Tucker Carlson Calls Pete Buttigieg A “Fake Gay” In New Podcast Clip
Some political attacks are predictable. Others are just plain weird. Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson has made a new claim against Pete Buttigieg, one of America’s most prominent out politicians, alleging he fakes being gay for political gain.
A bizarre accusation…
Speaking on his podcast, The Tucker Carlson Show, with right-wing commentator Michael Knowles, Carlson offered no evidence for his theory. Instead, he referenced conversations with unnamed staff members. “My gay producers are always like, ‘he’s not gay,’” Carlson said. He suggested Buttigieg’s identity was a calculated move, claiming he thought, “It’s, like, ‘time for a gay guy.’” Carlson also dismissed Buttigieg’s previous role as mayor of South Bend, Indiana, as finding “some benighted Midwestern town that he can become mayor of.”
A pattern of personal attacks.
This is not the first time Carlson has targeted Buttigieg’s family life. In 2021, he mocked the then-transport secretary for taking paternity leave after he and his husband Chasten welcomed their two children. On his show, Carlson said Buttigieg was, “trying to figure out how to breastfeed,” adding, “no word on how that went.” The comments were widely condemned for mocking a two-father family.
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
The proposed ‘gay test’.
Carlson then declared his intention to confront Buttigieg directly to prove his point. “I’m gonna ask him very specific questions about gay sex and see if he can even answer,” Carlson stated on his show. “I doubt he even knows. You’re not gay, dude. Stop.” The plan raises an obvious question about how Carlson himself would know if the answers were correct.
Buttigieg’s story speaks for itself.
These claims stand in contrast to Buttigieg’s public life and career. In his 2019 autobiography, Shortest Way Home, he discussed his reasons for keeping his sexuality private for many years. He cited his military service under the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy and his caution about the political consequences.
He came out publicly in a local newspaper column in 2015, the same year he met his husband, Chasten Glezman, on the dating app Hinge. The couple married in 2018. Buttigieg later made history as the first openly gay candidate to win a major presidential primary during the 2020 Iowa Democratic Caucus, before serving as the US Secretary of Transportation.
The hypocrisy is pretty breathtaking: for decades, LGBTQIA+ politicians had to conceal their sexuality for fear of it being weaponised against them. Now, when a gay politician of Buttigieg’s stature is heroic enough to live openly, he’s accused of being a closeted straight!
