The Tucker Carlson Role Just Opened Up
The actor who played him for so many years is stepping down
Actor Winston Beefo has announced that he will no longer portray his beloved “Tucker Carlson” character, effective immediately. Beefo had portrayed Carlson across three decades, with the character evolving from a button-down conservative to a race-baiting populist in the mold of Archie Bunker. Fox News did not immediately announce plans to recast the role, though the blockbuster ratings for Perpetual Outrage Tonight with Tucker Carlson — consistently the highest-rated show on cable news — suggest that Fox will be hesitant to abandon the character.
I should probably be giddy about Carlson going off the air. He was a source of toxic divisiveness and batshit lunacy of the type that never leads to anything good. I often feel shadenfreude when shows get cancelled: I was happy when I Wanna Marry Harry got the boot and was downright tickled pink when Mindy Kaling’s Champions was sent to sitcom hell. So why don’t I feel the same glee when a truly malignant show gets the ax?