On May 21, Newsweek’s Brendan Cole reported that Tucker Carlson had launched a show on Russian state television.
“The former Fox News anchor is presenting the program Tucker on the rolling news channel Russia 24, with the first episode now available online,” the story reads, citing a report by Rossiyskaya Gazeta, a Russian state media organization and the Russian government’s paper of record. “The paper said that the show is part of a joint project with Carlson TV, in which he will interview figures and politicians who have ‘alternative views to the mainstream.’” According to Rossiyskaya Gazeta, Carlson’s show is available on Russian streaming site Smotrim via the state-owned news channel Rossiya 24.
Newsweek’s claim is false: Representatives for Carlson and the Tucker Carlson Network (TCN) have denied involvement in the broadcasts and Newsweek’s article has since been updated. Rossiya 24 has been publishing dubbed versions of TCN programs since at least September 2, 2023, when it made available a translated version of Carlson’s August 29 interview with Hungarian President Viktor Orbán.
Following its publication, Newsweek’s initial article garnered significant attention, leading to quick denials from Carlson and TCN. A representative for Carlson told The Hill Tuesday evening that, “Any use of our content by that channel is without legal permission,” and TCN CEO Neil Patel rejected that the network had any agreement with Russian state media.
Carlson made a similar denial to CNN’s Hadas Gold, claiming that the Newsweek story was “all fake obviously, like most stories in American news media.”
Following the denials, Newsweek updated its article substantially and acknowledged Carlson’s denials. It also changed the story’s headline from “Tucker Carlson Launches Show On Russian State TV” to “Tucker Carlson Show Aired By Russian State TV.”
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