A text message sent by Tucker Carlson that set off a panic at Fox on the eve of its billion-dollar defamation trial showed its most popular host sharing his private, inflammatory views about violence and race. The discovery of the message contributed to a chain of events that ultimately led to Carlson’s firing.
In the message, sent to one of his producers in the hours after Trump supporters stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021, Carlson described how he had recently watched a video of a group of men – Trump supporters, he said – violently attacking “an Antifa kid.”
It was “three against one, at least,” he wrote. Then he expressed a sense of dismay that the attackers, like him, were white. “It’s not how white men fight,” he said. But he said he found himself for a moment wanting the group to kill the ‘Antifa kid’.
For years, Carlson espoused views on his show that amplified the ideology of white nationalism. The text alarmed the Fox board, which saw the message a day before Fox was set to defend itself against Dominion Voting Systems before a jury. The board grew concerned that the message could become public at trial when Carlson was on the stand, creating a sensational and damaging moment that would raise broader questions about the company.
The day after the discovery, the board told Fox executives it was bringing in an outside law firm to conduct an investigation into Carlson’s conduct.
The text added to a growing number of internal issues involving Carlson that led the company to conclude he was more of a problem than an asset. In other messages he had referred to women – including a senior executive – in crude and misogynistic terms. The text is part of redacted court filings which were previously unreported.
Carlson’s messages were collected as part of the defamation lawsuit filed against Fox by Dominion, which accused the network of knowingly airing falsehoods about election fraud. Many messages were released publicly. But others, including the one between Carlson and one of his producers in the hours after January 6, 2021, remain redacted.
In that text, Carlson described his own emotions as he watched the video of the violent clash, which he said took place in Washington. Carlson did not describe the race of the man being attacked. “I found myself rooting for the mob against the man, hoping they’d hit him harder, kill him…,” he wrote. “Then somewhere deep in my brain, an alarm went off: I’m becoming something I don’t want to be.” After all, he wrote, “Somebody probably loves this kid, and would be crushed if he was killed….If I don’t care, if I reduce people to their politics, how am I better than he is?”
The text came to the attention of Fox’s board of directors only last month, on the Sunday before the trial was set to begin. Fox has not commented about Carlson’s ouster beyond a statement announcing that they “agreed to part ways” and thanking “him for his service.”
In the message, sent to one of his producers in the hours after Trump supporters stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021, Carlson described how he had recently watched a video of a group of men – Trump supporters, he said – violently attacking “an Antifa kid.”
It was “three against one, at least,” he wrote. Then he expressed a sense of dismay that the attackers, like him, were white. “It’s not how white men fight,” he said. But he said he found himself for a moment wanting the group to kill the ‘Antifa kid’.
For years, Carlson espoused views on his show that amplified the ideology of white nationalism. The text alarmed the Fox board, which saw the message a day before Fox was set to defend itself against Dominion Voting Systems before a jury. The board grew concerned that the message could become public at trial when Carlson was on the stand, creating a sensational and damaging moment that would raise broader questions about the company.
The day after the discovery, the board told Fox executives it was bringing in an outside law firm to conduct an investigation into Carlson’s conduct.
The text added to a growing number of internal issues involving Carlson that led the company to conclude he was more of a problem than an asset. In other messages he had referred to women – including a senior executive – in crude and misogynistic terms. The text is part of redacted court filings which were previously unreported.
Carlson’s messages were collected as part of the defamation lawsuit filed against Fox by Dominion, which accused the network of knowingly airing falsehoods about election fraud. Many messages were released publicly. But others, including the one between Carlson and one of his producers in the hours after January 6, 2021, remain redacted.
In that text, Carlson described his own emotions as he watched the video of the violent clash, which he said took place in Washington. Carlson did not describe the race of the man being attacked. “I found myself rooting for the mob against the man, hoping they’d hit him harder, kill him…,” he wrote. “Then somewhere deep in my brain, an alarm went off: I’m becoming something I don’t want to be.” After all, he wrote, “Somebody probably loves this kid, and would be crushed if he was killed….If I don’t care, if I reduce people to their politics, how am I better than he is?”
The text came to the attention of Fox’s board of directors only last month, on the Sunday before the trial was set to begin. Fox has not commented about Carlson’s ouster beyond a statement announcing that they “agreed to part ways” and thanking “him for his service.”