Fox News anchor and host of Fox Nation's Tucker Carlson Today landed himself in hot water for some bizarre and offensive remarks he made recently on COVID-19.
COVID-19, which is currently spreading at an all-time high due to the new Delta and Omicron variants of the virus, has resulted in the death of over five million people around the globe.
One notable figure who was diagnosed with the virus in March of 2020 is conservative UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
During a recent installment of Tucker Carlson Tonight, Carlson was interviewing British former broadcaster and far-right leader of the Brexit party, Nigel Farage.
Carlson and Farage were talking about Johnson's leadership—or lack thereof—when Carlson began making remarks that Johnson's poor political performance was somehow related to his previous COVID diagnosis.
Watch the video here:
Tucker Carlson: Getting COVID “does feminize people. No one ever says that but it’s true” https://t.co/XrtVSnswCp pic.twitter.com/BoSARprISM
— nikki mccann ramírez (@NikkiMcR) December 8, 2021
In the video, Carlson bizarrely stated COVID-19 impacted Johnson's leadership skills because—get this—COVID feeds off of men's "life force" and "feminizes" them.
Yes, you read that right.
Carlson said a friend of his who knew the Prime Minister told him "that getting COVID emasculated him, it changed him, it feminized him, it weakened him as a man.”
Carlson's strange claim even managed to take Farage aback.
Farage responded:
“Well, I think he was very seriously ill, and I think one of the things we have learned from COVID is people who are 50, 60, 70, 80 pounds overweight tend to fare very badly.”
Carlson, however, insisted on pushing his theory.
He said:
"The virus itself, this is true, does tend to take away the lifeforce in some people. It does feminise people. No one ever says that but it’s true.”
At this point, Farage seemed perplexed and changed the subject to Johnson's wife, Carrie Johnson.
He said:
“Look I think the virus did affect him. But let’s be honest about it, it’s the new wife, isn’t it? I mean, it’s Carrie Johnson, or as they call Carrie Antoinette, which the historians like. This is a very powerful, very strong woman.”
To which Carlson sarcastically responded:
“What wife is this, do we know. Or do we even keep count?”
Needless to say, between the pandemic misinformation and blatant sexism, Twitter users are dragging Carlson hard.
Not that I wish to argue with these two paragons of masculinity, but shouldn’t the solution for Manly Men hoping to avoid this purported COVID “feminization” be to get vaccinated ASAP and implement NPIs to reduce their risk? https://t.co/RFFqsmwJJ0
— Dr. Angela Rasmussen (@angie_rasmussen) December 9, 2021
If only there was a vaccine to stop this feminization! https://t.co/Xo8aANAJxc
— Sarah Longwell (@SarahLongwell25) December 9, 2021
"The virus itself does tend to take away the life force in some people." Correct, this is in fact a phenomenon commonly known as "death."
— Thoughts of Mike (Unhinged) (@UnhingedMike) December 8, 2021
It’s interesting that he equates “taking away the life force” with “feminizing.”
— Baudi (@PickBaudisBrain) December 8, 2021
"no-one ever says that" because it's made up garbage?
— Mark (@MarkinInOz) December 8, 2021
Wait, I’m confused. Which is it?
a) covid’s not actually real
b) covid is real but you should let yourself get it instead of being vaccinated because it’s not that bad, or
c) covid turns you into a woman (the worst side-effect Tucker can think of)?
— Abolish the police 🌹 (@j_a_adkins) December 9, 2021
Wait so all the conservatives saying we should all get natural immunity from COVID are just trying to feminize us?
— Daniel Friedman (@Daniel2Friedman) December 8, 2021
So Trump is now effeminate? Interesting. https://t.co/geh0l4LYSp
— Wajahat Ali (@WajahatAli) December 8, 2021
Lmao. Just how fragile is masculinity? https://t.co/jz6yJcSDIl
— Supernova Momma (She/Her) (@SupernovaMomma) December 9, 2021
Fellas, is it gay to get sick https://t.co/dtCfJojN6H
— Roy Edroso (@edroso) December 9, 2021
Johnson nor Donald Trump or other prominent Republicans who also contracted COVID have not yet responded to Carlson's bizarre claim their masculinity was diminished.
@huntichon/X
@bigugly/X
@JonCowboyBear/X
@TommyJerry4000/X