Former Fox News anchor Gretchen Carlson slams network for pushing 'fake news'

On CNN’s Democracy in Peril Thursday, former Fox News anchor Gretchen Carlson spoke about the current conditions at her former network. Carlson first touched on the power opinion host Tucker Carlson seemingly has over Republicans in Congress, saying it’s the result of fake news, then went on to lament the turn Fox News has taken.

“Slowly but surely, this has morphed into eradicating any other point of view since the Trump era that is not just opinion,” Carlson said. “It's gone from an opinion, which was fine, to completely devolving into non fact-based conspiracy theories and outright dangerous rhetoric in my mind, and I think it’s a complete disservice to our country.”

Carlson also addressed a story that got very little airtime, if any, on Fox News, that being that Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham each sent texts to the White House during the January 6 insurrection at the Capitol pleading for former President Trump to put a stop to the violence, then going on air and spinning a different narrative.

“I think the bigger story coming out of that is how disingenuous it was to be sending those texts of warning while then going on the air to the American people and doing a complete injustice and disservice by saying something completely opposite,” Carlson said, “and ginning up this whole reaction that it was just fine and patriotic for people to be there on January 6th.”

Video Transcript

GRETCHEN CARLSON: This is the result of fake news. You know, we're seeing not only the fallout from fake news during the Trump era, but what happened with the insurrection on January 6. And now it's moving into other areas.

KYLIE MAR: Former Fox News anchor Gretchen Carlson appeared on CNN's "Democracy in Peril" Thursday, where she spoke about Fox opinion host Tucker Carlson's grip on Republicans in Congress, some of whom have followed his lead and sided with Russia in the growing conflict with Ukraine. Carlson went on to lament the current state of her former network.

GRETCHEN CARLSON: This has morphed into eradicating any other point of view since the Trump era that is not just opinion. It's gone from an opinion, which was fine, to completely devolving into non-fact-based conspiracy theories and outright dangerous rhetoric.

KYLIE MAR: Carlson also addressed the effect only watching Fox News has on viewers. Like the fact that most Republicans still believe former President Trump's lies about the election, and many say they will refuse to vote for any Republican who admits that President Biden won.

GRETCHEN CARLSON: It's really hard to change people's opinions because they're only watching what they want to hear. You know, and that's the other problem that we have in society with the media right now is that we're so siloed into only watching what we agree with. And so every day, that thought process just gets reinforced.

KYLIE MAR: Carlson didn't call them out by name but referenced former colleagues Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham, who sent texts to the White House during the January 6 insurrection pleading for Trump to stop the violence but went on air and spun a different narrative.

GRETCHEN CARLSON: I think the bigger story coming out of that is how disingenuous it was to be sending those texts of warning while then going on the air to the American people and doing a complete injustice and disservice by saying something completely opposite.

KYLIE MAR: And Carlson said conservative news is not what it once was.

GRETCHEN CARLSON: Conservative television news is certainly not the conservative news that was out there even just five years ago. There's a big difference between having a conservative opinion and having one that supports conspiracy theories.