During a monologue on the blackface controversy surrounding Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Fox News host Tucker Carlson pointed out CNN host Don Lemon’s double standards when it comes to accepting apologies. While Lemon seemed unwilling to accept former NBC anchor Megyn Kelly’s apology for merely suggesting that there was nothing wrong with wearing blackface in Halloween costumes, Lemon all too happily accepted Trudeau’s apology for actually wearing blackface.
Carlson played a clip of Lemon reacting favorably to Trudeau’s apology: “Wow, a leader apologizing...it seems odd, doesn’t it? I mean, because we have one who doesn’t but he says, you know, he didn’t think it was racist at the time. Now he knows better.” Later, Lemon added that Trudeau’s apology “to me, does mean a lot.”
After the clip concluded, Carlson reminded the audience that “Megyn Kelly of NBC found herself under attack in pretty much the same way, the difference was that Megyn Kelly never wore blackface.” After remarking “what a difference a year makes,” Carlson contrasted Lemon’s readiness to accept Trudeau’s apology with his refusal to accept Kelly’s apology for “not seeming quite offended enough...by certain Halloween costumes,” specifically blackface. According to Carlson, “for that crime, Don Lemon told us she must be destroyed.”
The FNC host proceeded to play a clip of Lemon reacting to the Megyn Kelly controversy as the chyron at the bottom of the screen read “Megyn Kelly Apologizes for Defending Blackface Costumes.” Lemon mentioned that “Megyn is 47 years old...There has never been a time...in her 47 years that blackface has been acceptable.” Lemon also insinuated that Kelly did not have enough diversity on her staff.
Now, wait a minute. If “there has never been a time” in Kelly’s “47 years that blackface has been acceptable,” then shouldn’t the same also apply to Trudeau? After all, Trudeau is only one year younger than Kelly; yet Lemon did not feel the need to lecture him that blackface has never “been acceptable” in his lifetime.
Reacting to the striking difference in Lemon’s responses to the Kelly controversy and the Trudeau controversy, Carlson asked “Did Don Lemon have a change of heart? Is he now a forgiving man? Or could it be because Justin Trudeau is a powerful leader on the left, he gets a pass no matter what he does?” The implication was that because Megyn Kelly is not “a powerful leader on the left,” she did not get the same benefit of the doubt from Lemon.
As his monologue came to a close, Carlson reminded the audience that the left also gave Virginia Governor Ralph Northam a pass for his black face controversy, despite the fact that they “pretended to care for a few seconds.” Taking into account the left’s treatment of Northam and Trudeau in the wake of their blackface controversies, Carlson concluded that “being woke means never having to say you’re sorry.” Considering Lemon’s reaction to Trudeau’s apology, “being woke” also entitles one to immediate forgiveness that those who fail to subscribe to “wokeness,” like Kelly, are not entitled to.
A transcript of the relevant portion of Thursday’s edition of Tucker Carlson Tonight is below. Click “expand” to read more.
Tucker Carlson Tonight
09/19/19
08:00 PM
TUCKER CARLSON: So, the Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau got caught wearing blackface and a lot of people are pretending to be very, very surprised. But are you really surprised? In fact, you probably could have guessed it, actually. It’s a little like finding out that your super sensitive brother-in-law; the one who tells you he’s a feminist, the one who’s always scolding you for your sexism is in fact hitting on the babysitter. But of course he’s hitting on the babysitter. The virtue is always a cover for the sin. That’s the key to understanding the modern left. Whatever they’re accusing you of doing, they’re doing themselves but more enthusiastically. And that’s definitely the story of Justin Trudeau. Like your brother-in-law with the ponytail, Trudeau brags about being a feminist. Use the wrong word in his presence and he’ll launch into a self-righteous lecture. Justin Trudeau may be the most sanctimonious head of state on planet Earth; so, of course he was leading a secret life as a racist. That’s why he’s so sanctimonious, so you won’t notice. Turns out there are now at least three separate instances of Justin Trudeau wearing black face and as he conceded today, there could absolutely be more.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You left us with the impression there was only one other incident and since then, Global News has released a video which seems to show there was at least a third incident. So, exactly how many times have you darkened your skin with makeup in an act that you have yourself described as racist?
