Fox News host Tucker Carlson derided his first-grade teacher as a “parody” of modern liberalism and accused her of “sobbing” at her desk about how the world was “unfair” in 2018. But that’s not how she remembers it.
In an interview for an extensive profile of the right-leaning network’s No 1 star published in The Washington Post, 77-year-old Marianna Raymond described Mr Carlson’s account as a fanciful recollection of his time in her class, embellished in a few key ways to make her look worse.
Mr Carlson, in a 2018 memoir analyzed by The Post for the piece, described Ms Raymond as “a parody of earth-mother liberalism” with “little interest in conventional [schooling] topics” such as reading and writing.
At one point during his time in her class, he wrote, she broke down sobbing at her desk, exclaiming: “The world is so unfair! You don’t know that yet. But you’ll find out!”
As a result of her supposed unwillingness to teach him, Mr Carlson added, his father hired a tutor to help him at home with academics.
Ms Raymond remembers the situation a little differently. She never sobbed at her desk, she told The Post in an interview, and had no trouble teaching academic subjects in class. Mr Carlson was tutored after-hours, she added, by Ms Raymond herself, who said she was employed to help Mr Carlson at home.
“That is the most embellished, crazy thing I ever heard,” Ms Raymond said of Mr Carlson’s description of her and her teaching methods.
A representative for the network defended Mr Carlson in a general statement to The Washington Post when questioned about his views on a number of issues.
“Tucker Carlson is an important voice in America which deeply resonates with millions of viewers via our powerful primetime lineup and two in-depth shows on FOX Nation – we fully support him,” the representative said.
