Actor Winston Beefo has announced that he will no longer portray his beloved “Tucker Carlson” character, effective immediately. Beefo had portrayed Carlson across three decades, with the character evolving from a button-down conservative to a race-baiting populist in the mold of Archie Bunker. Fox News did not immediately announce plans to recast the role, though the blockbuster ratings for Perpetual Outrage Tonight with Tucker Carlson — consistently the highest-rated show on cable news — suggest that Fox will be hesitant to abandon the character.
I should probably be giddy about Carlson going off the air. He was a source of toxic divisiveness and batshit lunacy of the type that never leads to anything good. I often feel shadenfreude when shows get cancelled: I was happy when I Wanna Marry Harry got the boot and was downright tickled pink when Mindy Kaling’s Champions was sent to sitcom hell. So why don’t I feel the same glee when a truly malignant show gets the ax?
