Tucker Carlson’s first public appearance since he was fired from Fox News occurred when he spoke at a charity event in Alabama on Thursday, May 4th. During the event, put on by Rainbow Omega, “a faith-based non-profit organization that provides vocational and residential programs to adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities,” Tucker received a huge standing ovation from the audience.
Watch that here:
Tucker Carlson gets a standing ovation last night in Oxford, AL at the Rainbow Omega charity event…his first public event since leaving Fox last week. pic.twitter.com/Xo1TbreazN
— Becker News (@NewsBecker) May 7, 2023
As you can hear in the video, Tucker, speaking to the crowd in response to the thunderous ovation that went on for nearly 20 seconds, said, “Thank you. I think I’m probably the first unemployed person ever invited to speak.” The audience loved that quip and the room was filled with raucous laughter. Then, continuing, Carlson said, “It’s funny, I never give speeches because I’m working. And when I accepted this speech, I don’t know six months ago or something, I didn’t realize how much free time I would have. One never knows, does one?”
Speaking about why he chose Rainbow Omega as his first public event to appear at since his firing, Tucker said, “I do love Alabama. But the second and maybe primary reason I wanted to come to this especially is because I, really in a sincere way, support what (Rainbow Omega does). Which is helping people, not in an abstract way but an actual way.”
Check out his full, hour-long speech here:
Though his first public appearance since he was fired from Fox News, this wasn’t the first time he has spoken out since his firing. That was when he released a video that quickly overtook Fox News in viewership. In it, Tucker said:
“Good evening. It’s Tucker Carlson, one of the first things you realize when you step outside the noise for a few days is how many genuinely nice people there are in this country, kind of decent people, people who really care about what’s true and a bunch of hilarious people. Also, a lot of those, it’s got to be the majority of population even now. So that’s heartening.”
“The other thing you notice when you take a little time off is how unbelievably stupid most of the debates you see on television are, they’re completely irrelevant. They mean nothing. In five years, we won’t even remember that we had them, trust me as someone who’s participated, and yet the same time.
“And this is the amazing thing, the undeniably big topics, the ones that will define our future, get virtually no discussion at all war, civil liberties, emerging science, demographic change, corporate power, natural resources. When was the last time you heard a legitimate debate about any of those issues? It’s been a long time.
“Debates like that are not permitted in American media. Both political parties and their donors have reached consensus on what benefits them, and they actively collude to shut down any conversation about it. Suddenly, the United States looks very much like a one-party state.”
“That’s a depressing realization. But it’s not permanent. Our current orthodoxies won’t last. They’re brain dead, nobody actually believes them. Hardly anyone’s life is improved by them. This moment is to inherently ridiculous to continue.
“And so it won’t. The people in charge know this. That’s why they’re hysterical and aggressive. They’re afraid. They’ve given up persuasion, they’re resorting to force, but it won’t work. When honest people say what’s true calmly and without embarrassment, they become powerful.
“At the same time, the liars who’ve been trying to silence them shrink and they become weaker. That’s the iron law of the universe. True things prevail. Where can you still find American saying true things? There are many places left but there are some and that’s enough. As long as you can hear the words there is hope. See you soon.”
Watch him here:
Good evening pic.twitter.com/SPrsYKWKCE
— Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) April 27, 2023
Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded video
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