The Tucker Carlson Opioid Drama Explained
Television host and political commentator Tucker Carlson has been at the heart of numerous controversies throughout his career. His comments on journalists, immigrants, and women, which have played out to a broad audience through his show on Fox News, have drawn much criticism.
In one of his interviews from 2016 (per Insider), Carlson asked his show's guest, Teen Vogue writer Lauren Duca, to "stick to the thigh-high boots" because she was "better at that." Duca had called Carlson a "partisan hack" for not letting her speak and convey her points during a debate. In another controversy from 2018, per the Washington Post, the primetime host expressed concerns over America's immigration policy and called for the admission of more immigrants who were "scientists and engineers" while claiming that immigrants from impoverished regions would make the country "poorer and dirtier." Per The Guardian, Carlson reiterated a similar idea earlier this year when he said immigration would "dilute the political power" of Americans.
It looks like Carlson and controversies go hand-in-hand. Now, a leaked monologue featuring his comments has once again brought him to the public's attention. The monologue, obtained by Motherboard, features him narrating his experience with heavy opioid use following his emergency back surgery. The recording demonstrates Carlson admitting that he took a lot of painkillers in "one of the most intense experiences" of his life. Here's more on Carlson's opioid drama and what he allegedly told his production crew about his post-surgery experience with opioids.
Tucker Carlson was allegedly on a lot of drugs after his surgery
In the recording obtained by Motherboard, Tucker Carlson can be allegedly heard talking to his production crew, saying that he could not sleep "one second" last night as he was on "so many f****** drugs." He added, "They gave me Fentanyl this morning, that did not cure it — they gave me intravenous Fentanyl. And they gave me all kinds of other s***. I was like, 'Fine, go for it.' And then it only ended when they gave me propofol, and I went out..."
Per the recording, Carlson added that he was given a "huge dose of Dilaudid" — another opioid with misuse potential — which "scared the s***" out of him. "And then all night, I lay there, the nurse finally upped my dosage of Dilaudid to the point where every eight minutes I hit it and it was like getting shot. Just like bam, feel it hit me, and it didn't touch the pain," Carlson said. He even admitted to feeling "fear" from the drugs. "I had this spirit of fear within me, which I don't have," he said. "I'm not bragging, I don't have it. And I think you can feel it. I don't have it, I think that's why I'm successful, cause I'm just not afraid. I felt afraid just of like life or something. It's interesting," he added.
After the leak, Carlson was absent from his show, and political commentator Jesse Watters replaced him on primetime.