Tucker Carlson Cracks Jokes About His Fox News Firing in First Speech as an Unemployed Man

AP Photo/Richard Drew, File

Tucker Carlson seemed to have kept a sense of humor about his firing from Fox News during his first speech as an unemployed man Thursday night in Oxford, Alabama.

“I’m probably the first unemployed person you ever invited to speak,” Carlson joked to the audience at a charity fundraiser. “It’s funny. I rarely give speeches because I’m working and when I accepted this speech six months ago I didn’t realize how much free time I would have. One never knows, does one.”

The Anniston Star reported that ticket sales to see Carlson as guest speaker were slow until word of his firing “led to a sold-out venue at the 1,200-seat Oxford Performing Arts Center.”

Carlson said he accepted the invitation to speak at the faith-based Rainbow Omega charity last fall “because I do love Alabama. It has everything that I like,” and because, “in a sincere way, I support what Rainbow Omega does.” According to its website, the nonprofit organization “provides vocational and residential programs to adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.”

The former host of Tucker Carlson Tonight didn’t go into detail about his firing, opting to talk about politics and race instead. A surprising revelation came when Carlson said he was “excited” in 2008 when Democrat Barack Obama was elected president:

Obama’s first term was how we were gong to get past race. I didn’t vote for the guy but everybody I knew was excited and so was I. We elect some guy I disagree with but we get to the point we stop picking at the scab and move forward as one country — why wouldn’t I be for that? As a Christian, I was totally for that.

(During Obama’s second term), all of a sudden we’re not post-racial. All we’re going to talk about is race and make each other hate each other on the basis of race. I have to say that I don’t travel a ton, but when I do no one ever comes up to me and even mentioned race of any color. No one has ever come up to me and attacked me on racial terms. I don’t think most Americans hate each other. I just don’t see that. I don’t think there is widespread racism in the country. I have never seen it — not one time.

Earlier this week, a Carlson text leaked from the Dominion defamation case included a widely panned racist comment about how “white men fight.” In addition, incendiary behind-the-scenes footage of Carlson has been slowly leaking out, prompting Fox to send a cease and desist letter to liberal watchdog site Media Matters on Friday.

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