Tucker Carlson, hailed at one time as a precocious young literary talent. Now, he has morphed into something altogether different – a controversial media personality frequently referred to as a “noxious talking head.” This transformation is reflective of Carlson’s own journey. It serves to underscore the larger tale of right-wing politics and media over the last thirty years.
In 2023, conservative writer Chadwick Moore released a biography of Carlson that fell somewhere between hagiography and court stenography. The book’s goal is to provide a panoramic view of Carlson’s rise and influence, but just as important is the book’s effort to explore Carlson’s complicated, mercurial personality. In contrast, Jason Zengerle’s critical work, “Hated by All the Right People: Tucker Carlson and the Unraveling of the Conservative Mind,” strives to assess Carlson’s impact on conservative discourse.
By July 2020, Carlson’s show was the highest-rated program in U.S. cable news history. His career reached its zenith with such a phenomenal achievement. In fact, his impact was so palpable that the former president Donald Trump would regularly dial him up for random taste-testing of his speeches. Carlson’s worries were heard by friends, according to reports. He feared that either Trump or a foreign intelligence service was bugging their chats to give them leverage over him.
Carlson’s path through the conservative media universe has changed dramatically since his firing from Fox News in 2023. He’s moved to a more nativist, isolationist and far right position, doubling down on his controversial ways.
Carlson’s upbringing is equally intriguing. Born to Dick Carlson, who rose from a tragic childhood to become a pioneering newsman and diplomat, Tucker’s early life was marked by complexities. His unlikely guardian, Colonel Kwon, a former Korean intelligence officer. At only 14, he experienced one of his father’s most notorious and morally dubious rites of passage when his father had him lose his virginity at a Nevada brothel.
In fact, over the years, Carlson has just undergone a full pivot on his political ideology. He was one of the first conservative commentators to pull his support for the Iraq War. Over the past few years, he has attracted controversy for bringing on the most aggressive reporters clichéd credentials. Many of these journalists were later found to be espousing neo-nazi or far-right tendencies themselves.
Even without his singular soapbox at Fox, Carlson’s influence in the media ecosystem is still a powerful one.
“He has descended into madness, but he is speaking to millions.” – Jason Zengerle
Zengerle’s work attempts to grapple with the complexities of Carlson’s career and his place within the larger context of conservative politics. He posits that Carlson’s situation is paradoxical, suggesting, “It is tempting to think that Carlson has … suffered the same fate as the man he once ridiculed,” alluding to the changing dynamics within the conservative media sphere.
Carlson’s incendiary positions on everything from immigration to the war in Ukraine to wokeness has made him a lightning rod. Critics have often labeled him as “the single most repulsive person on the planet.” His pursuit of a narrative at the expense of truth and accuracy puts all of his reporting in question.
“If you create a news organization whose primary objective is not to deliver accurate news, you will fail.” – Tucker Carlson
This retrospective is a further testament to Carlson’s recognition of the new world order in which he now finds himself.
Tucker Carlson’s transformation is a window into Carlson’s soul. It explains some critical trends in the rise of conservative media over the last three decades. His ascent and present-day fortunes are a window into how much these conservative narratives have changed. These changes have had far-reaching effects on American society – for better and for worse.
As Carlson continues to navigate his post-Fox career, he remains an influential voice among far-right circles, even as he faces increasing scrutiny for his rhetoric and affiliations. The ongoing discourse surrounding his work will likely contribute to shaping the future of conservative thought and media in America.