Fox News and Tucker Carlson deceptively edited out key moments from its much-touted Kanye West interview
Written by Alicia Sadowski
Published
Last week, Ye, the artist formerly known as Kanye West, sat down for an interview with Fox’s Tucker Carlson. The two-night prime-time interview – which is still featured in its edited form on Fox Nation – and launched a swift network-wide campaign of praise for West, which quickly ceased following West's antisemitic social media posts. (While Fox & Friends Weekend deemed the comments as “ugly,” the co-hosts quickly transitioned to complaining about social media censorship of the posts; West's posts received more praise from far-right right-wing extremists.)
On Tuesday, Vice’s Motherboard published previously unseen original footage that someone at Fox apparently had edited out of the final broadcast. The clips include West making antisemitic remarks, fabricating conspiracy theories about his children, and sharing epiphanies he said were given from God. West has a history of mental health difficulties.
The footage is startling:
We compared Fox’s coverage of their Kanye West interview with new footage of what was actually happening in the interview pic.twitter.com/xsUcNdaEyz
— Media Matters (@mmfa) October 11, 2022
Vice’s Anna Merlan underscored the telling nature of Carlson and his team’s editing decisions.
Carlson used the interview, which was presented as a piece of landmark television, to hit on a few of Fox News’ favorite boogeyman, with Ye’s enthusiastic participation: the Clintons, former President Obama, COVID restrictions, and, of course, the Kardashians. But what the Tucker Carlson team chose to leave out is just as revealing.
As the network – and Carlson himself – were praising West as a visionary, Carlson and his team chose to propagate a political narrative over honestly showing his audience what he himself had seen. On Monday night’s broadcast, Carlson continued to praise West without mentioning the antisemitic social media tirade.
Tucker Carlson did a whole segment last night celebrating Kanye West without mentioning his antisemitic meltdown. pic.twitter.com/TPrUXnqh8u
— Matthew Gertz (@MattGertz) October 11, 2022
Carlson – responsible for driving Fox News towards nationalist rhetoric – has a long history of pushing antisemitic rhetoric. He also has a long history of disparaging diversity, inclusion, and multiculturalism.
On Tuesday night, Carlson didn't bring up West at all.