatal Law enforcement response to the 2021 United States Capitol attack#Shooting of Ashli Babbitt, police shooting of a rioter inside the Capitol while denying involvement in the poisoning of Alexei Navalny, poisoning of a Russian politician. Republican House members Matt Gaetz and Marjorie Taylor Greene quickly embraced Carlson's story about FBI involvement in the Capitol attack, and Republican congressman Paul Gosar entered the Revolver News story into the ''Congressional Record'' during a United States House Committee on Oversight and Reform, House Oversight Committee hearing. In response to Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mark Milley's defense of studying critical race theory "to understand white rage" as it concerns the storming, Carlson said, "Hard to believe that man wears a uniform. ... He's not just a pig, he's stupid!" After Carlson criticized Ted Cruz, Senator Ted Cruz for calling the Capitol storming a "terrorist attack", Cruz appeared on Carlson's show on January 6, 2022, the anniversary of the event, and apologized for his words. Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in early 2023 gave Carlson exclusive access to 44,000 hours of security surveillance video from the day of the Capitol attack. Carlson subsequently aired portions of it on his show to illustrate his own narrative concerning the event, painting it as "peaceful chaos" and condemning other media outlets as untruthful when portraying the attack as violent. The family of Brian Sicknick, a United States Capitol Police officer who died the day following the Capitol attack, and Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger condemned the segment, which also received reproach from Democratic and Republican politicians, including from the Republican leader of the Senate, Mitch McConnell. Carlson's presentation included video of Jacob Chansley — the "QAnon Shaman" — walking the halls of Congress, depicting him as a peaceful demonstrator being escorted by police who was unjustly prosecuted and incarcerated. Days after the presentation, Justice Department prosecutors stated in a court filing that the four minutes of video showed only a brief part of Chansley's activity and omitted his earlier incriminating behavior, concluding, "Chansley was not some passive, chaperoned observer of events for the roughly hour that he was unlawfully inside the Capitol." Carlson repeatedly promoted a conspiracy theory that pro-Trump protestor Ray Epps (military veteran), Ray Epps was actually a federal agent engaged in a false flag operation to instigate the January 6 attack. Epps said he and his wife were subjected to threats and harassment, leading them to sell their home and business to go into hiding in another state. An attorney for Epps wrote Carlson in March 2023 demanding a public retraction of "false and defamatory statements."


Patriot Purge program

In late October 2021, ''Patriot Purge'', a three-part series produced by Carlson, was released on the Fox Nation streaming service. Carlson broadcast a trailer that suggested the January 6 attack was a government false flag operation to implicate the right wing, with one speaker asserting that "the left is hunting the right". Carlson stated on-air that the government had "launched a new war" on American citizens and characterized his series as "rock-solid factually". Fact-checkers found the series contained numerous falsehoods and conspiracy theories. Michael Jensen, a senior researcher at the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism, called it "political propaganda that is meant to rally a support base that has shown a willingness to mobilize on the basis of disinformation and lies. That's how we got Jan. 6 in the first place." Conservative writers Jonah Goldberg and Stephen F. Hayes, Steve Hayes responded to the series by severing their ties to Fox News, declaring that the series was "a collection of incoherent conspiracy-mongering, riddled with factual inaccuracies, half-truths, deceptive imagery, and damning omissions". Bret Baier and Chris Wallace, prominent anchors in the network's news division, raised objections to the series to top executives of the Fox organization.


