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Carlson says a producer who worked on his show claimed that other gay people don’t think the transportation secretary is gay.
In a recent episode of his online show Tucker Carlson Today, comedian Ari Shaffir and disgraced formerFox News host Tucker Carlson engaged in a candid conversation that veered into a provocative discussion about Transportation SecretaryPete Buttigieg’s authenticity as a gay man.
During the program, Carlson and Shaffir questioned the legitimacy of Buttigieg’s sexual orientation. Carlson recounted a conversation with one of his producers, suggesting that Buttigieg’s identity might be a political fabrication.
“Do you remember Pete Buttigieg ran for president? He’s supposedly gay, and now he’s transportation secretary. And I had one of my producers who’s gay, and he goes, ‘He’s not gay,’” Carlson said. He continued, “I was like, are you serious? He goes, ‘No, that’s complete bullshit. All gays keep very close track of that stuff.’”
Shaffir responded with amusement. “Oh yeah,” he remarked.
Carlson further explained his producer’s claims, noting, “My producer’s like, ’No, it’s totally a pose. He was dating women just a few years ago. That’s totally fake.’ He’s not gay at all.”
Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, publicly came out as gay in June 2015. His announcement was met with widespread support and marked a significant moment in his political career. Buttigieg married his husband,Chasten Glezman Buttigieg, in June 2018, three years after coming out. The couple has been vocal about their experiences as a same-sex couple and has been active in advocating for LGBTQ+ rights. In August 2021, Pete and Chasten Buttigieg announced the adoption of their twins, Penelope Rose and Joseph August.
Carlson claimed that his remarks were not an attack on the LGBTQ+ community but rather a critique of perceived political opportunism. “It’s not about being against gays,” he clarified. “I’m saying he’s not one.”
LGBTQ+ advocates condemned the remarks as baseless and harmful. GLAAD, an LGBTQ+ media advocacy group, called the assertions “ridiculous,” in a statement to The Advocate.
“Right wing extremists will stop at nothing to try to gain relevancy, including spreading disinformation about LGBTQ people,” a GLAAD spokesperson said. “Carlson’s long history of baselessly attacking Transportation Secretary Buttigieg and his family is ridiculous, dangerous, and only serves to fan the flames of anti-LGBTQ rhetoric and violence. No matter their network affiliations, media commentators must be held to a higher standard.”
Carlson’s comments come at a time when his own influence is in flux. Politicoreports that once a dominant figure on Fox News, Carlson’s prominence has diminished following his firing from the network last year. The dismissal came after Fox settled a defamation lawsuit with Dominion Voting Systems for $787 million.
Since leaving Fox, Carlson has attempted to rebrand his media presence on platforms like X, formerly Twitter, but his influence has waned. According to Politico, a major publishing house recently canceled a big-budget book on Carlson, citing a diminished cultural footprint as a reason for the decision
