For many, the guilty verdict in the Derek Chauvin trial was a blessing — a rare instance in which a violent cop, who had been caught on video murdering George Floyd, was prosecuted for his wrongdoings. But for conservative commentators, it was a nightmare. Tuesday night saw one pundit after another losing their stuff. There was Greg Gutfeld blurting out his bizarre, “selfish” reason for liking the verdict. There was Ben Shapiro trolling. There was Tomi Lahren spouting nonsense. (For the record, Nancy Pelosi said some dumb stuff, too.)
Naturally, Tucker Carlson was not a disappointment. The Fox News star devoted a good chunk of his night’s show to the verdict. He claimed that the jury only voted guilty because they were afraid of Black Lives Matter protesters. He gave airtime to Candace Owens. He also spoke with Ed Gavin, a former corrections officer from New York City, but their chat ended prematurely when Gavin dared criticize Chauvin’s actions.
Tucker Carlson had a complete meltdown tonight in response to a former New York corrections officer who criticized Derek Chauvin for using excessive force on George Floyd. Here's how the interview (abruptly) ended. pic.twitter.com/mBOxrsbhaJ
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) April 21, 2021
Gavin said he thought Chauvin’s actions were “excessive” — a word that set Carlson off. He quickly interrupted him, saying, “The guy who did it looks like he’s doing to spend the rest of his life in prison. I’m kind of more worried about the rest of the country, thanks to police inaction, which if you haven’t noticed is boarded up.” He then abruptly launched into laughter that can only be called maniacal. He then suddenly cut Gavin off as he tried to elaborate, saying, “Nope. You’re done.”
The exchange prompted some unkind words for Mr. Carlson.
https://twitter.com/NaveedAJamali/status/1384692686058307586
Never forget, Tucker Carlson knows that he is a weak, unimportant person propped up solely by family money and privilege.
He is abjectly terrified of the idea of a fair society because he knows he would cease to even exist without his unearned power. https://t.co/0wDTigK7ju
— The Hoarse Whisperer (@TheRealHoarse) April 21, 2021
https://twitter.com/donmoyn/status/1384689773437140995
Some were concerned. Sort of
Whoa, apparent psychotic break https://t.co/ESkOAfE87Y
— David Pakman (@dpakman) April 21, 2021
To others, though, it was a blast.
Tucker Carlson had a complete meltdown tonight. How delightful! https://t.co/CfVnS63iAp
— Amy Siskind 🏳️🌈 (@Amy_Siskind) April 21, 2021
Eventually someone singled out Carlson’s mad laugh.
here you go america pic.twitter.com/56Jsjd2AqH
— Philip Bump (@pbump) April 21, 2021
And some postulated that perhaps Carlson doesn’t believe any of this, that it’s all performative, played for viewers for whom he has nothing but contempt.
https://twitter.com/AshaRangappa_/status/1384694317097259016