Conservative commentator Tucker Carlson kicked off a speaking tour in Arizona this week, welcoming celebrity Russell Brand and speaking at length about his religious views and other topics.
“I just couldn’t wait to see other people who I’m on the same page with,” Carlson said during the Wednesday night event before leading the group in prayer, NBC News reported.
The former cable news host and controversial pundit welcomed Brand, a British comedian and actor who has been accused by multiple women of abuse in recent months — claims he denies.
Carlson’s event with Brand in Phoenix this week was the first of more than a dozen he has planned across the country in September, with special guests ranging from host Megyn Kelly to Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) slated to join him.
Tickets for the next event, scheduled for Thursday night in Anaheim, Calif., start at $45 through Ticketmaster.
Carlson was fired by Fox News last spring, days after the network agreed to pay Dominion Voting Systems a massive settlement in connection with its coverage of the 2020 election.
As part of the litigation, text messages showing Carlson criticizing Trump and blasting senior female leadership at the outlet were unearthed.
The pundit has since started a media company and hosts a semiregular interview and analysis show on the social platform X.
A favorite commentator of former President Trump, Carlson was a guest in the former president’s box along with members of his family at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee earlier this summer.