Tucker Carlson made his first public statement after the news of his departure from Fox News via a Twitter video, and he wasn’t mincing words as he greeted an audience during what would have been the time slot for the opening moments of his FNC spot, Tucker Carlson Tonight.
Carlson’s departure from Fox News seemed as unexpected to him as it did the rest of us when news broke early this week, as he signed off of his last episode, saying he’d be with his viewers again on Monday. While that reunion never happened, his video on Twitter shows that he’s been in a state of reflection over the last few days, and he says it helped him realize a few things.
“Good evening. It’s Tucker Carlson. One of the first things you realize when you step outside the noise for a few days is how many genuinely nice people there are in this country, kind of decent people, people who really care about what’s true, and a bunch of hilarious people, also one of those, it’s got to be the majority of the population even now. So that’s heartening. The other thing you notice when you take a little time off is how unbelievably stupid most of the debates you see on television are. They’re completely irrelevant. They mean nothing in five years. We won’t even remember that we have them.”
Carlson recognizes that there’s a healthy dose of irony there, as he’s participated in many of those discussions himself, but he says this period of soul-searching has also helped him realize that the necessary topics of discussion aren’t just swept under the rug, but made completely undiscussable on news networks on both sides of the political realm.
He also tells fans that he’ll be seeing them again soon, be it another Twitter video or someplace to exist where he says Americans are still saying true things. There was an immediate dose of irony there, too, as fans have never taken Carlson for the most honest of conversationalists himself.
“Trust me as someone who’s participated in them, and yet at the same time — and this is the amazing thing. The undeniably big topics, the ones that will define our future, get virtually no discussion at all: war, civil liberties. emerging science, demographic change, corporate power, and natural resources. What was the last time you heard a legitimate debate about any of those issues? It’s been a long time. Debates like that are not permitted in American media. Both political parties and their donors have reached a consensus on what benefits them, and they actively collude to shut down any conversation about it. Suddenly, the United States looks very much like a one-party state. That’s a depressing realization. But it’s not permanent. Our current orthodoxies won’t last; they’re brain-dead. nobody actually believes them. Hardly anyone’s life is improved by them. This moment is too inherently ridiculous to continue, and so we want the people in charge to know this. That’s why they’re hysterical and aggressive. They’re afraid. They’ve given up persuasion, they’re resorting to force, but it won’t work. When honest people say what’s true calmly and without embarrassment, they become powerful. At the same time, the liars who’ve been trying to silence them shrink; they become weaker. That’s the iron law of the universe. True things prevail. Where can you still find Americans saying true things? There aren’t many places left, but there are some, and that’s enough, as long as you can hear the words. There is hope. See you soon.”
Fox News and Carlson have both been mum regarding the reason for his split from the company and while he said a lot in his just over two-minute video, he didn’t say anything about the separation or what exactly his next plan of action would be. Business Insider shared some information as to what is said to have played a role in Carlson getting removed from Fox News, including everything from crude and offensive text messages to being sued for allegations of sexism — some of the statements allegedly made by Carlson are pretty vulgar and inappropriate for any conversation, especially in the workplace.
We Got This Covered will keep you updated as more information is made available.
