Ex-Fox News host Tucker Carlson called the lawyer who led his deposition in Dominion Voting Systems defamation lawsuit against the network a "slimy little motherfucker" in a behind-the-scenes video obtained by Media Matters for America.
Dominion's lawyers questioned Carlson about several of his racist, misogynistic and salacious messages included in the voting technology company's court filing in February, which reportedly played a role in Carlson's termination last week. In one such message, redacted in court documents until published by The New York Times on Tuesday, Carlson described watching a group of Trump supporters assaulting "an Antifa kid," writing that "jumping a guy like that is dishonorable obviously. It's not how white men fight." Carlson explained that he was initially "rooting for the mob against the man" but was later alarmed by the sentiment.
During the deposition, Dominion attorneys also reportedly asked Carlson about his reference to former Trump lawyer Sidney Powell "as a cunt," to which he replied: "You know I-I-I can't know and I just want to apologize preemptively. I mean you're trying to embarrass me, you're definitely succeeding as I am embarrassed."
In the video, the former Fox anchor is seen on the set of "Tucker Carlson Tonight," speaking to someone off-camera in the same suit he wore during his August 26, 2022 show, the same day he was deposed.
Carlson laments the "10-hour" deposition with "that slimy little motherfucker sitting across from me," adding that "the hate that I felt for that guy" was "unhealthy." Carlson claimed that the lawyer suggested he was "cheating on his taxes" by trying to figure out where the multi-homeowner lives.
"I never feel that way," he said. "I don't want to feel that way. I think it's wrong. It's bad. It's totally bad for you to feel that way. But that guy, he triggered the shit out of me. 'Where are you now? Where do you live?' The amount of times I had, 'First of all, fuck you,' on my lips was like, it was unbelievable."
The video leak comes alongside reports of a message Carlson pre-recorded that was shared at the beginning of the "No Woke Zone" discussion at Hungary's Conservative Political Action Conference, according to The Daily Beast. In the video, apparently shot at his Fox studio prior to his firing, the former Fox star greets the audience before and sends his ironic regards.
"I wish I was there in Budapest," he said. "If I ever get fired and have some time – and can leave – I will be there with you. But in the meantime, Godspeed, we are thinking of you and cheering you on."
In the wake of his dismissal, Carlson is also floating ideas for ways to move into a larger, non-limiting role and is willing to potentially forgo the millions granted from his contract with Fox in order to be a prominent voice during the 2024 election, sources familiar with his thinking told The Washington Post.
The former top-rated host aspires to moderate his own GOP candidate debate forum outside of the Republican National Committee's existing system and has discussed the idea with frontrunner Donald Trump.
Carlson's idea, The Post writes, would test his influence in conservative politics and push against Fox after Trump threatened to skip the first official primary debate that the network is hosting.
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