We might roll our eyes at just about everything Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson says, like when he asks what Cardi B’s “WAP” is “doing to our kids,” but last night he went too far, even for his very, very low standards. When talking about Kyle Rittenhouse, the 17-year-old white supremacist who shot and killed two protesters in Kenosha, WI (where unarmed Black man Jacob Blake was shot by police seven times in the back) and injured a third, Tucker said:
Are we really surprised this looting and arson accelerated to murder? How shocked are we that 17-year-olds with rifles decided they had to maintain order when no one else would? Everyone can see what was happening in Kenosha. It was getting crazier by the hour.
https://twitter.com/TuckerCarlson/status/1298795763565289472
Tucker was not only immediately met with backlash on social media for justifying murder, but there have been calls by high-profile celebrities, political journalists, and a few politicians to finally get him fired from Fox News.
Robert Reich, a former secretary of labor under Bill Clinton, said, “If they don’t take action after this, every one of Fox News’s executives, directors, and advertisers is complicit in Tucker Carlson’s racist, murderous rants.”
If they don't take action after this, every one of Fox News's executives, directors, and advertisers is complicit in Tucker Carlson's racist, murderous rants. https://t.co/YbT8as1kHg
— Robert Reich (@RBReich) August 27, 2020
“He just justified murder,” wrote Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times Magazine reporter Nikole Hannah-Jones.
Billy Eichner, John Cusack, Insecure‘s Natasha Rothwell, Wyatt Cenac, Julie Klausner, Mia Farrow, Ike Barinholtz, Craig Mazin, Richard Marx, W. Kamau Bell, and many others have either explicitly called to get Tucker fired and/or ridiculed his comments:
Fire @TuckerCarlson https://t.co/Rt1YOzXVf1
— billy eichner (@billyeichner) August 27, 2020
Might want to surround their houses till they stop inciting murder @RBReich: If they don't take action after this, every one of Fox News's executives, directors, and advertisers is complicit in Tucker Carlson's racist, murderous rants. https://t.co/h4aHHiHAAn”
— John Cusack (@johncusack) August 27, 2020
“@DesignationSix: Tucker Carlson Justifies Kyle Rittenhouse's murders. We need to boycott cable until they ban Fox News. We can also boycott their sponsors@Disney
You ok with this Disney @hulu
You ok with this ? @TivityHealth@SandalsResorts@amazon
You ok with this ?— John Cusack (@johncusack) August 27, 2020
.@TuckerCarlson you're a festering carbuncle on the anus of Fox News. You're an exploitative, opportunistic racist who has confused being provocative with being good at your job. You'll be remembered as a weak puppet with large pores and a penchant for race-baiting, if at all. https://t.co/MzQSoecIrh
— Natasha Rothwell (@natasharothwell) August 27, 2020
https://twitter.com/wyattcenac/status/1298981299240067084
https://twitter.com/wyattcenac/status/1298978432781635584
I’ll give Tucker Carlson credit. He’s very creative at finding new ways to show he’s a despicable human being. https://t.co/VLiHO9LdN2
— Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) August 27, 2020
https://twitter.com/julieklausner/status/1298793137222103040
https://twitter.com/MiaFarrow/status/1299013357157130242
https://twitter.com/ikebarinholtz/status/1298789365104041984
https://twitter.com/clmazin/status/1298793934374621185
PS: fuck you @TuckerCarlson you smug, entitled, trust-funded racist prick.
— Richard Marx (@richardmarx) August 27, 2020
Tucker Carlson gets paid millions of dollars to go on TV and advocate for a race war that he would definitely be too chicken shit to fight in. https://t.co/PNicSAifQl
— W. Kamau Bell (@wkamaubell) August 27, 2020
An innocent black guy is killed by police and Tucker Carlson calls him a thug.
A guilty white guy murders two people and Tucker Carlson calls him a patriot. https://t.co/SGHhohdLfC
— Keith Boykin (@keithboykin) August 27, 2020
Promoting murder should surely be a sackable offence. @FoxNews #TuckerCarlson https://t.co/4mi8brJAao
— Caitríona Balfe (@caitrionambalfe) August 27, 2020
Tucker Carlson, a fan of both My Pillow aNd vigilante justice!
— Stephen King (@StephenKing) August 27, 2020
Tucker Carlson supports vigilante teens murdering BLM protestors in cold blood. He believes this is “maintaining order”.
This is what we are up against.
And the lies and misinformation flows fast/furious at the RNC tonite too. #votelikeyourlifedependsonit https://t.co/g1oZ1B7bFJ— Andrew Zimmern (@andrewzimmern) August 27, 2020
Unspeakably dangerous. Inciting violence and murder. The lowest Fox has ever gone, though there is no reason to think they won't keep getting worse. https://t.co/rkQPwjFDW5
— Matthew Miller (@matthewamiller) August 27, 2020
This is despicable and emblematic of how Fox News has become a far right hate machine.
Fox News should immediately fire @TuckerCarlson for cause.
Saying stuff like this is grounds for firing at any company in America.
Oh, and this isn’t cancel culture – it’s accountability. https://t.co/B1FLlqdcIb
— Ryan Watts (@ryanvwatts) August 27, 2020
Meanwhile, Donald Trump’s son is defending Tucker:
The leftwing media is willfully twisting Tucker Carlson’s words to smear him. He never endorsed “vigilante justice.”
He just pointed out that when “leaders” cede control of our streets to the mob, it leads to heartbreaking consequences/tragedies like looting, anarchy & death. https://t.co/AwHR0semsi
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) August 27, 2020
The equally terrible Ann Coulter tweeted to her 2.2 million followers that she wants Rittenhouse as her president. She since deleted it, but not before the tweet got at least 4,000 likes.
Fuck Ann Coulter. Republicans are trash. pic.twitter.com/qO0ZenNqqe
— Alex Cole (@acnewsitics) August 27, 2020
“Asked about Carlson’s remark, a Fox News spokesperson pointed to a tweet from Carlson in which he leveled similar criticism against the Wisconsin authorities,” CNN reported. Otherwise, neither Fox News nor Tucker has publicly responded to the backlash.