Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson denies being racist in his new biography, “Tucker,” after being accused of pushing racist rhetoric live on air and in private.
According to excerpts of the new biography, obtained by The Guardian, Carlson told biographer Chadwick Moore that he is not racist — and if he was, “he would just say so.”
“Being racist is not a crime,” he said. “Maybe [it is] a moral crime, but not a statutory crime.”
Moore’s biography, titled “Tucker,” will be released in the U.S. on Aug. 1. Carlson was interviewed extensively, and Moore was given “unprecedented access to Carlson’s professional and personal life,” according to the publisher, All Seasons Press.
According to The Guardian, these comments from Carlson come from a section of the book that focuses on the ex-Fox host’s belief that the network twisted his departure narrative against him.
In May, the New York Times reported on a text message from Carlson that allegedly contained racist remarks. According to the report, Carlson detailed watching footage of Trump supporters attacking a leftwing protestor to which he said, “It’s not how white men fight.”
Fox leaders were reportedly “alarmed,” by Carlson’s words, which led to a flurry of rumors that these messages led to Carlson’s ouster from the network.
In response to these public accusations, Carlson told Moore, “Fox told the New York Times they pulled me off because I was racist. But I’m not racist, actually. I’m not insecure about that. If I was racist, I’d just say so. But I’m not.”
In the book, Carlson doubled down on his comments: “What I said is that’s not how white men fight, which as far as I’m concerned is true.”
“I am a white man,” the former Fox host continued. “So, if anyone’s qualified to speak on the subject, it would be me.”
“That’s not how white men fight is what I was raised to believe,” Carlson added. “In the culture, I grew up in, you’re not allowed to fight that way. I believe that, and I’m not embarrassed of that at all. But that was somehow translated to, I’m evil or I’m a racist or something.”
While at Fox News, Carlson was often accused of peddling racism on his primetime program. Since his departure from the network, Carlson has taken his talents to Twitter, causing a standoff with Fox News, which claims that his moves are in breach of his existing contract.
