Tucker Carlson made an explosive return to social media by posting what he called “Episode 1” on Twitter. In just over an hour the video had already garnered over one million views.
The June 6th video drop completes over a month of speculation and anticipation over the landing spot for Carlson following his separation from Fox News, which occurred early last May to nearly everyone’s surprise. At the time of his departure, he consistently had some of the highest ratings on cable television and, given the reputation of Fox among many conservatives, one of the few remaining reasons to even tune in.
In the video, Carlson address predominantly the recent attack on a Ukrainian dam, but in reality, it’s more about using that incident as a proxy of larger issues surrounding media coverage and the mainstream narratives of so many critical events in our lifetimes.
“A small group of people control access to all relevant information and the rest of us don’t know we’re allowed to yap all we want about racism,” Carlson says amid questioning almost every common mainstream narrative, ranging from the media’s disinterest in investigating such topics as Jeffrey Epstein, the JFK assassination, 9/11, and the BLM uprisings during the summer ahead of the 2020 elections. “But go ahead and talk about something that really matters. And see what happens. If you keep it up. They’ll make you be quiet, trust us. That’s how they maintain control.”
The entire video encapsulates why Carlson has such a following, and indeed, why he was probably removed from the airwaves at Fox. It’s a masterclass in cutting to the heart of the issues.
Ep. 1 pic.twitter.com/O7CdPjF830
— Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) June 6, 2023
The ceiling for Tucker Carlson is nearly limitless as far as being an independent media personality goes, and somewhat predictably Fox News continues to suffer from its perplexing decision to drop its most popular host from its lineup. Last month, Fox News unceremoniously and inexplicably “fired” Carlson over a normal weekend, leaving viewers stunned at the vacant Monday evening prime time slot.
Since then, the situation at Fox News has only gone from bad to worse. Brian Kilmeade first filled in at the last minute, only to be blasted by viewers who noticed the lack of wit, charisma, and insights they had grown accustomed to.
And in the weeks since Carlson departed, viewership has remained steadily lower. According to recent data from AdWeek, Fox News Channel ratings dropped by 32%, nearly a third, for primetime viewers of all ages and by 44% for the key 25-54 demographic. The latter part is especially crucial as it is the most coveted bracket for potential advertisers.
Carlson’s incredible return to Twitter completes the much-anticipated, long-awaited sequel to Tucker Carlson Tonight. ”Tucker, for his part,” The American Tribune wrote, “is planning on hosting a show that will be exclusively on Twitter now that he’s been booted from Fox News.”
“You can’t have a free society if people aren’t allowed to say what they think is true. Speech is the fundamental prerequisite for democracy,” Carlson said in his first video on Twitter following his separation from Fox News. That video would go on to be seen over one hundred million times.
“That’s why it’s enshrined in the first of our constitutional amendments. Amazingly, as of tonight, there aren’t many platforms left that allow free speech. The last big one remaining in the world, the only one is Twitter, where we are now. Twitter has long served as the place where our national conversation incubates and develops. Twitter is not a partisan site, everybody’s allowed here. And we think that’s a good thing,” he continued.
For those that haven’t seen the original Carlson Twitter video, take a look below:
We’re back. pic.twitter.com/sG5t9gr60O
— Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) May 9, 2023
And now, Carlson has made good on that pronouncement. Twitter, considered by Carlson and countless others as one of the few remaining sites which allow free speech and the dissemination of various viewpoints, is poised to host perhaps the next largest independent journalist.
If Episode 1 is any indication of where things are going, this will definitely be something to keep an eye on.
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