Media

Tucker Carlson says telling Dutch historian to go ‘f— yourself’ was ‘heartfelt’

by Justin Wise - 02/21/19 11:35 AM ET

Fox News host Tucker Carlson said late Wednesday that he was “rude” to call Rutger Bregman a “moron” in an unaired interview, adding that his use of profanity during his discussion with the Dutch historian was “genuinely heartfelt.”

“I did what I try hard never to do on this show, and I was rude. I called him a moron,” Carlson said of the interview on “Tucker Carlson Tonight.” “And then I modified that word with a vulgar Anglo-Saxon term that is also intelligible is Dutch.”

“In my defense I would say that was entirely accurate, but you’re not allowed to use that word on television, so once I said it out loud there was no airing the segment,” he added.

“There is some profanity and I apologize for that. On the other hand, it was genuinely heartfelt. I meant it with total sincerity,” he said.

Watch Fox News host Tucker Carlson call one of his guests a ‘tiny brain…moron’ during an interview. NowThis has obtained the full segment with historian Rutger Bregman that Fox News is refusing to air. pic.twitter.com/kERYPUaGLY

— NowThis (@nowthisnews) February 20, 2019

Carlson’s comments came hours after NowThisNews released footage of the interview, which was conducted following the historian’s appearance at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

The footage, released on Twitter, shows the two men talking about topics such as the news network’s role in politics and taxes on the rich.

It also includes Carlson calling Bregman a “moron” and telling him to go “f— yourself” after the historian criticized the anchor’s role in the political system.

“I went to Davos to speak truth to power,” Bregman said. “And I’m doing the exact same thing right now. You may not like it. But you’re a millionaire funded by billionaires and that’s the reason why you’re not talking about these issues.”

“But I am talking about these issues,” Carlson replied.

Bregman said that Carlson was only jumping on the bandwagon, adding that the host is not “very convincing” when he says he’s against the “globalist elite.”

“Why don’t you go f— yourself,” Carlson responded, adding that he tried to give Bregman a “fair hearing.”

“And I hope this gets picked up because you’re a moron,” Carlson said. “I tried to give you a hearing, but you were too f—ing annoying.”

“You can’t handle the criticism, can you?” Bregman asked.

Carlson said on Wednesday that he had invited Bregman to speak on his show to “congratulate” him for the remarks he made while at the economic forum last month. Bregman had become an internet sensation after a clip of him accusing billionaires of not paying their fair share of taxes went viral.

Bregman said on Twitter that he chose to release the Carlson interview footage “because I think we should keep talking about the corrupting influence of money in politics.”

“It also shows how angry elites can get if you do that,” he said, adding that he stands behind what he said in the interview.

2/ I stand behind what I said, but there’s one thing I should have done better. When Carlson asked me how he’s being influenced by Big Business and tax-avoiding billionaires, I should have quoted Noam Chomsky.

— Rutger Bregman (@rcbregman) February 20, 2019

Bregman also said last week that Carlson called him an “asshole” in an email after he asked when the segment would be aired on “Tucker Carlson Tonight.”