Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, appearing Monday on Piers Morgan Uncensored, reportedly struck a tone both contrite and unapologetic.
The popular commentator admitted to having a sharp edge in his public life, offering apologies to President Donald J. Trump, Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, “and everyone else I’ve snapped at.” At the same time, he defended his criticism of U.S.-Israeli military actions earlier this summer, insisting that his dissent was both principled and proper.
The exchange came after Morgan pressed Carlson on Trump’s recent claim that the conservative commentator had privately apologized after criticizing U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran in June.
Carlson responded candidly: “I am a champion apologizer. I really believe in apologies, I have a lot to apologize for, I always have. We all do. I certainly do.” But he added a caveat: “You shouldn’t proffer a false apology. You should apologize for things that you did wrong… and I didn’t do anything wrong there.”
Carlson emphasized that his remarks were not aimed at the president or America’s closest ally in the Middle East. “I wasn’t attacking anybody. I wasn’t attacking Israel. I wasn’t attacking,” he explained. “I was merely saying, ‘In my capacity as someone with strong opinions, I think this is an unwise course.’”
He underscored his continued support for Trump, noting, “It’s not an attack on Trump, who I voted for and campaigned for and really like. It’s my view and so that’s not something I would apologize for because it wasn’t wrong, it was my duty, and I still believe it.”
Morgan suggested Carlson’s latest remarks might amount to a repudiation of his earlier position. Carlson pushed back. “No, it’s not that. It’s just that, look, I said what I said, which wasn’t very complex or sophisticated. It certainly wasn’t hate-filled,” he replied. “I will just be totally honest with you and say I’m kind of an unpleasant person when I get mad, and like if I’m ever rude, which I often have been to people, that is worth apologizing for, and I’m sorry.”
Morgan pressed further, wondering if Carlson’s regret stemmed more from tone than substance.
Carlson agreed the distinction was fair. “I have no idea if I actually did that, but if I haven’t done that, let me do it now,” he said. “I apologize to him and everyone else I’ve snapped at or been mean to, even poor Ted Cruz.”
Carlson did not shy away from blunt words about Cruz, describing the senator as “controlled by a foreign power” and “kind of desperate and wants money or whatever his motive is.” But even there, Carlson circled back to contrition: “I was rude to him and I’m sorry.”
In the end, Carlson located the source of his sharpness in personal history. “People in my family have pointed that out, when I get mad, I get snappy and cutting,” he said. “I went to boarding school as a kid. They inculcate that in you. The cruelty of the dorm. And I’ve been fighting against it my whole life, so I’m just— I’m sorry.”
For Carlson, the episode underscored the balance many conservatives find themselves navigating: a loyalty to Trump, an instinct for blunt critique, and a willingness to apologize for tone without abandoning deeply held views.
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