Alleged surveillance

In October 2020, Carlson alleged on his show that someone was reading his text messages, after documents he claimed had compromising information on Joe Biden's son, Hunter Biden, Hunter, were lost by the United Parcel Service and then quickly located. Carlson did not say what these documents contained. In November 2021, the ''Daily Mail'' published emails from a laptop owned by Hunter Biden, which appear to demonstrate a friendship between himself and Carlson. On June 28, 2021, Carlson said on his program that "a whistleblower within the U.S. government" informed him that the National Security Agency (NSA) was "monitoring our electronic communications and is planning to leak them in an attempt to take this show off the air", adding, "The Biden administration is spying on us. We have confirmed that." That same day, a producer for Carlson filed an unusually broad Freedom of Information Act (United States), Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request with the NSA, seeking records, including "any communication between NSA officials regarding journalist Tucker Carlson", dating back to January 2019, before Biden became president. On June 29, the NSA tweeted a rare statement of denial, stating that Carlson has never been a target of its surveillance and it never had any intent to have his program taken off the air. Carlson responded on-air that the NSA did not deny reading his emails. House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy asked House Intelligence Committee ranking member Devin Nunes to investigate. ''Axios (website), Axios'' reported on July 7 that, shortly before Carlson made his allegation, he had been in contact with U.S.-based Kremlin intermediaries to arrange an interview with Vladimir Putin. The reporter of the ''Axios'' exclusive story, Jonathan Swan, later confirmed he had contacted Carlson seeking pre-publication comment, but said he had not told Carlson that anyone had shared the email contents with him. On that night's program, Carlson said that he had contacted people about interviewing Putin, but did not mention it to anyone because he did not want to "rattle the Russians, and make the interview less likely to happen". He said that the NSA had Unmasking by U.S. intelligence agencies, unmasked his identity and that "the contents of my emails left that building at the NSA and wound up with a news organization". On July 23, cybersecurity news website The Record wrote that Carlson had not been targeted by the NSA but had been unmasked after he was mentioned by third parties who were under surveillance, citing two anonymous sources. Fox News called the reported act "unacceptable". ''The New York Times'' observed there was a distinction between Carlson's communications being intercepted by the NSA and intercepts of foreigners who were discussing Carlson. The NSA inspector general's office announced in August 2021 that it was examining Carlson's allegation.


Rhetorical style

Carlson's rhetorical style and debating tactics have drawn close attention from writers and other public figures. In arguments, Carlson can quickly shift between personas as a devil's advocate and a moralizing truth teller, and simultaneously appear outraged and blasé a use of contradiction that Lili Loofbourow, writing for ''
Slate Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous, metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade, regional metamorphism. It is the finest-grained foliated metamorphic ro ...
'', referred to as a "joking/not-joking loophole" historically used by radio shock jocks. James Carville, a Democratic strategist and friend of Carlson who has appeared on his shows, called Carlson "one of the world's great contrarians". Touching upon this, Kelefa Sanneh, writing for ''
The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. It was founded on February 21, 1925, by Harold Ross and his wife Jane Grant, a reporter for ''The New York T ...
'' said that one of Carlson's gifts is to make any position he takes on an issue "seem like a brave rebellion against someone else's way of thinking." Carlson has said he especially targets the "moral preening" of people he sees as having a sensibility of "I'm a really good person, and you're not." According to Philip Bump of ''
The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...
'', Carlson presents his perceived opponents "as endlessly cynical and duplicitous", and agitates his audience against them by Cherry picking, cherry-picking and misinterpreting information. Charlotte Alter of ''Time (magazine), Time'' wrote that Carlson "sanitizes and legitimizes right-wing conspiratorial thinking, dodges when you try to nail him down on the specifics, then wraps it all in an argument about censorship and free speech". Elaina Plott in ''
The Atlantic ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher based in Washington, D.C. It features articles on politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 185 ...
'' summed up Carlson's style as "a gleeful ''fuck you''" to his opponents. During remote interviews, Carlson's producers will keep his face close-up onscreen so viewers can watch him react, often in disbelief. His trademark scowl lets viewers "share his disdain" toward opposing views, foreshadowing a "scathing rebuttal". Carlson is known to interrupt guests repeatedly with direct demands to answer questions he poses, sometimes focusing on an embarrassing episode or statement from a guest's past. Jack Shafer wrote in ''Politico'' that "When the host barks questions in your earpiece, you can't help but jolt to life like a puppet on a string", suggesting that successful guests on Carlson's show must match his quick-wittedness and unflappability. Lyz Lenz of the ''Columbia Journalism Review'' wrote that this debate maneuver mirrors Jon Stewart's confrontation of Carlson on '' Crossfire'' in 2004, describing Stewart then and Carlson now as both "com ngout of the gate with an impossible line of questioning and a disingenuous defense". Charlotte Alter of ''Time'' wrote in July 2021 that Carlson sometimes tells "outright falsehoods", but generally "avoids assertions that are factually disprovable, instead sticking to innuendo". As an example, Alter wrote that Carlson did not endorse Sidney Powell's specific claims of voter fraud in the 2020 election, but he did say, "The people now telling us to stop asking questions about voting machines are the same ones who claim that our phones weren't listening to us". In September 2020, on ''The Rubin Report'', Carlson said that, unlike TV newscasters who he said "systematically lie", he will only lie "if I'm really cornered or something", saying, "I lie. I really try not to. I try never to lie on TV. ... I don't like lying. I certainly do it, you know, out of weakness or whatever." Bump argued in 2022 that compared with other television anchors, Carlson is loath to acknowledge factual errors in his commentary. Carlson's use of hyperbole as a rhetorical device was cited by Fox News in its successful defense in 2020 of a slander lawsuit by Karen McDougal, after Carlson incorrectly argued in 2018 that Donald Trump had been a victim of extortion by McDougal. Carlson describes George Orwell as his favorite writer and cites William Strunk Jr., Strunk and E. B. White, White's The Elements of Style, ''The'' ''Elements of Style'' as having an influence on his writing.


