Tucker Carlson Faces Backlash for Airing Antisemitic Covid-19 Immunity Claims

Tucker Carlson faced widespread backlash for featuring a guest on his show who promoted the baseless conspiracy theory that COVID-19 was genetically tailored to affect Jewish people differently, with some groups allegedly immune. The guest, Dr. Andrew Huff, claimed a scientific publication supported this assertion, which Carlson appeared to validate by discussing Ashkenazi and Sephardic Jews. This theory, originally propagated by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has been thoroughly debunked by public health experts and is rooted in long-standing antisemitic tropes that have historically fueled violence against Jewish communities. The Anti-Defamation League condemned Carlson's promotion of the theory as "dangerous and disgraceful," while critics across the political spectrum, including conservatives like Senator Ted Cruz, mocked and rejected the claims. Jewish organizations and historians stressed that such myths echo medieval accusations against Jews that led to massacres and pogroms. Carlson's airing of this conspiracy theory has intensified scrutiny over his history of promoting antisemitic ideas.