Fox’s Tucker Carlson questions 9/11 attacks, complains you’d “lose your job” on TV for bringing it up

Fox News host Tucker Carlson recently appeared on a podcast and pushed a central tenet of the conspiracy theory that 9/11 was an inside job, stating: “What actually happened with building 7? Like that is weird, right? It doesn't — like, what is that?” He then complained: “If you were to say something like that on television, they’d flip out. They would flip out. So you’d, like, lose your job over that. … Why can't I ask questions about that?” 

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) concluded that World Trade Center building 7 collapsed due to multiple uncontrolled fires that burned for hours after the collapse of tower 1. However, as Popular Mechanics has noted

Conspiracy theorists have long pointed to the collapse of the 47-story structure as key evidence that the U.S. government orchestrated or abetted the 9/11 attacks. No planes struck the building, and the commonly available views of the exterior didn't show significant damage. Yet, at 5:20 pm, 7 hours after the collapse of the Twin Towers (WTC 1 and 2), WTC 7 rapidly fell in on itself. Since WTC 7 housed Secret Service and CIA offices, conspiracy theorists claimed that the building was destroyed in a controlled demolition in order to obliterate evidence of the U.S. government's complicity in the terrorist attacks. 

Carlson appeared on the March 10 edition of the podcast Redacted. The show is hosted by Clayton Morris, who hosted Fox & Friends Weekend with Carlson. Morris later left the network and became embroiled in scandal after numerous people sued him for allegedly scamming them through real estate investments (Morris has denied this). 

During his interview with Morris, Carlson complained that people aren’t allowed to question what happened with World Trade Center building 7 during the 9/11 attacks, stating: “What actually happened with building 7? Like that is weird, right? It doesn't — like, what is that?” He added, “If you were to say something like that on television, they’d flip out. They would flip out. So you’d, like, lose your job over that. … Why can't I ask questions about that?”

Video file

Citation From the March 10, 2023, edition of Redacted

TUCKER CARLSON (FOX HOST): The last thing I'll say is like they're not offended by craziness, they’re not offended by conspira -- If you go on TV tonight and say, “I think the Earth is flat,” people just laugh at you. They don't care if you think the Earth is flat. It's not a threat to anyone. But if you say, like, “What actually happened with building 7? Like that is weird, right? It doesn't — like, what is that?” 

CLAYTON MORRIS (HOST): Right, right.

CARLSON: If you were to say something like that on television, they’d flip out. They would flip out. So you’d, like, lose your job over that. Why? Why? It's my country. 

MORRIS: Right. 

CARLSON: It's an attack on my country. Can I ask? I don't really understand. Do buildings actually collapse? No, they — maybe they do. I don't know. But, like, why can't I ask questions about that? Anything you're not allowed to ask questions about is something you should be asking more questions about. 

Carlson’s remarks have been celebrated by 9/11 conspiracy theorists. 

Architects & Engineers for 9/11 Truth, a leading 9/11 conspiracy theory group, wrote: “We at AE911Truth would like to commend Tucker Carlson for his candor and encourage him to find a way to use his large platform on Fox News to ask the important questions about World Trade Center 7 that the rest of the MSM refuses to.” They also posted Carlson’s remarks on video streaming site Rumble with the headline “Tucker Carlson - Ask Questions About WTC 7 On Air, Lose Your Job.” And the group’s former CEO, conspiracy theorist Richard Gage, wrote on his Substack: “Maybe it’s not too late to find the truth about 9/11. Keep spreading the word - we may be breaking through! … Go Tucker!” 

Carlson previously mocked and criticized 9/11 conspiracy theorists. He is now allied with Alex Jones, who has described himself as “one of the very first founding fathers of the 9-11 Truth Movement.”