Reception

According to the ''Encyclopædia Britannica'', Carlson has been "recognized for his success in helping to bring far-right viewpoints and vocabulary into the mainstream of American politics" through his promotion of "extreme positions on a range of political and social issues, for his embrace of white nationalism, for his support of authoritarian leaders of other countries, and for his regular reliance on arguably false or misleading claims, including baseless conspiracy theories" and for "exert ngan unusual influence on Republican president Donald Trump, who was a regular viewer of Carlson's show." In 2021, ''Time (magazine), Time'' said that Carlson could be the most powerful conservative in America, with Republican strategist Jeff Roe adding, "He doesn't react to the agenda, he drives the agenda." ''Mediaite'' named Carlson the most influential person in news media in 2021. Tina Brown, the former editor of ''Vanity Fair (magazine), Vanity Fair'' and a former colleague of Carlson, said: "Tucker is a tremendously good writer and I always thought it was a real shame that he kind of got sucked into this TV mania thing." On February 23, 2017, ''
The Atlantic ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher based in Washington, D.C. It features articles on politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 185 ...
'' wrote that "Carlson's true talent is not for political philosophizing, it's for televised partisan combat. His go-to weapons—the smirky sarcasm, the barbed comebacks, the vicious politeness—seem uniquely designed to drive his sparring partners nuts, frequently making for terrific television". On September 19, 2017, journalist Stephen Rodrick wrote in a ''GQ'' profile of Carlson: "On his show, Carlson mocks and verbally body-slams those who disagree with him, a passel of easy marks such as Democratic politicians, well-meaning liberal activists, and young reporters. He shares with Donald Trump a deep reluctance to apologize for his mistakes, and he lobs insults that seem suspiciously like subconscious self-assessments: He loves to accuse his guests of 'preening', and he derides 'pomposity, smugness, and groupthink'." In an interview for a 2021 ''Time (magazine), Time'' profile of Carlson, a former News Corp, NewsCorp executive, Alex Azam, described Carlson as having some impunity within Fox News, "because of the signal that touching him would send to the viewers that Fox never wants to lose". In 2021, he was included in the Time 100, ''Time'' 100, ''Time''s annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world. In April 2022, ''The New York Times'' published a three-part 20,000-word investigative series on Carlson called "American Nationalist". The investigative series documents Carlson's rise to prominence and his rhetoric on immigration, race relations and the COVID-19 pandemic, describing Tucker Carlson Tonight as "what may be the most racist show in the history of cable news — and also, by some measures, the most successful." Carlson responded by saying that he has not read "American Nationalist" and does not plan to. He also denied allegations from the ''Times'' about obsessing over ratings, saying that "I've never read the ratings a single day in my life. I don't even know how. Ask anyone at Fox." He also claimed to have taken positions unpopular with his audience, saying, "Most of the big positions I've taken in the past five years — against the neoconservatism, neocons, the Vaccine, vax and the Russian invasion of Ukraine, war [in Ukraine] — have been very unpopular with our audience at first."


