A newly revealed text message published by The New York Times shows former Fox News host Tucker Carlson expressing white supremacy and describing a momentary thirst for violence to a producer on his now-canceled show.
The message was redacted in court filings as Fox faced a looming defamation lawsuit from Dominion Voting Systems over lies about the 2020 election told by Carlson and others on the air. The parties ultimately settled out of court.
The Times says the content of the text message, which has not been independently verified by MSNBC or NBC News, was confirmed in interviews with several people close to Dominion’s lawsuit. A representative for Carlson told the Times that he had no comment; Carlson’s attorney and Fox News did not immediately respond to NBC News’ request for comment.
The Times reported that in the text, sent the day after the Jan. 6 attack, Carlson described watching a video of at least three Trump supporters jumping an “Antifa kid,” saying he hoped they would kill the kid but bemoaning that “jumping a guy like that” is not “how white men fight.” Carlson went on to express regret for his momentary bloodlust.
Here’s the message in full, according to the Times:
A couple of weeks ago, I was watching video of people fighting on the street in Washington. A group of Trump guys surrounded an Antifa kid and started pounding the living shit out of him. It was three against one, at least. Jumping a guy like that is dishonorable obviously. It’s not how white men fight. Yet suddenly I found myself rooting for the mob against the man, hoping they’d hit him harder, kill him. I really wanted them to hurt the kid. I could taste it. Then somewhere deep in my brain, an alarm went off: this isn’t good for me. I’m becoming something I don’t want to be. The Antifa creep is a human being. Much as I despise what he says and does, much as I’m sure I’d hate him personally if I knew him, I shouldn’t gloat over his suffering. I should be bothered by it. I should remember that somewhere somebody probably loves this kid, and would be crushed if he was killed. If I don’t care about those things, if I reduce people to their politics, how am I better than he is?
Carlson’s claim that jumping people is not “how white men fight” is demonstrably false and historically inaccurate, as many have pointed out online. Personally, I’ve spent enough nights partying in Scottsdale, Arizona, to know this. But aside from that, white German Nazis famously employed the blitzkrieg fighting tactic, which is essentially the military equivalent of jumping someone.
Nonetheless, the text is a perfect summary of the white supremacist worldview Carlson routinely expressed to millions of viewers on his TV show. And lest you believe he is owed some credit for seemingly spurning his murderous impulse in the end, I encourage you to think again.
Consider that Carlson allegedly said he had to dig into the deep recesses of his mind to find a way to calm this impulse. That’s never a good indicator of one’s sanity. Furthermore, in the years to follow, he would go on to use his show to spread and enliven that hatred in others, seemingly to great effect.
It may come as no surprise that Tucker Carlson appears to be just as racist in private as he showed himself to be on the air. But I disagree with those who suggest that this particular discovery is useless. Bigots benefit when we’re apathetic to their actions. When we treat their racism like societal wallpaper, as if it’s permanent and unremarkable, we run the risk of excusing it.
So let’s appreciate this revelation for what it is: yet more proof that the most powerful voices on the right, who have marionette-like control over many of their followers, are driven by blatant bigotry.
Ja’han Jones is an MS NOW opinion blogger. He previously wrote The ReidOut Blog.