Far-right personality Tucker Carlson was criticized for sharing a wild conspiracy theory that former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is actually faking his sexuality for clout within the Democratic Party and announced plans to out him.
Buttigieg has been openly gay for years and is happily married to educator and activist Chasten Buttigieg; they are also parents to two young children. But Carlson nonetheless accused Buttigieg of being a “fake gay guy" during a conversation about President Donald Trump's anti-diversity initiatives with fellow conservative commentator Michael Knowles.
Carlson claimed Buttigieg is pretending to be gay to ride on the Democratic Party's coattails of inclusivity:
“My gay producer was always like ‘he’s not gay.’ He was with a girl like 20 minutes ago, and like he wants to be the Democratic nominee, it’s like ‘Time for a gay guy!’”
When Knowles laughed and said Buttigieg is "playing the long game," Carlson replied:
"Well, it's suffering for your art, I'll say that."
Knowles, referring to Buttigieg's time at Harvard and as a McKinsey consultant, said he "know[s] a hundred Pete Buttigieges ... I know this character," to which Carlson suggested that then Buttigieg found "some blighted Midwestern town [South Bend, Indiana] that he can become the mayor of."
Knowles added:
"I was talking to a big Democrat figure. He said, 'Say what you will about Pete. He's the greatest careerist we've ever seen. You're the mayor of this tiny town [and] you become Secretary of Transportation?'"
Carlson then gave this odd reply:
"But of course! The town kind of sucks, actually. He didn't do a good job. I’ve always wanted to interview him."
"He’s never agreed to interview, but I’m gonna ask him like some very specific questions about gay sex and see if he can even answer. I doubt he even knows!”
You can watch their exchange in the video below.
People were very weirded out—and Carlson was swiftly called out.
Carlson's remarks came on the heels of a years-early poll of residents in New Hampshire—the early primary state—that found that Buttigieg and California Governor Gavin Newsom are tied at 23% in a hypothetical 2028 Democratic Party primary field. Buttigieg has loyal supporters in the state from his 2020 primary bid.
Buttigieg has not issued a response to Carlson's remarks.
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