On Monday night, NewsNation’s CUOMO hosted the pairing of Chris Cuomo and Tucker Carlson, which many didn’t see coming and couldn’t be possible if both remained at their respective former networks, CNN and Fox News. Sitting down for a conversation in Florida, the former primetime rivals commiserated over their firings, how they recovered/how they were recovering (in Cuomo’s view of his own situation), and recalled their on-air feuding.
The pre-taped “conversation” (Cuomo made clear this was more than just an “interview”), was the feature of the entire show (with more coming Tuesday night) and began with the two of them commiserating about their ousters and how they were bouncing back.
“For me, it was more ‘I got myself into this situation I didn't see coming.’ I didn't have any control over how getting fired happened. All I control is what I do next,” Cuomo explained how he saw his situation. And he was in awe of how well Carlson took his firing from Fox News:
CUOMO: But when I met you, you were not the way I was. You were the brûlent, you were laughing and you were, “Yeah. Well, let me tell you, it was a favor to me and this is going to be okay. I'm going to be Fine. This is a weird world. And now I know things I didn't know before.”
CARLSON: Yeah.
CUOMO: And I thought that that was a real blessing for you.
Getting fired from Fox didn’t harm Carlson’s outlook on life. According to him, he “had this kind of supernatural sense that everything is going to be fine. And that in the end, you know, you die anyway. So, what are you afraid of exactly?”
He also argued, with a laugh, that “a little public humiliation” was good for a man:
And I also had done it for too long, you know, too long too long same gig. It's good to be. And I have been fired before a couple of times. So, it's going to be fired because it brings you low and you don't become the overbearing asshole that every TV personality is on some level. I mean, I already am that. But [Laughter] it kept it in check a little bit. A little public humiliation is really important a man. I would recommend it to all men.
“You had more resilience about this than I did,” Cuomo commended him. “I still feel like I’m on one knee and getting back up. And what motivated me to come back was: one, my wife told me that I had to.”
Later in the hour, Cuomo pressed Carlson on why he would pick on his workout videos on Instagram. “It was taking the cheap shots, which I'm not always above,” Carlson admitted, saying he felt “a little dirty” about doing it. “Dirty-good?” Cuomo quipped.
“My in-laws watch you!” Cuomo announced. “Do you know how hard it is to deal with having your in-laws enjoy a joke that makes you want to, you know, do bad things that are going to cause you civil litigation money?”
As NewsBusters reported in October 2020, Cuomo said he wanted to “choke” and “punch” his critics at Fox News.
The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read:
NewsNation’s CUOMO
March 11, 2024
8:11:03 p.m. Eastern(…)
CHRIS CUOMO: For me, it was more ‘I got myself into this situation I didn't see coming.’ I didn't have any control over how getting fired happened. All I control is what I do next.
But when I met you, you were not the way I was. You were the brulent, you were laughing and you were, “Yeah. Well, let me tell you, it was a favor to me and this is going to be okay. I'm going to be Fine. This is a weird world. And now I know things I didn't know before.”
TUCKER CARLSON: Yeah.
CUOMO: And I thought that that was a real blessing for you. What did you figure out that you didn't know before?
CARLSON: You know, I loved working there. I was there 14 years. They were always nice to me. So it's not an attack on them to say that I was hemmed in by the fact that I work for someone else. And that's just the nature of the relationship. No matter how free you think you are, part of you is assessing like, “Well, I actually am an employee. I do have a boss.”
And I knew that he disagreed with me on a bunch of big topics. And to their great credit, they never tried to change my views on those topics. But you aren't fully free if you work for someone else.
Like, that's how I felt about it. And I just had reached this time my life where I felt like, “There was all these really important things going on. I want to be as honest as I can possibly be at all times.” And that was a hindrance to me. So I --- And I also had this kind of supernatural sense that everything is going to be fine. And that in the end, you know, you die anyway. So, what are you afraid of exactly?
And I also had done it for too long, you know, too long too long same gig. It's good to be. And I have been fired before a couple of times. So, it's going to be fired because it brings you low and you don't become the overbearing asshole that every TV personality is on some level. I mean, I already am that. But [Laughter] it kept it in check a little bit. A little public humiliation is really important a man. I would recommend it to all men.
(…)
8:15:19 p.m. Eastern
CUOMO: You're tougher than I am. I'm not physically. I would literally twist you like a Band-Aid.
[Laughter]
CUOMO: But you are – you – you had more resilience about this than I did. I still feel like I’m on one knee and getting back up. And what motivated me to come back was: one, my wife told me that I had too. Two –
[Laughter]
She was like you got to get up and, you know, we've got kids. You got to get up. You got to do something with your life that is helping people and making something of this place. Get up. Do something with your life. Okay.
CARLSON: Was that was response? “Okay?”
CUOMO: My response was, “get away from me and my bottle!”
[Laughter]
(…)
8:51:15 p.m. Eastern
CARLSON: It was taking the cheap shots, which I'm not always above. But you should be you should be about that.
CUOMO: Did it feel good when you would come after me like that?
CARLSON: It felt a little dirty. Felt a little dirty.
CUOMO: Dirty-good? Or dirty-dirty?
CARLSON: You know, I'm not really a dirty-good guy.
[Laughter off camera]
Do you know what I mean?
CUOMO: Cause you enjoy it. Let me tell you, there were no shame in your game.
CARLSON: You know, there is a moment – everyone in the room – the cameras aren’t picking up all the people sitting here –
[Laughter]
I mean, in the sense that… You know, I don't want to use any kind of sexual metaphor, but there is one for this. It's like something you shouldn't be doing but there's kind of animal thrill of doing something wrong. I guess is what I would say.
CUOMO: You loved it!
[LAUGHTER]
You loved it and it worked for you –
CARLSON: But I will say this – I will say this --
CUOMO: My in-laws watch you! Do you know how hard it is to deal with having your in-laws enjoy –
CARLSON: [Laughter]
CUOMO: -- a joke that makes you want to, you know, do bad things that are going to cause you civil litigation money?
CARLSON: Somebody did say, “You know, Chris Cuomo is a lot bigger than you. Maybe you should be careful.” I just couldn't, you know, I almost right. I have weaknesses. I will say. I don’t have – I don’t think I have a weakness for women. I gave up drinking many years ago. But I still I'm still beset by the weaknesses of the flesh and one of them this mockery. I just can't help it.
(…)
