Fox News’s Tucker Carlson Rejects Writer’s Posts and Critics’ ‘Self-Righteousness’
By: By Benjamin Mullin
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Fox News host Tucker Carlson rejected the racist and misogynist online posts made by his former writer, saying they had no connection to his prime-time show, but warned critics that “self-righteousness also has its costs.”
In a brief statement near the end of his show, “Tucker Carlson Tonight,” Mr. Carlson said he didn’t endorse the posts, which were published by former writer Blake Neff under a pseudonym. Mr. Neff resigned after a CNN article published Friday revealed that he wrote the posts.
“What Blake wrote anonymously was wrong,” Mr. Carlson said. “We don’t endorse those words. They have no connection to the show.”
The CNN article said Mr. Neff made his posts under the pseudonym “CharlesXII” in the online forum AutoAdmit. One post said that “Black doods staying inside playing Call of Duty” was one factor keeping crime at bay. Another referred to one woman as an “Azn megashrew.”
Attempts to reach Mr. Neff were unsuccessful.
On his telecast, Mr. Carlson described critics as “ghouls now beating their chests in triumph.”
“We are all human,” he said. “When we pretend we are holy, we are lying.”
Fox News swiftly accepted Mr. Neff’s resignation on Friday after learning of his “horrific” behavior, according to a memo sent to employees on Saturday by Fox News Media Chief Executive Suzanne Scott and Jay Wallace, the division’s president and executive editor.
“We want to make abundantly clear that Fox News Media strongly condemns this horrific racist, misogynistic and homophobic behavior,” Ms. Scott and Mr. Wallace said in the memo.
A Fox News spokeswoman declined to comment beyond Ms. Scott and Mr. Wallace’s memo.
Wall Street Journal parent News Corp NWS 3.51% and Fox News parent Fox Corp. share common ownership.
Mr. Neff’s resignation isn’t the first controversy at “Tucker Carlson Tonight.” In 2018, some advertisers pulled their ads after Mr. Carlson said that some immigrants were making the U.S. “dirtier and more divided.” Earlier this year, marketers pulled their ads after disparaging remarks Mr. Carlson made about the Black Lives Matter movement.
Mr. Carlson’s show continues to draw big audiences and millions of dollars in ad revenue for Fox News. Mr. Carlson’s show drew more than 4.3 million viewers on average in the second quarter of 2020, outpacing rival programs on MSNBC and CNN, according to Nielsen.
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