Fox News host Tucker Carlson is refusing to apologize after a number of recordings surfaced revealing that he had made disparaging remarks about women, the Obamas, and immigrants.
Progressive media watchdog Media Matters for America published recordings of call-ins Carlson made to the shock-jock radio program "Bubba the Love Sponge," which originally aired from 2006 to 2011. On Monday, Media Matters published new audio of Carlson crediting "white men" for "creating civilization," claiming that immigrants ought to be "hot or smart" to come to America, and questioning Barack Obama's race.
Media Matters on Sunday evening first highlighted the recordings of Carlson's call-ins, which showed the Fox News host comparing women to dogs, calling women "primitive," and defending the imprisoned religious leader Warren Jeffs, among other things.
On Monday, Carlson opened his Fox News opinion show, "Tucker Carlson Tonight" with a monologue where he addressed the controversy and blamed what he called "the left," which he claims is conspiring against him:
"The left's main goal, in case you haven't noticed, is controlling what you think. In order to do that, they have to control the information that you receive," Carlson said. He accused his critics of "working hard to kill this show."
"Fox News is behind us, as they have been since the very first day," Carlson said.
Carlson previously issued a statement on Twitter, saying that the watchdog caught him "saying something naughty on a radio show more than a decade ago."
The TV host refused to issue an apology.
New recordings target the Obamas, immigrants
In the newly unearthed recordings published on Monday, Tucker can be heard discussing a range of topics with the radio hosts, including President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, and immigrants.
Here are some examples of Carlson's previous remarks.
On immigration:
"There's some really good, I mean, immigrants. I just think it's, you know, people who come to this country ought to have something to offer. Be hot, be really smart, you know what I mean?" Carlson said in a clip from 2006. "But people to come over and pick lettuce, I mean, I'm not saying that's an undignified - I mean, that's great, you know, and I admire people who work hard, but on the other hand, is that - are those people who are going to build, you know, a stronger country 20 years from now?"
Read more: Fox News host Tucker Carlson has a long history of controversy
On white men running for president:
"The country's so fucked up on the subject that getting a white man, I mean everyone's embarrassed to be a white man I guess, that's a bad thing," Carlson said in a 2008 taping. "I don't have a problem with it. I don't really think of the world in those terms but, you know, white men, you know, they've contributed some, I would say ... I mean creating civilization and stuff, I think they've done a pretty - I don't know, whatever!"
On Iraq:
"I hate the war. You know, I'm not defending the war in any way, but I just have zero sympathy for them or their culture. A culture where people just don't use toilet paper or forks," he said during a 2006 taping. "They can just shut the fuck up and obey, is my view."
"Iraq is a crappy place filled with a bunch of, you know, semiliterate primitive monkeys - that's why it wasn't worth invading," he said in another taping in 2008.
On the Obamas:
When discussing First Lady Michelle Obama, Carlson said in a 2008 taping that she "had an edge to her that's bad."
"I'm not attacking her personally. I'm just saying, as a public figure, you just get the feeling she's got a major chip on her shoulder ... [She] turns into a 'sister.'"
Carlson also called Obama's race into question:
"How is he Black, for one thing? He has one white parent, one Black parent," he said in 2006.
In another interview, Carlson said Obama "would still be in the state Senate in Illinois if he were white."
Read more: At least 33 advertisers have stopped advertising on Tucker Carlson's Fox News show in recent months after the host's controversial comments. Here's the list.
Advertisers have distanced themselves from Carlson's Fox News program in recent months
People have called for advertisers to ditch Carlson's show following the release of the recordings, and some advertisers have taken notice.
Carlson has previously faced backlash over comments he made about women and immigrants on his show, including saying that immigrants coming to the US from impoverished regions make the country "poorer and dirtier."
At least 33 advertisers have cut ties with the program in recent months, including CareerBuilder, Red Lobster, and SmileDirectClub.
According to Media Matters, brands like Mitsubishi, Progressive insurance, and My Pillow continue to advertise on Carlson's program.
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