Fox News host Tucker Carlson justifies actions of teen arrested for Kenosha killings during Jacob Blake protests
Jessica Schladebeck
Fox News host Tucker Carlson sparked widespread and immediate backlash for seemingly justifying the actions of a vigilante teen accused of opening fire on protesters in Kenosha, Wisc., who were demanding justice for the police shooting of Jacob Blake.
Kyle Rittenhouse was taken into custody Wednesday afternoon just outside Wisconsin in the Illinois city of Antioch and charged with first-degree intentional homicide. It came after two people were killed overnight Tuesday as tensions sparked by the shooting of Blake bubbled over during a third straight night of demonstrations in downtown Kenosha.
The father of six remained in the hospital for treatment and will require additional surgeries for his injuries. Doctors have said it will be a miracle if Blake walks again.
During a segment on “Tucker Carlson Tonight” following Rittenhouse’s arrest, the host said he could understand why the teen would want to “maintain order” after violence erupted in the city.
“We do know why it happened, though. Kenosha devolved into anarchy because the authorities abandoned the people,” he said Wednesday night. “Those in charge, from the governor down, refused the law. They’ve stood back and watched Kenosha burn. Are we really surprised that looting and arson accelerated to murder?”
Carlson added: “How shocked are we that 17-year-olds with rifles decided they had to maintain order when no one else would?”
His comments drew the ire of journalists, celebrities and Twitter-users alike, including that of Nikole Hannah-Jones, the New York Times Magazine reporter who won a Pulitzer Prize for her work on the 1619 Project.
“He just justified murder,” she said.
Comedian Billy Eichner simply wrote “Fire Tucker Carlson,” in a tweet that was quoted and replicated countless times.
The conservative television personality is no stranger to controversy and has sparked boycotts of his show in the past. Last summer, Carlson sent advertisers running after he said the problem of White Supremacy in America was a “hoax” and “conspiracy theory.”
Protesters raise their fists during a demonstration against the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin on Aug. 26, 2020. Protests continued after not only Jacob Blake was shot by a white police officers on August 23, but two protesters were shot dead and a third injured by a gunman on August 25 in Kenosha, Wis.
Demonstrators march in the streets on Aug. 26, 2020 in Kenosha, Wisconsin. As the city declared a state of emergency curfew, a fourth night of protests occurred after the shooting of Jacob Blake, 29, on August 23.
Demonstrators protest the shooting of Jacob Blake on Aug. 26, 2020 in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
Lasiya Lakes, 4, raises her fist in the air while chanting Black Lives Matter on Aug. 26, 2020 in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
Demonstrators sit on top of a car during a march on Aug. 26, 2020 in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
"End Racism" is displayed on the scoreboard in light of the recent events in Kenosha, Wisconsin, in regards to the shooting of Jacob Blake, prior to Game Three of the Western Conference Second Round during the 2020 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Rogers Place on Aug. 26, 2020 in Edmonton, Alberta.
The words "Black Lives Matter" are displayed on the digital screen after the postponement of the game between the San Francisco Giants and the Los Angeles Dodgers at Oracle Park on Aug. 26, 2020 in San Francisco, Calif. Several sporting leagues across the nation today are postponing their schedules as players protest the shooting of Jacob Blake by Kenosha, Wisconsin police.
A man speaks at a site where a demonstrator was killed on Aug. 26, 2020 in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
Residents of an elderly nursing home watch the protesters through the window during a demonstration against the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin on Aug. 26, 2020.
The carcasses of the cars burned by protesters the previous night during a demonstration against the shooting of Jacob Blake are seen on a used-cars lot in Kenosha, Wisconsin on Aug. 26, 2020.
Protesters come face to face with police outside the County Courthouse during demonstrations against the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin on Aug. 25, 2020. Blake, an unarmed Black man, was reportedly trying to break up a domestic dispute when he was shot seven times in the back in front of his children by police officers on August 23.
A protester takes cover during clashes outside the Kenosha County Courthouse late Tuesday night on Aug. 25, 2020 in Kenosha, Wis. Protests continue following the police shooting of Jacob Blake two days earlier.
Police attempt to push back protesters outside the Kenosha County Courthouse on Aug. 24, 2020, in Kenosha, Wis. Protesters converged on the county courthouse during the second night of protests after the police shooting of Jacob Blake a day earlier.
A protester obstructs an armored vehicle attempting to clear the park of demonstrators during clashes outside the Kenosha County Courthouse on Aug. 25, 2020, in Kenosha, Wis.
A protester tosses an object toward police during clashes outside the Kenosha County Courthouse on Aug. 25, 2020 in Kenosha, Wis., on third night of unrest following the shooting of Jacob Blake.
People gather on Aug. 25, 2020 to protest against the shooting of Jacob Blake, an unarmed Black man, in Kenosha, Wis.
A protester lays injured during clashes with police outside the Kenosha County Courthouse on Aug. 25, 2020, in Kenosha, Wis.
Protesters take cover during clashes with police outside the Kenosha County Courthouse on Aug. 25, 2020, in Kenosha, Wis.
A protester kicks a smoke canister on Aug. 25, 2020 in Kenosha, Wis.
Jacob Blake, Sr., (3rd L) and Julia Jackson (2nd R), parents of Jacob Blake, Jr., arrive with family members outside of the County Courthouse for the press conference in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on Aug. 25, 2020.
Protesters march near the Minneapolis 1st Police precinct during a demonstration against police brutality and racism on Aug. 24, 2020 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Demonstrators march through the city during a protest against the shooting of Jacob Blake in New York on Aug. 24, 2020.
More recently, Carlson became mired in scandal after reporters revealed that his now-former top writer had spent years making racist and sexist comments online. Blake Neff resigned from his post a short time later.
When asked for comment regarding its host’s recent comments, Fox News pointed to a recent tweet from Carlson, doubling down on his remarks.