Personal life

Carlson is married to Susan Thomson Carlson (). They met at St. George's School, where she was the daughter of the school's headmaster and priest. They were married on August 10, 1991, in the school chapel. They have four children. His son Buckley is Deputy Press Secretary to Vice President JD Vance. Carlson was baptized as an Episcopal Church (United States), Episcopalian but has said he grew up with secular beliefs; he credits his wife for his religious faith. In 2013, Carlson said, "We still go to the Episcopal Church for all kinds of complicated reasons, but I truly despise the Episcopal Church in a lot of ways," citing his opposition to the church's Religious views on same-sex marriage#Episcopal Church of the United States, support for same-sex marriage and Christianity and abortion#The Episcopal Church, abortion rights. He has said he stays in the Church because he "loves the liturgy" and "likes the people". Carlson quit drinking Alcoholism, alcohol in 2002. A few years earlier, he quit smoking cigarettes (a habit begun in eighth grade) and took up nicotine gum, which he "chews constantly", and nicotine pouches. Carlson is dyslexic. He is a Deadhead (a fan of the rock band Grateful Dead) and has attended more than fifty Dead concerts, and the title of his 2018 book ''Ship of Fools: How a Selfish Ruling Class Is Bringing America to the Brink of Revolution, Ship of Fools'' was inspired by the Grateful Dead From the Mars Hotel, song of the same name. In 2011, a group of protesters gathered outside his house in Kent (Washington, D.C.), Kent, Washington, D.C., to protest Carlson. In 2017, Carlson sold his home and purchased another nearby. In late 2018, protestors gathered in front of their home. In 2020, Carlson sold his home in Kent and bought a house on Gasparilla Island, on Florida's Gulf Coast, and in the summer of 2022, a second home next door. They now also live part of the year in Maine near his "favorite place in the world", Bryant Pond, Woodstock, Maine. In September 2022, Carlson spoke at the funeral of Hells Angels president Sonny Barger. Carlson said that he had been a fan of Barger since his college years, quoted Barger as saying "stay loyal, remain free, and always value honor", and added "I want to pay tribute to the man who spoke those words". In 2024, Carlson shared with a documentary producer that he believes that he was mauled by a demon while he was in bed. The attack left him bleeding.


Published works

* Carlson, Tucker (2003). '' Politicians, Partisans, and Parasites: My Adventures in Cable News''. New York:
Warner Books Grand Central Publishing is a book publishing imprint of Hachette Book Group, originally established in 1970 as Warner Books when Kinney National Company acquired the New York City-based Paperback Library. When Time Warner sold their book publis ...
. . * Carlson, Tucker (2018). ''Ship of Fools (Carlson book), Ship of Fools: How a Selfish Ruling Class Is Bringing America to the Brink of Revolution''. New York:
Simon & Schuster Simon & Schuster LLC (, ) is an American publishing house owned by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts since 2023. It was founded in New York City in 1924, by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. Along with Penguin Random House, Hachette Book Group US ...
. . * Carlson, Tucker (2021). '' The Long Slide: Thirty Years in American Journalism''. New York:
Simon & Schuster Simon & Schuster LLC (, ) is an American publishing house owned by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts since 2023. It was founded in New York City in 1924, by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. Along with Penguin Random House, Hachette Book Group US ...
. .


Notes


References


External links

*
A conversation with Tucker Carlson
(1 Dec. 2023). Carlson discusses his thoughts on the state of US society, rediscovering national alignment, the benefits and perils of prosperity, climate change, immigration, the current US political landscape, media control, the importance of free speech platforms, Carlson's future, and more. A conversation with David O. Sacks, Chamath Palihapitiya, David Friedberg and Jason Calacanis.
Tucker Carlson
at Public Accountability Initiative
Tucker Carlson
on Fox News Channel * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Carlson, Tucker Tucker Carlson, 1969 births Living people 20th-century American Episcopalians 20th-century American journalists 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American non-fiction writers 21st-century American Episcopalians 21st-century American journalists 21st-century American male writers 21st-century American non-fiction writers American broadcast news analysts American conspiracy theorists American male journalists American male non-fiction writers American nationalists American opinion journalists American political commentators American political journalists American political writers American television talk show hosts Cato Institute people CNN people COVID-19 conspiracy theorists Critics of neoconservatism Florida Republicans Fox News people The Heritage Foundation people Journalists from Florida Journalists from San Francisco Journalists from Washington, D.C. Maine Republicans Male critics of feminism MSNBC people Participants in American reality television series People associated with the 2024 United States presidential election People from La Jolla, San Diego Right-wing populists in the United States St. George's School (Rhode Island) alumni Television presenters with dyslexia Television personalities with disabilities Television personalities from San Francisco Trinity College (Connecticut) alumni Trumpism The Weekly Standard people Writers from San Francisco Writers from Washington, D.C.