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In case you missed this: on the Carlson interview — 18 Comments

1. I can honestly say that I never followed Tucker Carlson, watched his show, or thought anything about him, at least anything good about him. I became aware of him around 2005 when he had his show on MSNBC, because I believe Rush Limbaugh mentioned him. Then, I was surprised to see him as a “Star” on “Dancing with the Stars”. I thought that was ABC trying to show impartiality by reaching out to a “right-wing” star, when what it showed me was, they picked a rather crappy dancer and wooden character to represent the right. After watching his pathetic performance, that’s how I viewed him ever since. He’s still pathetic.

   I’m more sadden that for a short time last year, I thought Megan Kelly had an interesting podcast. I started listening after she appeared on Mike Rowe’s podcast. There are so many good podcasters, that I only listened to a few dozen of her episodes, but I thought her pretty reasonable. It hurts just admitting that.

2. Megan Kelly lied through her teeth claiming that Carlson did well in that highly revealing interview. An interview in which Carlson revealed himself to either be suffering from progressively deepening mental issues or to simply be an inveterate and shameless liar. Kelly, on the other hand is simply a self-promoting liar.

3. Carlson looked unprepared for seemingly obvious questions. I don’t know if he just assumed that because the Times hates Trump they would go easy on him or what. Denying that he said that Trump could be the antichrist when he it said just two weeks ago was particularly baffling. He could have just said that he didn’t think he was the antichrist but he was just “asking questions”.

   I’m beginning to think that the demon story was a cover for some type of mental health episode that Tucker had. Much of what he says now is just strange and delusional. He’s long been an isolationist but he wasn’t always nuts.

4. One possibility is that Tucker has always been a liar, but previously didn’t get caught doing it. Another is that the demon story was real, and the demon is now in charge.

5. Carlson’s default response when he’s being challenged is usually to claim “I don’t know about that and then continue.” Most people let it slide rather than challenge his claim of what amounts to ignorance as an excuse. It’s odd he claimed he never said those things– since they were easily verified.

6. I had just started to like Megyn Kelly for a few months before she started going off on Israel.

   Sure, she’s easy on the eyes, but she also seemed smart, had principles and provided interesting guests. A shame.

7. I’ve never had much interest in Tucker Carlson. Just not my thing. Same applies to Candace Owens, Megyn Kelly, and Nick Fuentes. The latter has reportedly joined the Democrat Party.

8. I think it must have stung Carlson to be forced by Democrat harassment to leave Washington DC, despite having “F-You Money.”

9. For Carlson, the possibilities include mental illness and surreptitious payoffs from islamic or other anti-American sources. I base this on his prediliction for outbursts of maniacal laughter and his recent support for both Russia, based on his Moscow travelogue, reminiscent of Walter Duranty and his purchase of a home in Qatar and praise for the virtues of islam. Perhaps a combination, since to slobber all over Putin’s Russia and praise anything having to do with islam are sure signs of both. If I could channel Victor Davis Hanson for a moment, I might suggest that Carlson was cycling through Hubris and Nemesis, with his Nemesis period now predominating. As for Mx. Kelly, I had her pegged for a narcissistic opportunist the moment she posed for those “seductive” photos in Vanity Fair and she confirmed her lack of scruples when she questioned Trump about his purported disdain for women in the first debate, which he used to his advantage when he brilliantly deflected with his “Only Rosie O’Donnell” riposte. Coincidentally, that was also the moment that confirmed my support for him.

10. @Steve: surreptitious payoffs from islamic or other anti-American sources.

    Like Fox, who owns the company that produces his podcast, Megyn Kelly’s, and a bunch of other “independent journalists”. Although it’s quite likely that the net flow of money is TO Fox FROM Carlson.

    I don’t know if Fox is actually dominated by Islamic or other anti-American perspectives, but they are happy to propagate and profit from those perspectives as long as it makes money.

    These people need to be talked about if they hope to prosper. If we must talk about them, then I think we should at least call attention to Fox’s role in enabling and profiting from them and the things they are saying. Right now Fox seems to be avoiding any negative consequences from the stuff they are saying, which would not be the case if they were saying these things while still working for Fox directly.

    Which was the plan from the beginning, which they announced publicly over a year ago.