JUSTIN TRUDEAU: I shared the moments that I recollected but I recognize that it is something absolutely unacceptable to do. And I…I appreciate calling it makeup but it was blackface.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CARLSON: Uh-huh. Unacceptable. But he did it at least three times; maybe more. How many times have you worn black face? Probably right around zero. Try not to be judgy here or anything. But even adjusting for youthful indiscretion, three times on camera. That’s a lot. It’s an awful lot, actually. What’s going on with Justin Trudeau? Well, it turns out and he explained this today, that Justin Trudeau suffers from an especially virulent case of something called privilege.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUDEAU: I have always acknowledged that I come from a place of privilege, but I now need to acknowledge that that comes with a massive blind spot.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CARLSON: Uh-huh. Got that? White privilege is the problem here; that’s Trudeau’s explanation. If you’re not listening carefully, it might sound like Justin Trudeau just took responsibility for what he did. Oh, but no. Just the opposite. He transferred it. When Trudeau blames privilege, he’s moving responsibility for what he did from himself to the rest of us. In other words, I did something awful because society itself is rotten, therefore, and this is the key; therefore, I need to keep telling you how to live your life. It’s not a confession. It’s a justification. And the only people dumb enough to buy it are the news media; of course. The dumbest people in the world. Over at CNN, for example, Don Lemon was deeply impressed.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)
DON LEMON: Wow, a leader apologizing, it just…it seems odd, doesn’t it? I mean, because we have one who doesn’t but he says, you know, he says he didn’t think it was racist at the time. Now he knows better. What do you think of that?
LEMON: But I do have to say this before we go, think about it however you want to think about it; it…when someone apologizes, wow! We…we don’t…we don’t often see that here; especially a world leader who’s saying I should have known better and I’m sorry.
TARA SETMAYER: Yeah, he did the right thing.
LEMON: You can feel about it however you want but that to me, that does mean a lot. I have got to go. Thank you.
(END VIDEO CLIPS)
CARLSON: It means a lot to Don Lemon. It really does. What a difference a year makes. If you can remember back all the way back to when Megyn Kelly of NBC found herself under attack in pretty much the same way, the difference was that Megyn Kelly never wore blackface. She wouldn’t do that, she’s not Justin Trudeau. She just made the mistake of not seeming quite offended enough in a TV segment by certain Halloween costumes. For that crime, Don Lemon told us she must be destroyed.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: It’s good to be honest. Megyn is 47 years old. She’s our age. There has never been a time in that…in her 47 years that blackface has been acceptable. I wonder how much diversity she has on her staff. I don’t know, I’m not there but I would imagine there is not a lot because people would have informed her. This is what people of the larger culture don’t understand about racism and about privilege.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CARLSON: Uh-huh. Keep in mind and this is universally true. It was true of Jimmy Swaggart, it’s true of Justin Trudeau and probably true of Don Lemon. The more sanctimonious you are, the more you’re hiding. You want to know who’s up to no good? Look at the people who are tugging their chin and “I would never do that.” And yet suddenly, Don Lemon went from that, “I wonder how much diversity she has on her staff” to “oh, I’m so glad that Justin said sorry.” Did Don Lemon have a change of heart? Is he now a forgiving man? Or could it be that because Justin Trudeau is a powerful leader on the left, he gets a pass no matter what he does? I think you know the answer because, of course, you’ve seen it before. Earlier this year, the Governor of Virginia, Ralph Northam, was caught wearing blackface. Actually, maybe it was a Klan hood. He still won’t tell us which it was. But whatever it was he was wearing, black face or a Klan hood, Northam, a liberal Democrat, decided he didn’t need to resign over it. The left pretended to care for a few minutes, “ooh, we’re so upset” and then they forgot the whole thing ever happened. Northam himself said that the incident showed, and I’m quoting, “deep wounds in Virginia.” What he did showed deep wounds in the whole commonwealth of Virginia. In other words, Northam himself wasn’t guilty of anything, blackface or a Klan hood, it was the people of Virginia who were responsible. They had the collective guilt. And that guilt could only be expiated by giving Ralph Northam more power because that’s what it’s always about. Always. It’s about power. When you make a mistake, it means you’re a sinner, and you must be damned. You probably don’t have enough diversity in your office, says Don Lemon. But when they screw up, it’s society’s fault; meaning it’s your fault. So, they’ve got you coming and going. It’s pretty nice, actually. It’s a good trick. Being woke means never having to say you are sorry.
