Tucker Carlson has revealed in detail for the first time why he took the controversial decision to interview the far-right figure Nick Fuentes.
It came after the interview last week ignited a blistering civil war over free speech, drawing five million views, and setting up a defining ideological moment for MAGA.
Carlson was condemned by many conservatives for giving the 27-year-old a ‘platform’ and the fallout became increasingly bitter as high-profile conservative figures and institutions weighed in and picked sides.
Fuentes is known for having made antisemitic statements, including comparing the Holocaust to baking cookies. He leads a group known as the Groypers who see themselves as trying to preserve America’s white, Christian identity.
In 2022, Fuentes had dinner with Donald Trump and Kanye West at Mar-a-Lago, but the now-President later clarified that Fuentes was an unexpected guest of the rapper and he ‘knew nothing about’ him.
Carlson appeared as a guest on conservative media star Megyn Kelly‘s national tour on Wednesday night and the pair spoke on stage in White Plains, New York.
He told Kelly there were several specific reasons why he had wanted to interview Fuentes and revealed that he had been surprised by the controversy.
Tucker Carlson tells Megyn Kelly why he invited Nick Fuentes on his show
Tucker Carlson (R) interviews Nick Fuentes (L), sparking a GOP war over free speech
But first, he explained how it came about, revealing he had been involved in an ‘extremely personal and bitter war’ with Fuentes, mostly in private, after the far-right commentator attacked Carlson’s father, who passed away in March.
Carlson said he was ‘really mad’ and responded by attacking Fuentes in an interview last month.
He then spoke with friends who informed him that Fuentes was ‘actually the single most influential commentator among young men, period.’
Carlson, 56, told Megyn Kelly: ‘It’s bonkers. I kind of missed a lot of this stuff. I pride myself on not missing things. I totally missed that, really.
‘And then it turns out that, you know, he has no advertisers, they’ve been trying to cancel him since college.
‘Ben Shapiro actually tried to shut him down freshman year in college, and it didn’t work. In fact, it had an opposite effect.
‘So I was like, hmm, I talked to a million people I know, and I thought maybe I should interview Nick Fuentes, to hear what is this, actually?
‘And so, I decided to do it. And I thought it would be controversial. I didn’t think it would become what it’s become. I’m not going to offer any defense other than, you know…’
Tucker Carlson said he had been involved in a private row with Fuentes before deciding to interview him
Carlson said he believed in talking to people to ‘see the human person.’
He was surprised by the reaction because he has interviewed everyone from Vladimir Putin to Liberian cannibals.
‘I interviewed Liberian militia leaders during the Liberian Civil War, all cannibals, every single one of them,’ he said.
‘The point is, none of those were controversial. I interviewed people who are hated, in some cases like demonstrably evil, and I asked them, why did you do that, and what’s your account of yourself? Like, tell me who you are, what do you believe?
‘And that was the first thing I wanted to achieve with Nick Fuentes – Like, what is this? Tell me, you know, I’ll give you two hours. I’ve only watched your clips for like, a minute long, I want to hear like, why don’t you describe what you think?’
Carlson said his ‘small role’ was to get documentary evidence of people describing what they think and why.
‘I did it with Putin, I’ll probably do it with every other bad person in the world – because I’m interested, not because I agree with them, because I think it’s interesting.’ he said.
Carlson said he wanted to tell Fuentes it was un-Christian to ‘attack people for their DNA’
Carlson said he was interested in interviewing Fuentes because of he is an influential commentator with young men
Carlson said his second reason for doing the interview was that he wanted to tell Fuentes something specific – that it was wrong to attack groups of people ‘for their DNA,’ rather than individuals.
In doing so, he outlined his world view that Western civilization is unique because it is based on a New Testament understanding of individual responsibility.
He said it was fair to criticize foreign countries ‘from Belgium to Congo to Israel.’
‘(But) it is totally illegitimate, and very specifically un-Christian, to attack people for their DNA, like ”I hate this group”. We all have to hear that because that is the basis of Western civilization.’
Carlson said Western civilization, as derived from the New Testament, does not believe in collective punishment.
‘It is the only truly unusual and great thing about the West, which is we do not punish the innocent, we only punish the guilty,’ he said.
‘If you commit a crime we don’t send your kids to jail, we don’t execute your cousins, we don’t commit genocide against your whole tribe. We punish you because you did it. We treat each person as individual. That is Western civilization.’
Carlson made his comments to Megyn Kelly in White Plains, New York
He said that basis of Western civilization was being disregarded through DEI, affirmative action and identity politics.
‘We are rewarding some people because of how they were born and hurting others for the same reason. That is anti-Western, evil,’ he said.
‘That is the root idea behind what happened in Europe in the 1940s under the Nazis. It’s the root idea behind what happened in Rwanda in 1994. It’s the root idea, just saying, behind what’s happening in Gaza right now, where it’s like, we’re going to kill the kids too, we don’t care, and we’re about to move everyone out because they’re a people that is fundamentally opposed to us. I’m not for that, sorry, because that’s not the Western understanding of justice.
‘We punish the guilty alone. We do not punish the innocent, period. That’s the answer to racism. Collective punishment is the enemy of Western civilization.’
During his interview with Fuentes, the far-right commentator said the country’s biggest challenged to unifying was ‘organized Jewry.’
The interview also sparked controversy after Carlson criticized ‘Christian Zionists’ including Mike Huckabee and Ted Cruz.
‘I dislike them more than anybody…because it’s Christian heresy,’ he said.
A coalition of prominent conservative voices subsequently called for Carlson to be exiled from right-wing circles.
But Kevin Roberts, president of of the influential Republican think tank The Heritage Foundation, released a video statement standing by Carlson.
Roberts denounced the ‘venomous coalition’ criticizing Carlson and said ‘their attempt to cancel him will fail.’
He added: ‘Christians can critique the State of Israel without being anti-Semitic, and of course, anti-Semitism should be condemned.
‘I disagree with, and even abhor, things that Nick Fuentes says, but canceling him is not the answer either.’
Heritage Foundation president Kevin Roberts came under fire over a statement he issued supporting Tucker Carlson
Republican Jewish Coalition CEO Matt Brooks responded: ‘I am appalled, offended and disgusted that [Kevin Roberts] and Heritage would stand with Tucker Carlson and Nick Fuentes.
Conservative editor John Podhoretz said: ‘My mother was a Heritage board member for 40 years. You have befouled her, you rancid wretch of an amoeba.’
In the latest twist in the saga on Thursday it emerged that Roberts had apologized to Heritage staff about his statement.
In a video of a staff meeting leaked to the Washington Free beacon, he said: ‘I made a mistake and I let you down, and I let down this institution. Period. Full stop.’
He then issued a statement saying: ‘Everyone has the responsibility to speak up against the scourge of antisemitism, no matter the messenger. Heritage and I will do so, even when my friend Tucker Carlson needs challenging.
‘I didn’t know much about this Fuentes guy. Still don’t, which underscores the mistake.’