    As THR reported last week, essentially every news brand is holding talks with podcasters and digital creators, either for outright acquisition deals (as is the case with Red Seat) or content licensing deals. Kara Swisher and Scott Galloway are also in the market with their Pivot podcast, for example.

    Notably, per The New York Times, which first reported the deal, Red Seat will be placed in Fox’s Tubi division, putting it at a remove from Fox News Channel. In other words, Kelly, Carlson and O’Reilly won’t be in business with their former employer, per se.

    Having Fox drop them would do far more than any number of bloggers and talking heads complaining about the things they say.

11. Neo’s posts about Tucker Carlson led me to wonder, why did Fox News fire him? A short search didn’t give me a precise answer, but I found:

    “I would always say to Fox, ‘I’m not going to take instruction. I mean, you hired me to get decent ratings, I’ve done that. If you don’t like what I say, you can take me off the air, but you’re not going to control my show, just fire me,’” Carlson said.

    […] Despite his shocking and contentious exit, Carlson said he felt no lingering anger toward his former employer.

    “I liked everyone I worked for, including the people who fired me,” he said.

    Indeed, Fox News was not the first major network to fire Carlson. Before his more than two decades at Fox, Carlson worked at both CNN and MSNBC, joking that he was previously fired “once for low ratings [and] once for being kind of a lunatic.”

    […] While Carlson could have retired after his Fox News exit to pursue personal interests like trout fishing, bird hunting, and carpentry, he chose to remain in media because of his passion for conversation.

    “I really love talking to people. I like learning—that sounds like B.S., but it’s actually fully sincere. And I love that more than I love money. I would do that for free,” he said.

    Carlson also revealed that despite working in political commentary, he avoids traditional news sources entirely. “I don’t read any news content at all,” he said, explaining that he instead gets information directly from individuals via phone calls and text messages.

    “I don’t read The New York Times. I don’t subscribe to The Washington Post. I don’t read Politico or any of that crap. It’s just garbage,” Carlson said. “I get almost 100% of my information from individuals on the phone or by text.”

    Carlson said he focuses on a limited number of topics that interest him, particularly foreign policy, spiritual questions, the outdoors, and global power dynamics. “I’m interesting in spiritual questions. I’m interest[ed] in the outdoors, and I’m interested in the balance of power globally, and in war and preventing it. So, those are my interests.”

    https://thehornnews.com/tucker-carlson-reveals-fox-news-firing-bombshell/

12. @Selfy:Neo’s posts about Tucker Carlson led me to wonder, why did Fox News fire him?

    Why does Fox now own his podcast after firing him? Because they can make money from what he’s selling, without getting the blame. Win-win.

13. But mostly he is interested in Israel and the Jews?

    Coo Coo for Coco Puffs? No much, much worse.

14. ” prediliction for outbursts of maniacal laughter” – Steve (Retired/recovering lawyer)

    He’s always had the laugh (which I wouldn’t characterize as “maniacal”), so it may be a different laugh, even from his time on Crossfire. He always struck me as a frat boy who didn’t believe a word he was saying.

    I liked watching him on his own show because he often had interesting people on– whether I agree with them or not.

15. Its rather clear that his investigation of january 6th was largely responsible his willing to platform the likes of julie kelly cannot be ignored

    There were other orthodoxys that he challenged some of these he seems to have reconciled with notably chinas hegemonic role why he supported bolsonaro for instan e

    And we cant ignores this ezra poundian obsession he seems to have manifested in the last year about israel

16. Miguel:

    I wrote a 3-part series about Tucker’s “development.” It started with support of Russia and hatred of Ukraine and Zelensky, from the moment of Russia’s attack on Ukraine in early 2022 (he was still at Fox). When he was on his own, his obsession with Israel and Jews then took over, and then after Kirk’s assassination his hatred for “Christian Zionists” and platforming of some of the worst people and conspiracy theories, and now also his pro-Muslim era.

17. Niketas:

    Fox doesn’t own Carlson’s show, but it did buy Red Seat Ventures, the company that promotes his show and many many others. Not a good move by Fox at all, but not ownership.

18. Selfy:

    My recollection is that Fox fired Carlson in connection with the Dominion lawsuit against Fox.

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