Kevin Bacon was on Tucker Carlson’s mind Thursday evening — the Fox News host spent several minutes of his show playing clips from Bacon’s 1984 hit movie “Footloose,” comparing the story about a small town that bans dancing to new coronavirus precautions Washington, D.C. mayor Muriel Bowser has enforced that don’t allow dancing at weddings.
Previously, weddings weren’t allowed in D.C., but the district will allow them with venues at no more than 25% capacity and without standing or dancing receptions. Other states, like Illinois and Michigan, have similar precautions in place with the like-minded goal of keeping coronavirus infections to a minimum.
Tucker cut to an interview Bowser gave on CNN where she defended her decision, and said, “I think there’s a lot of good to a wedding like people starting off their lives together and doing it in a safe way and not doing it in a way that puts themselves or their guests in danger.”
Tucker was, predictably, not a fan of the ordinance, and retorted, “Muriel Bowser is one of the least impressive, most irrational political leaders in the history of the country, and her order is among other things, stupid and crazy.” He also repeatedly called Bowser an “Ayatollah mayor,” adding seemingly casual Islamophobia into the rant.
Tucker also said that safety isn’t the main concern at wedding functions, throwing in what sure sounded like a bit of casual homophobia. “The most important thing about a wedding is the wedding, it’s the marriage between a man and a woman and if that’s too dangerous for you, don’t come.”
“It used to be that only religious crazies, the extremists on the radical right, were against dancing. There was a whole movie about it in 1984,” Tucker said, before cutting to a clip of “Footloose” where Kevin Bacon gives his emotional speech declaring, “this is our time to dance.”
“Yeah, Kevin Bacon, an inspiration to potential brides and grooms all across the District of Columbia,” Tucker said. “If you’re as brave as Kevin Bacon, this could be your wedding,” he added, once more cutting to “Footloose.”
A few minutes later, Tucker brought on “The Five” co-host Jesse Waters for a horrifically awkward conversation about the no-dancing mandates which included Waters claiming that weddings are a “safe space” for “white guys with no rhythm.” Waters argued that weddings are for dads “the only time of year you can bust a move and not be totally humiliated.”
Hey, go ahead and dance like no one is watching, Jesse Waters. Trust us, no one is.
Check out the clip at the top of the page, and remember — even a federal judge recognized that Tucker Carlson isn’t a credible source of news, and that no one should interpret his show as delivering facts.