The lengths Fox News host Tucker Carlson went to in defence of his racist and homophobic head writer is extraordinary
Fox News host Tucker Carlson addressed his former writer’s remarks on Monday
Fox News host Tucker Carlson has insisted that the uncovered racist and homophobic beliefs of his head writer have “nothing to do” with the show.
Carlson’s head writer Blake Neff resigned last week after it revealed he had posted sickeningly bigoted messages, peppered with homophobic slurs, to a troll-infested internet forum.
Among the messages posted by Neff in the past few months alone was a claim that Democratic lawmakers want to make the United States a “DUMPING GROUND FOR PEOPLE FROM THIRD WORLD S**THOLES” and that “Black doods staying inside playing Call of Duty is probably one of the biggest factors keeping crime down”. He also agreed he would not let a “JET BLACK congo n****er” perform eye surgery.
Addressing the issue on-air on Monday, Tucker Carlson insisted that the views of his head writer had “nothing to do” with the tone of his show – which is one of the most openly anti-LGBT+ shows on Fox News.
Tucker Carlson failed to mention writer’s racism, homophobia on air as he decries ‘words’.
Reading a prepared statement which conspicuously failed to use the words ‘racist’ or ‘homophobic’ to describe Neff’s racist and homophobic messages, Carlson said: “What Blake wrote anonymously was wrong. We don’t endorse those words, they have no connection to the show.
It is wrong to attack people for qualities they cannot control in this country we judge people for what they do, not for how they were born.”
“We often say that because we mean it. We will continue to defend that principle, often alone among national news programmes, because it is essential. Nothing is more important. Blake fell short of that standard, and he has paid a very heavy price for it.”
Fox News host Tucker Carlson described Blake Neff – his head writer and a long-time associate who also helped research his book – as simply a “former writer on this show.”
Carlson’s claim that Neff’s views have “no connection” to the work he did seems less than credible – given that on several occasions stories Neff discovered via the forum and arguments he put forward would become talking points on Carlson’s show. On at least one occasion, the writer inserted an in-joke devised on the forum into Carlson’s script, CNN reports.
Fox News host takes ‘long-planned’ break as he rages at ‘ghouls’ who condemned writer.
For some reason, Carlson also decided to take a potshot to those who had condemned Neff’s racism, misogyny and homophobia.
He said: “We should also point out to the ghouls now beating their chests in triumph at the destruction of a young man that self righteousness also has its costs. We are all human. When we pretend we are holy, we are lying.
“When we pose as blameless in order to hurt other people, we are committing the greatest sin of all, and we will be punished for it. There’s no question.”
At the end of the show, Carlson revealed that he would be taking a purportedly “long-planned” break from Fox News for the rest of the week amid the controversy.
He said: “Gonna spend the next four days trout fishing. Long planned, this is one of those years where if you don’t get it in now, you’re probably not going to if something dramatic happens.
“We’ll be back on Monday… the show that is the sworn and totally sincere enemy of lying pomposity.”
