Former CNN host Brian Stelter admitted he was a “big fan” of Daily Caller co-founder Tucker Carlson over the past twenty years that he has known him.
Stelter said Carlson brought a “young” and “unpredictable” energy to the former MSNBC show, “Crossfire,” which aired from 1982 to 2005.
“I probably shouldn’t say this, but I was a big fan of Tucker Carlson in his ‘Crossfire’ days,” Stelter told “Fourth Watch” host Steve Krakauer. “He had this unpredictable, libertarian streak, he was not your average conservative commentator on cable news. He was young, he brought a young energy. You gotta remember, on ‘Crossfire,’ he had a bunch of people in their 60’s, here comes Tucker, who’s barely 30. Maybe not even yet 30, he was in his early 30’s. He brought a different energy and view to ‘Crossfire’ and to MSNBC in the early 2000s.”
“I probably shouldn’t say this, but I was a big fan of Tucker Carlson…”@BrianStelter on his relationship with Tucker over the past 20 years, Tucker’s Fox exit, the last time he talked to him, Dominion texts, and more. Download FULL @FourthWatch pod:https://t.co/KyDm6y64z0 pic.twitter.com/QPSiitSuZn
— Steve Krakauer (@SteveKrak) November 14, 2023
Stelter said he interviewed Carlson before he started as a contributor at Fox News, and that he wanted a more “serious” job to support his family. He further praised Carlson’s “charming” personality. (RELATED: ‘Paralyzing Stupidity’: Tucker Carlson Compares ‘Eunuch’ Brian Stelter To Character From Orwell’s ‘1984’)
“But to go back to knowing him more personally, you know, I think that…I think he was very charming back in his CNN and MSNBC days and I think that bought him a lot of goodwill by a lot of people in Washington and New York and elsewhere…” Stelter added.
The former CNN host further praised Carlson for calling out Sidney Powell, who claimed the 2020 presidential election was stolen. Stelter said Carlson “did the country a favor” by demanding that she provide evidence.
“Tucker did this country a favor, by the way, by going on the air and saying ‘we like Sidney Powell, we want to see her evidence, she won’t give it to us, so we’re skeptical,'” he said.
