Tucker Carlson has spent months sowing vaccine doubt among Fox News’ evening viewers (and he still won’t say whether he’s gotten the jab), but the cable news network’s morning vibe couldn’t be more different. Recently, all three Fox and Friends co-hosts (Steve Doocy, Ainsley Earhardt, and Brian Kilmeade) made it known that not only did they get vaccinated, but they’re relieved to feel much safer as a result.
On Tuesday morning, the group (and especially Doocy) grew even more blunt on the subject when (as pointed out by CNN’s Brian Stelter on Twitter), the show took an even clearer pro-vaccine stance while discussing the CDC’s latest masking guidelines. And Doocy did not mess around at all: he flat-out told the Fox News audience to get that shot if they want to ditch that face covering.
Some pretty clear pro-vaccine messaging from Steve Doocy on "Fox & Friends" this morning: "When you have the chance, get the shot." pic.twitter.com/W2COrl3HTF
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) May 18, 2021
As Ainsley Earhardt put it, “It is freedom,” and Doocy says at the end of the above clip, “The vaccine is what’s going to keep a lot of people alive… So when you have the chance, get the shot.”
That’s an unequivocal stance and, frankly, it’s wonderfully shocking to see. Doocy had more to say a few moments earlier. “You don’t have to wear a mask indoors, you don’t have to social distance as long as you’ve had the shot,” he pointed out. “According to the CDC, you still have to wear the mask, you have still have to social distance inside, if you haven’t had it.” Hopefully, Tucker is watching, but let’s get real: he’s probably somewhere grumbling about UFOs and equality. That’s simply how he rolls.