How Tucker Carlson Became Right-Wing Media’s Most Significant Voice episode artwork

EPISODE · Jan 27, 2026 · 45 MIN

How Tucker Carlson Became Right-Wing Media’s Most Significant Voice

from Fresh Air

‘New Yorker’ staff writer Jason Zengerle says after Tucker Carlson was let go from CNN and MSNBC, and joined Fox News, Trump’s 2016 presidential candidacy revived his career. “Those more prestigious Fox shows… they could not find camera-ready, intelligent human beings to go on their programs and make a sensible case for Donald Trump -- and Tucker was someone who could,” he tells Terry Gross. After Fox fired Carlson in 2023, he started his own streaming show and moved further to the right. Zengerle writes that Carlson’s story shows how conservative media has changed. His book is  ‘Hated By All The Right People: Tucker Carlson and the Unraveling of the Conservative Mind.’ See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

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How Tucker Carlson Became Right-Wing Media’s Most Significant Voice

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