Why are people reading articles about Tucker Carlson?

Zvika Klein, editor-in-chief of The Jerusalem Post, wrote an article entitled, “I am tired of Tucker Carlson; Huckabee deserves the focus” (Feb. 22, 2026), sentiments with which we can agree.

Not only are we fed up with Tucker Carlson and the way he has purposely gone about slandering the State of Israel, the actions of the IDF, and now, the president – who he wrongly accused of having been on Jeffrey Epstein’s island – but many believe that giving him coverage only fans the flames of antisemitism.

While there may be some truth to that, here is the reason why articles about Tucker Carlson get read. This is the story of a massive fall from grace – not much different from that of the disgraced Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.

Although their indiscretions are vastly different, both of these men basked in a privileged position, enjoying the benefits of their good name, fame, and popularity.

In the case of Tucker, who appeared for years on Fox News, it wasn’t until he was given his own evening program that his stock took off.

Viewers appreciated his fresh, new approach, which, rather than just reporting stories, would expose undisclosed issues or injustices that had been virtually hidden from the public.

As he brought them to light, there was a sense of relief and consolation in the fact that finally an evil was being unearthed, no longer to be ignored!

These stories were broadcast in a compelling way, which made us tune in each day to see what interesting new tidbit would be uncovered. It was as good as television gets – as we waited to get our daily fix of what was going on in our world.

All of a sudden, without so much as a warning, that all stopped. On Monday, April 24, 2023, the network announced his departure, without any explanation or detail, leaving us all to wonder what the heck had happened!

After all, this was, perhaps, the most popular newscaster on Fox, short of Sean Hannity. How could he just disappear without a word?

Scandals and workplace misconduct

There was much speculation as to what had happened, but no real confirmation. Some sites reported that it had to do with a toxic work environment, created by him, where employees were subjected to extreme vulgarity and derogatory messages, creating a tense environment.

Others said there had been a controversy surrounding the Dominion Voting Systems lawsuit and his promotion of election fraud claims.

Whatever the reason, many of us were heartbroken that Tucker Carlson Tonight would no longer be aired. Consequently, many signed up to receive his online programming, which promised to be more of the same style of news reporting we had come to love.

Despite being fired from Fox, Tucker went on to enjoy the limelight and fame that catapulted him right to the top of the conservative movement. In fact, hardly anyone got the acclamation and thunderous applause, accompanied by a standing ovation, at events where other conservatives appeared.

With that kind of popularity, it was easy to imagine him running for the presidency one day, because his was a trusted and respected name. It wasn’t long after that when his choice of interviewed guests began to bewilder us.

Amongst his stranger episodes was a Bethlehem clergyman, Munther Isaac, who had nothing good to say about Israel, blaming us for everything from Christian persecution to the IDF’s improper military actions as they fought Hamas following the October 7 massacre. 

No pushback was offered by Tucker, nor an opposing point of view. Everything Isaac said was taken as the gospel truth.

Added to that was the highly controversial historian, Darryl Cooper, whose very troubling version of WWII characterized Winston Churchill as the bad guy and the Nazis as those who showed compassion. 

Not only did Tucker accept Cooper’s narrative, but he also praised his great knowledge and clarity as being the more truthful representation of history.

Who could forget the extremely combative interview that took place between Tucker and Senator Ted Cruz, who, when quoting the scripture concerning Israel, “I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you,” was excoriated by Carlson for not remembering its biblical reference of Genesis 12:3?

As more and more disturbing comments and allegations came forth from Tucker, it became clear that either this was not the man we had once admired or that he had successfully concealed his real positions until such time as he went independent.

Either way, his newfound disparagement of Israel, and how it adversely affected the US, was starting to wear thin.

Needless to say, the more he denigrated Israel, the more he began to hemorrhage support. It wasn’t long before Tucker’s name was dragged through the mud, and rightly so.

The man who had stood for truth, justice, and morality was now regularly espousing hate, disdain, and slander – to the point where his recent interview with US Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee contained a recycled, debunked libel against our Israeli president.

That is, truly, a first-class fall from grace if ever there was one, and, as ugly and disgraceful as it is, readers can’t seem to get enough of the salacious details as they attempt to make some sense of how someone could have changed so radically in such a short period of time.

It is part of human nature to want to get a good look at the carnage that has taken place. That’s the reason why so many drivers cause traffic jams, by stopping to view the terrible aftermath of an accident. It’s also why the term “lookie-loos” was invented.

Consequently, each new article that is published about Tucker Carlson serves as another opportunity to try to understand and get a fresh perspective of who this man really is and how he became Israel’s number one antagonist.
 
Ironically, he refuses to acknowledge that his outlandish statements and hostile opinions make so many of us see him as an antisemitic figure, promoting the hatred that already exists in so many corners of the world. 

Tucker insists that he’s just asking questions and doing the job of a professional journalist who wants to be informed. But does he really?

For those of us who heard his nearly three-hour interview with the ambassador, our conclusion remains the same. His fall from grace is one of the great enigmas of our time!

This article originally appeared on The Jerusalem Post and is reposted with permission.