Several years ago, I wrote a column about feminism that caught the attention of the "Tucker Carlson Tonight" team on Fox News. They invited me to Washington, DC, to appear on the show, and as a conservative commentator, I was thrilled.

But just before their car was scheduled to pick me up, a tragic Amtrak derailment in December dominated the news cycle, and my segment was bumped. I never went on.

What a difference a few years makes.

Carlson, a commentator whom millions of conservatives watch and admire, has gone from respected cable news host and leader in the conservative movement to a podcaster with increasingly conspiratorial views, currentlyranked fourth on Spotify.

His rise in online popularity and turn toward sensationalism reflect our changing conservative media landscape and audiences who seem to favor conspiratorial clickbait.

Tucker Carlson has gone off the rails

I've seen more than a few examples of Carlson's concerning rhetoric.

On a March 6 podcast with Saagar Enjeti, Carlson argued that demanding unconditional surrender from Iran, as President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social, would push the U.S. military to abandon its moral core.

"Unconditional surrender means foreign troops get to rape your wife and daughter if they want and everyone knows that," Carlson said, repeating the sentence twice for emphasis.

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, who has sparred often with Carlson about Israel and Iran, called Carlson "unhinged" and dubbed his lies "moronic & delusional."

That's not the first time Carlson has said things ranging from conspiratorial to mean.

At a Turning Point USA conference, Carlson claimed that convicted sexual offender and accused sexual trafficker Jeffrey Epstein was tied to Israel’s intelligence service and part of a blackmail scheme: "Epstein was working on behalf of intel services, probably not American. ... Extremely obvious to anyone who watches that this guy had direct connections to a foreign government. And no one's allowed to say that that foreign government is Israel."

Carlson is deeply critical of the U.S. relationship with Israel. In December, the watchdog group StopAntisemitism named Carlson "Antisemite of the Year" due to his rhetoric, criticism of Israel and willingness to interview people like Nick Fuentes, another popular right-wing podcaster with antisemitic views.

During an appearance on "Megyn Kelly Live," Carlson smeared Liz Cheney, a former U.S. representative from Wyoming and daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney.

"He raised a really repulsive daughter," Carlson said of Dick Cheney in November, just days after he died at the age of 84. "Just on the downside, you know I’ve got a bunch of daughters that are just fine people, and I’m more proud of them than of anything in my life. And if I had a daughter, you know, like Liz Cheney, I don’t believe in suicide, but I would consider it."

Carlson's decline highlights the media's shift

Carlson's decline into demagoguery highlights a significant shift in media consumption. For decades, the right had a hierarchy of credibility in media that included think tanks like the Heritage Foundation, Republican politicians and conservative outlets catering to readers distrustful of “legacy” media.

Fox News is a great example. It still dominates cable news, holding 13 of the top 15 most-watched shows. In 2025, the Pew Research Center confirmed that Republicans and Republican-leaning independents get news from a fairly concentrated group of sources. Carlson has used this to his advantage.

Of course, the former Fox News host could have been more Joe Rogan than Candace Owens, but he chose the latter. And this largely online audience seems to reward engagement and outrage more than facts and credibility, pushing rhetoric toward more conspiracy-laden monologues than reasonable dialogue.

Fox News cable ratings were demanding, but the online algorithm is brutal in its own way. Audiences demand and reward "Hunger Games"-style gotcha monologues and interviews. The more provocative the claim, the more it spreads. Without the guardrails of cable television, Carlson now pushes conspiracies wrapped in clickbait.

As much as I can't stand this form of media, I can't decide what's more disturbing: the hosts and influencers who supply it or the audience members demanding it.

Carlson’s popularity raises questions about what some conservatives now want from their media. If Carlson or Owens are the movement’s idols, what exactly are their audiences applauding? It looks less like conservatism and more like spectacle. Carlson’s rise reflects the collapse of the old conservative media order. That change isn’t inherently bad. Platforms like X give voice to a wider range of opinions. But as Carlson’s success shows, the online ecosystem rewards the most sensational voices.

That dynamic ultimately harms the audience, the commentators and the conservative movement itself.

Nicole Russell is an opinion columnist with USA TODAY. She lives in Texas with her four kids. Sign up for her newsletter, The Right Track, and get it delivered to your inbox.

© USA TODAY