‘Completely Absurd’: Tucker Carlson Says He Has Nothing to Do With Bizarre Promo Airing on Russian TV

Tucker Carlson said he has nothing to do with a bizarre promotional video airing on a Russian state news network.

Since last week, Russia 24, a Kremlin-backed news outlet, has run ads with an edited montage of Carlson repeatedly saying Russia, according to the TV News Archive. At the end of the video, a logo reads, “TUCKER RUSSIA 24.” Another version of the promo added “ON THE WEEKEND.”

The ad promised that the “American host is moving to another level. Here.”

When asked about the promo over text, Carlson told Mediaite: “This is completely absurd. Reporters are so dishonest and stupid. I’ve never even heard of this channel.”

The promo video can be seen here, via the TV News Archive:

The Financial Times reached out to Russia 24 for comment on the promo, asking if the network plans to rebroadcast Carlson’s show on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. Representatives for the network refused to comment.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about. I’ve never heard of this, or the channel. Of course I’m not hosting a show on Russian television. That’s absurd. Please,” Carlson told the FT.

“I’ve never seen this. I have no clue what it’s about. More Russia-related bullshit. There’s so much I can’t keep up,” he concluded.

During his career as a prime time host at Fox News, Carlson was harshly critical of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and defensive of Russia’s invasion of its neighbor. His commentary made him a hero of state-controlled media in Russia, where his monologues were regularly rebroadcast and praised by the Kremlin’s propagandists.

The BBC reported on Friday that a YouTube channel called KarlsonTV has been publishing Carlson’s shows in Russian for the last five years.