Tucker Carlson is an American conservative media personality and anti-transgender activist.
Background
Tucker McNear Carlson was born May 16, 1969 in San Francisco to Lisa McNeal and Dick Carlson (born 1941), a broadcaster and lobbyist. Carlos has a younger sibling Buckley Swanson Peck Carlson. Carlson’s parents divorced in 1976, with Lisa moving to France. Dick Carlson then married Swanson Enterprises heir Patricia Caroline Swanson in 1979.
Carlson attended boarding school in Rhode Island and began dating future spouse Susan Andrews there. The yearbook says Carlson led the “Dan White Society.” White assassinated gay politican Harvey Milk.
Carlson worked for The Heritage Foundation at Policy Review, then wrote opinion pieces at the Arkansas Democrat-Gazett. Carlson joineed The Weekly Standard in 1995. A 1999 profile of George W. Bush for Talk magazine led to controversy as well as work at New York, Reader’s Digest, Esquire, Slate, The New Republic, The New York Times Magazine, The Daily Beast, and The Wall Street Journal.
In 2000 CNN hired Carlson to host The Spin Room and later Crossfire. In 2004, Jon Stewart harshly criticized Carlson and Paul Begala, which attributed to the show’s cancellation. Carlson adjusted to a different on-air tone after the incident.
In 2004, PBS aired Tucker Carlson: Unfiltered for about a year. In 2005 MSNBC aired Tucker until 2008.
From 2010 to 2020 Carlson was editor of The Daily Caller. In June 2020, Carlson sold his one-third stake in The Daily Caller following questions about the organization selling their mailing list the the Donald Trump campaign.
From 2009 to 2023 Carlson hosted an appeared on Fox News shows, including Red Eye, Hannity, Fox & Friends Weekend, and Tucker Carlson Tonight. In 2021 Fox entered into a multi-year contract to air and podcast and shows Tucker Carlson Originals and Tucker Carlson Today. Carlson was dismissed in 2023.
In 2023 Carlson relaunched on Twitter/X as host of Tucker on X.
Carlson has authored three books:
- Politicians, Partisans, and Parasites: My Adventures in Cable News (2003)
- Ship of Fools: How a Selfish Ruling Class is Bringing America to the Brink of Revolution (2018)
- The Long Slide: Thirty Years in American Journalism (2021)
Anti-transgender activism
Carlson hosted the 2022 two-part special “Transgressive: The Cult of Confusion,” showcasing the ex-transgender movement.
References
Grant, Melissa Gira (September 28, 2022). Doxxed Doctors, Library Bomb Threats, and Attacks on Pride Centers: A Week in Escalating Anti-LGBTQ Violence. The New Republic https://newrepublic.com/article/167882/rising-right-wing-lgbtq-threats-violence-tiktok-tucker-carlson
Goggin, Ben; Tenbarge, Kat (November 23, 2022). Right-wing influencers and media double down on anti-LGBTQ rhetoric in the wake of the Colorado shooting. NBC News https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/internet/right-wing-influencers-media-double-anti-lgbtq-rhetoric-wake-colorado-rcna58371
Baker-Jordan, Skylar (September 20, 2022). Tucker Carlson’s latest LGBT rant proves he’s been radicalized. The Independent https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/tucker-carlson-gay-trans-rant-radical-b2171570.html
Wiggins, Christopher (September 23, 2022). Tucker Carlson Says Hospitals Should Expect Threats Over Trans Care. The Advocate https://news.yahoo.com/tucker-carlson-says-hospitals-expect-163813949.html
Resources
GLAAD (glaad.org)
Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)