By DAVID BAUDER (AP Media Writer)
NEW YORK (AP) — Tucker Carlson appeared Wednesday, two days after Fox News fired him, with a two-minute, campaign-style monologue that did not address why he suddenly found himself unemployed.
He posted a video on Twitter shortly after 8:00 PM Eastern, the start time of his Fox show, that spoke about the lack of honest political debate in the media.
Carlson said one of the things she’s noticed, “when you get away from the noise for a few days,” is how nice some people are and how funny others are.
“The other thing you notice when you take a little time off is how incredibly stupid most of the debates you see on TV are,” he said. “They are completely irrelevant. It does not mean anything. Five years from now we won’t even remember hearing them. Trust me, as someone who has attended.”
Fox fired its most popular personality on Monday without explanation, less than a week after settling a lawsuit alleging the spread of lies about the 2020 presidential election.
The mystery of why Fox Corp. executives Rupert Murdoch and his son Lachlan decided to suddenly oust Carlson. The company did not elaborate, although some media reports Wednesday focused on material discovered during the Dominion Voting Systems trial but redacted from court filings.
Carlson’s private messages with “extremely offensive and cruel remarks” were a “catalyst” in Fox’s decision to fire him, according to The New York Times.
Both The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post said a redacted message included an insult against a Fox executive. Each of the reports was based on sources that were not identified.
Some of Dominion’s evidence that was released publicly showed some offensive remarks by Carlson, including the use of a profanity to refer to Sidney Powell, the Trump supporter who promoted false election conspiracy theories on Fox and elsewhere.
A Fox News representative did not comment on the reports or Carlson’s reappearance, but referred to a statement Monday in which the company said, “we thank him for his service.”
Carlson dressed in a suit and tie for his tweet. While he didn’t mention Fox, he recalled monologues he’s given on the network over the past six years talking about “leaders” hurting the country. Debates on big issues like war, civil liberties, emerging science, demographic change and corporate power are not allowed by corporate media or political parties, he said.
“Where else can you find Americans saying true things?” he said. “There aren’t many places left, but there are a few and that’s enough. As long as you can hear the words, there is hope. See you soon.”
