Work is hard, no matter what form it takes. I’ve toiled away as a waitress at a busy chain restaurant and I’ve also worked in the biggest newsroom in London. Both were highly stressful, both had me swearing like a sailor — and both were more fun when it was hectic. Silence is far more anxiety-inducing than marginally-orchestrated chaos.
Tucker Carlson, fired from Fox News last week, has been chastised for his office etiquette after videos surfaced showing him bantering with colleagues and guests. Media Matters for America, the “progressive media watchdog” to whom the videos were leaked, headlined their article, “Tucker Carlson’s creepy behind-the-scenes comments,” and wrote that Carlson “told a colleague preparing to interview him, ‘If we’re going to talk about sex, I’d love to hit some of the fine points of technique.’” Unsurprisingly, the left-leaning MMFA then waited three more paragraphs to disclose that the colleague in question was… the veteran journalist Piers Morgan, not some timid young intern.
Next on Matt Gertz’s “gotcha” list was a clip of Carlson describing an unnamed woman to someone off camera as “yummy.” Wary — and rightly so — of the chance he was being recorded, Carlson then says, “just kidding, in case this is being pulled off the bird… hey, Media Matters for America, go fuck yourself!”
The only issue any normal American will have with this comment is Tucker’s outmoded use of “yummy” — just call her hot! But it is almost inconceivable to me that any person would look at this clip and come away considering it a damning confirmation of allegations that Carlson maintained a hostile, sexist environment in the workplace.
No, what these leaks have done is made MMFA look like obsessive losers — an impressive feat, even for an institution that has dedicated years of staff time to watching Carlson’s show, scouring for clips to be offended by. It has also made Fox look petty. Even if this footage wasn’t leaked by them, which, let’s be honest, seems likely, everybody will assume that this is Rupert Murdoch’s personal retribution to his old-favorite host. Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, this “scandal” has made Tucker Carlson look great. Cracking jokes just before he goes on air to be watched by millions surely reiterates that the man has a sense of humor, and doesn’t take himself too seriously. In fact — is it possible that Carlson himself leaked these damning clips to Media Matters, knowing it would blow back on his old network? It would be far from the first time he’d leaked to a “journalist” from the other side…
Hilariously, the “worst” that MMFA has on Tucker Carlson is a recording in which he says, “I can never assess my appearance. I wait for my post-menopausal fans to weigh in on that.” As far as I can tell, all Carlson is guilty of here is knowing who his viewers are: who does Gertz think is the primary demographic for cable news is? There are literally Facebook groups made for Tucker Carlson watchers to discuss the host, full of post-menopausal fans. That’s not to say Carlson has never said anything objectionable — frankly, a lot of what he broadcast in primetime was beyond the pale for most. But the MMFA “scoop” amounts to footage of innocuous office humor.
It’s true: most of the Media Matters comments would get you in trouble with HR across corporate America in this day and age. That is, if anything, an indictment of how humorless and out-of-touch corporate America has become. Not one of these clips would make a normal person bat an eyelid.
In a previous job, I was once told by one of my superiors that “if your copy comes in like this again you should jump out of the window.” I’m still recovering from it… no, OK, I found it funny and it made me take more care with my work. Former British prime minister Boris Johnson’s leaked texts show us that he spent most of the pandemic cracking jokes on WhatsApp with colleagues. If my private work chats ever got leaked, I’d be in a world of trouble. But isn’t that the point? During a stressful day at work there is little other respite than bitching and moaning and wisecracking. If Media Matters had their way, no one would smile at their desk between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. I know whose office I’d rather work in — Tucker, are you hiring?
