Last week, it was reported that Fox News had compiled a secret “oppo file” on Tucker Carlson, to be used as an insurance policy against him in the event he sues the network. As per a Rolling Stone article, eight Fox News insiders acknowledged the file’s existence. The network denied the existence of the secret file, of course, but this week, the left-wing media “watchdog” site Media Matters started leaking videos of Carlson in an apparent attempt to smear him.
In the end, it was Media Matters that looked silly.
The videos are behind-the-scenes footage of Carlson on set, and that should tell you something about how Media Matters obtained them.
The first video, tweeted out by Media Matters senior fellow Matt Gertz, features Carlson on the phone with a producer from Fox Nation (Fox News’s subscription-based service), trashing the platform. “I don’t want to be a slave to Fox Nation, which I don’t think that people watch anyway,” Tucker is heard saying. “But nobody’s going to watch it on Fox Nation. Nobody watches Fox Nation because the site sucks.”
FOXLEAKS: Tucker Carlson slammed Fox Nation in behind-the-scenes video pic.twitter.com/mKqJBuWzCw
— Matthew Gertz (@MattGertz) May 1, 2023
Upon the release of the above video, there was a collective yawn on social media as people wondered if this was really the best that Media Matters got. Was it supposed to be scandalous or make Tucker Carlson unemployable? Gertz quickly found out that the public didn’t see it as a big deal; social media users pointed out that the ex-Fox host was correct and mocked Gertz for thinking that Tucker criticizing a poorly-functioning website was somehow a scandal.
Gertz tried again with more videos the following day. The first showed Tucker chatting and joking around with Piers Morgan before an interview.
1. Prepping for an interview with Piers Morgan, Carlson tells the host, “If we’re going to talk about sex, I’d love to hit some of the fine points of technique”
Morgan replies, “We can certainly talk about your sexual technique, especially after your tanning testicles last week” pic.twitter.com/q41FGWujn8
— Matthew Gertz (@MattGertz) May 2, 2023
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Are you horrified? I’m sure you’re not. Nor is Media Matters, which has posted plenty of articles attacking conservatives for their opposition to pornographic books in school libraries, or for their efforts to keep children away from risqué drag shows. Does anyone really believe this joking exchange offends the sensibilities of anyone at Media Matters? Of course not, nor does it offend any normal people, who understand that two adults joking is merely two adults joking.
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But God bless Matt Gertz, who kept on trying to find something scandalous to share with the public.
In another video, Tucker is seen making a comment about a person’s girlfriend — who was not present, nor had Carlson ever met — describing her as “yummy.” Then Carlson, presciently anticipating criticism from Media Matters, preempted it by telling them to “go f—k themselves.” It was an effective remark, as though Carlson knew someone at Fox News would leak the video and deliberately used the moment to troll Media Matters.
Yet another video does no better at reaching the level of scandal that Media Matters hoped. In it, Carlson jokes about his own appearance, claiming that he could not judge it accurately and had to rely on his “post-menopausal fans” to provide feedback.
3. On-set, Carlson tells someone off-camera, “I can never assess my appearance. I wait for my postmenopausal fans to weigh in on that.” pic.twitter.com/GmuwSomWDI
— Matthew Gertz (@MattGertz) May 2, 2023
Once again, the overwhelming response on social media was, “Okay, so what?”
Well done, Media Matters! You’ve managed to prove just how little dirt on Tucker there actually is, if this is the kind of stuff you’re attempting to use against him.
The bigger problem here is for the current Fox News talent, who see these videos getting leaked. The message it sends to them is that the network that relies on them is essentially spying on them, keeping behind-the-scenes footage that it thinks might embarrass them if they ever fall out of line.
Imagine what that must be like.
