Punctuated by self-effacement, his trademark giggle, and his overall personableness, Tucker Carlson sat down for an interview with British comedian Russell Brand and for the first time addressed his April firing from Fox News.
“It’s not the first time I’ve been fired,” Carlson told Brand. “And I think in our business, when you work for a big company in media and, you know, you say what you think, there’s an expectation that you could get fired.”
Yet Carlson said he was shocked at his sudden dismissal.
“But I wasn’t really shocked,” he clarified. “And I wasn’t mad. It’s not my company, and when you work for someone else that person reserves the right — in fact, has inherently the right — to decide whether you work there or not.
“And I don’t know why I was fired — I really don’t. I’m not angry about it. You can believe me or not, but I think you can feel that I’m not.”
Carlson said he wished Fox well and noted there were ugly leaks about his departure, claiming racism on his part, but he ascribed the leaking, not to the company, but to someone within it, and was confident Fox knew the accusations against him were not true.
In the interview, Carlson and Brand discussed varied issues, including Donald Trump, populism, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., January 6, the war in Ukraine, and more.
Tellingly, Carlson hinted at the repercussions of opposing the Ukrainian war, something he has done.
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Overall, the longtime media personality was philosophical.
“I’ve been happy,” Carlson said following the Fox firing. “I guess the only thing that bothers me is I’m 54, and when you get a little bit older, and my wife and I — you know, our children are grown — and we live in rural settings…because we believe in nature and God and dogs.
“You know, you can lose your drive,” Carlson said. “I mean, it’s just a little bit too nice, kind of.
“And I do feel that people who are healthy and aware and who can read have an obligation to be engaged in the life of the community they live in and in the life of the country they live and in the life of the world.”
There was the question of President Donald Trump, especially due to a release of a private communication indicating Carlson’s disdain for the former president.
“I love Trump, personally,” Carlson told Brand, admitting that in the past he had personally gotten involved in behind-the-scenes political activity, making phone calls and predictions, most of which, he said, turned out to be wrong.
“I’m not interested in politics. I never have been interested in politics. I’m interested in ideas, I’m interested in people.”
Saying he will no longer be directly involved in politics, Carlson nevertheless predicted that, within a decade, it’s possible that Trump coming on the scene may be recognized as the most significant American political event in a hundred years.
“Because he re-oriented the Republican Party, against the wishes of Republican leaders,” Carlson said, noting populist presidents and presidential candidates of American history — Theodore Roosevelt, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Ross Perot and Trump.
“All four of those figures had one thing in common: They were from the world they criticized,” according to Carlson. As a result, as insiders, they could criticize what they had seen, he said.
Of the war in Ukraine, Carlson — denying he was predicting or advocating for the former president — noted that Trump has been the only Republican of stature to oppose it. “He’s right,” according to Carlson. “And everyone in Washington is wrong.”
Carlson also noted his personal affection for Kennedy and the high personal cost for him, as the son of the assassinated 1960s senator and nephew of the assassinated president, to go against the establishment of which his family is a part.
Carlson was appalled by violence during the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol incursion, but noted government and media lied about the event, claiming it was a racist white supremacist insurrection.
He said the event was the result of people’s concern that the election had been stolen, and his interview with the chief of Capitol Police confirmed, as many have believed, that the event was filled with federal agents.
Pressed more by Brand about the reasons for the parting with Fox, Carlson replied: “I honestly don’t know…
“They didn’t agree with me, of course, I don’t think. But they were always very nice to me and they always let me say what I want.
“Not one time did they tell me not to say anything. So I was always grateful to Fox and I am, in retrospect, grateful to Fox for that.
“So that never changed, up until the moment they called me in and said, you know, ‘we’re taking the show off the air.’
“So, you know, I can only speculate … But I do think as a general matter – not even about me: The war in Ukraine is a red line, for a lot of people in business and politics.
“… The U.S. could force a peace, like, tonight. They could. Uniquely, they have that power. And they won’t. And they’re continuing to allow Ukrainians to be killed and the country to be devastated.
“So, I don’t know their motive; I can only guess,” Carlson concluded. “But I do know: You criticize that – they really are intent on making you be quiet.”
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
