Fox News host Tucker Carlson is receiving backlash after mocking U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg’s paternity leave.
Buttigieg shared in September he and his husband, Chasten Buttigieg, adopted two children.
“Chasten and I are beyond thankful for all the kind wishes since first sharing the news that we’re becoming parents. We are delighted to welcome Penelope Rose and Joseph August Buttigieg to our family,” Buttigieg tweeted.
Chasten and I are beyond thankful for all the kind wishes since first sharing the news that we’re becoming parents. We are delighted to welcome Penelope Rose and Joseph August Buttigieg to our family. pic.twitter.com/kS89gb11Ax
— Pete Buttigieg (@PeteButtigieg) September 4, 2021
Criticizing Buttigieg for taking paternity leave, Carlson said, “Pete Buttigieg has been on leave from his job since August after adopting a child – paternity leave, they call it – trying to figure out how to breastfeed. No word on how that went.”
Watch Carlson’s comments below:
Tucker Carlson mocks Pete Buttigieg for taking paternity leave: "Paternity leave, they call it, trying to figure out how to breastfeed, no word on how that went." pic.twitter.com/zFnp6uSser
— nikki mccann ramírez (@NikkiMcR) October 15, 2021
Several Twitter users took to the platform to fire back at Carlson.
Not only is Tucker Carlson a liar, conspiracy theorist, and white supremacist, he’s also a homophobe. Here he mocks Pete Buttigieg, saying he’s on paternity leave, “trying to figure out how to breastfeed”. How does his show still have advertisers? Who are they? pic.twitter.com/DWf0C7RDbx
— Mike Sington (@MikeSington) October 15, 2021
Pete Buttigieg could kick Tucker Carlson’s ass. https://t.co/BeXDRepTHA
— Joe Walsh (@WalshFreedom) October 15, 2021
Tucker Carlson mocked Pete Buttigieg for taking paternity leave
— Edward Hardy (@EdwardTHardy) October 15, 2021
Did he also mock his Fox News colleague Todd Piro who took paternity leave in April?
Tucker Carlson mocked Pete Buttigieg for being a gay parent. Any remaining Fox News advertisers should be destroyed for their embrace homophobia. https://t.co/JXQQjwvMEt
— John Aravosis 🇺🇸🇬🇷🏳️🌈 (@aravosis) October 15, 2021
Good morning and Happy Friday to everyone except for hateful homophobe Tucker Carlson and the companies who continue to sponsor his disgusting show.
— BrooklynDad_Defiant!☮️ (@mmpadellan) October 15, 2021
Tucker could just go to therapy to deal with the fact that his perception of masculinity is really just a way to work backwards from the fact that his father was never around as a kid, and yet… https://t.co/bHkckQKKhe
— Emma Vigeland (@EmmaVigeland) October 15, 2021
Co-hosts of “The View” also took shots at Carlson during the show on Friday.
“Maybe he doesn’t know about breast-feeding because he came out of a robot,” Ana Navarro said. “That could explain his lack of heart.”
Behar added, “Regarding the mocking of the manliness of Pete Buttigieg, I’d like to just say that Pete Buttigieg served six years in the Navy Reserve and deployed — and was deployed in Afghanistan. Tucker Carlson was booted off Dancing with the Stars after he couldn’t even do the Cha Cha.”
Guest host Sherri Shepherd pointed out Carlson’s colleague, Jesse Watters, took paternity leave.
“He’s not mocking anybody on his network,” she said.
Watters said on Fox News in April he is now “pro-paternity,” adding, “I used to mock people for taking paternity, I used to think it was a big ruse, but now, ya know, I wish I could take six weeks.”
As The Hill noted, Watters took some time away from his job following the birth of his third child, born in early April.
