Tucker Carlson is fixated on voting rights activist and former Georgia Democratic candidate for governor Stacey Abrams, but this time it’s not for her political stance — it’s for her past life as a romance novelist.
Abrams used to write romance fiction under the pen name Selena Montgomery (or, as Tucker kept calling her, “Steamy Selena”) about two decades ago. The first three of her books — “Rules of Engagement,” “The Art of Desire” and “Power of Persuasion,” will be reissued by Berkley, a division of publisher Penguin Random House, later this year.
Abrams’ first three books, one of which she wrote while in her final year at Law school, have been coveted for years. Used copies can sell for upwards of $100. Tucker wants his hands on a copy too, he said, and promised Fox News viewers a “dramatic reading” of one of Abrams’ steamy stories by the end of this week.
Before throwing to to Fox News correspondent Trace Gallagher to break down the story, Tucker called the novels “bodice rippers,” “steamy” and “sexy.” It seemed like Tucker was kind of into it. After Gallagher read an excerpt from the books and defined the word “turgid” (in what sounded like a faux-sexy tone that could make even the most desperate of housewives hurl), Tucker exclaimed gleefully, “you could do voice-overs, that was fantastic.”
Tucker then yelled, somewhat jokingly, “softcore porn, brought to you by Trace Gallagher! Probably not going to happen…”
At the end of the show, Tucker revisited Stacey Abrams’ novels and said, “minutes ago our senior editorial producer confirmed a Stacey Abrams novel is en route to our team. We plan to bring you a reading, a dramatic reading — to the extent we’re allowed by obscenity regulations — of that steamy work, and we’ll have it by Friday. That’s our promise to you.”
So, uh, stay tuned for whatever that turns out to be this Friday? It’s unclear if it’ll be Tucker doing the reading of Abrams’ stories, or if he’ll pawn that off on Gallagher or another Fox employee with nothing better to do in favor of just enjoying Abrams’ romantic turns of phrase.
Tucker’s interest in bringing viewers a reading of a Senators’ boudoir novel furthers the point a federal judge made about him in a ruling last year; That he isn’t a credible source of news and that most “reasonable” viewers should interpret his show on Fox as entertainment, not information.
Each of Abrams’ romance novels features a Black woman protagonist who works in U.S. espionage. Abrams described the books in a statement as “stories that showcase women of color as nuanced, determined, and exciting.”
Abrams has since authored other books on more serious subjects, “Minority Leader” and “Our Time is Now.” She also will publish a political thriller set in the Supreme Court called “While Justice Sleeps” via Penguin Random House next week.
Watch Tucker’s remarks on Abrams’ novels above.