A racist text message allegedly sent by the former Fox News host Tucker Carlson set off alarm bells at the top of the network and ultimately contributed to his firing, the New York Times reported.
The text, which remains redacted in court filings in Dominion Voting Systems’ defamation case against Fox News but which the Times published in full, included the line: “It’s not how white men fight.”
The message allegedly shows Carlson describing how he saw a group of Trump supporters beat up an “Antifa kid”, or anti-fascist counter-protester.
Carlson allegedly described the encounter as “three against one, at least” and added: “Jumping a guy like that is dishonourable obviously. It’s not how white men fight.”
Carlson allegedly wrote that he initially found himself “rooting for the mob against the man, hoping they’d hit him harder, kill him. I really wanted them to hurt the kid. I could taste it.” He then noted such thoughts were not good for him.
Carlson was fired last week, in the aftermath of the $787.5m settlement of the Dominion case, brought over the broadcast of Donald Trump’s election fraud lies.
The Times said the Fox board had been concerned the Carlson text could be made public at trial, and its discovery led to a law firm being hired to investigate the host.
The paper also said the message would not necessarily have been revealed in court. It and other organisations are trying to persuade the Delaware judge in the Dominion case to release some redacted messages.
Fox has not revealed the reason for Carlson’s departure, or commented beyond thanking Carlson “for his service”.
Last month, the Times and the Wall Street Journal reported Carlson was fired after executives discovered vulgar text messages, including one in which he called a top executive a “cunt”.
Last week, a person close to Carlson disputed that, telling the Guardian: “An elderly Australian man” – the Fox News owner, Rupert Murdoch, 92 – “fired his top anchor with no warning because he was so offended by a dirty word? Stupidest explanation ever. Please. A big decision requires a powerful motive. Naughty words in text messages don’t qualify.”
There were also concerns among Fox management that Carlson was behaving as if he were above the network, reported the Journal, also owned by Murdoch.
The Los Angeles Times has reported that the firing was in connection to a lawsuit filed by Abby Grossberg, Carlson’s former senior booking producer, who said she operated in a sexist and misogynistic working environment.
“We will vigorously defend Fox against all of her legal claims which have no merit,” Fox said.
The Dominion lawsuit revealed depositions, emails and text messages collected from the network’s top stars as evidence.
Carlson text messages that came to light disparaged Trump (“I hate him passionately”); Fox management (“Do the executives understand how much credibility and trust we’ve lost with our audience?”); and Sidney Powell, a lawyer and Trump ally who was a key figure spreading election lies on Fox (“Sidney Powell is lying, fucking bitch”). In another text, Carlson called Powell a “cunt”.
The progressive watchdog Media Matters for America has published a series of leaked videos of Carlson talking off-air.
In videos released on Tuesday, the host was seen to make crude remarks about women and attempting to discuss sex with the British TV host Piers Morgan.
On Wednesday, Media Matters released video in which Carlson discussed his deposition in the Dominion case, complaining of a “slimy little motherfucker sitting across from me”.
Carlson described the “hate” he felt for his questioner, adding: “I don’t want to feel that way. I think it’s wrong. It’s bad. It’s totally bad for you to feel that way. But that guy, he triggered the shit out of me.”
Carlson has not commented about the videos, or about the message reported by the Times.
The text was allegedly sent to a producer soon after Trump supporters stormed the US Capitol on 6 January 2021.
Unredacted messages show Carlson and his producer expressing their concern over the “president and the lies” and worrying what Trump might do to put “rights in jeopardy” in the final two weeks of his presidency.
The text that was redacted allegedly shows Carlson describing the violent assault of an “Antifa kid” by Trump supporters and finding himself “rooting for the mob” before changing his mind.
“The Antifa creep is a human being. Much as I despise what he says and does, much as I’m sure I’d hate him personally if I knew him, I shouldn’t gloat over his suffering. I should be bothered by it. I should remember that somewhere somebody probably loves this kid, and would be crushed if he was killed,” Carlson allegedly wrote.
The text did not mention the race of the protester being attacked.
Last year, however, the Times published an in-depth analysis of Carlson’s prime-time show, which it said may be “the most racist show in the history of cable news – and also … the most successful”.
On Tuesday, the Times said: “For years, Mr Carlson espoused views on his show that amplified the ideology of white nationalism. But the text message revealed more about his views on racial superiority.”
