Tucker Carlson Suggests Vaccines Don’t Work And Government Won’t Say It

Could someone inoculate Tucker Carlson against conspiracy theories?

The Fox News personality peddled paranoia about the COVID-19 vaccine Tuesday, speculating that “it doesn’t work” and that the government won’t say so out loud. (Watch the video below.) Carlson told his right-wing viewers he couldn’t think of another explanation.

The prime time TV host took a rambling dive into the coronavirus vaccine rollout after the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention earlier in the day recommended a pause in Johnson & Johnson’s one-dose shot. The agencies cited serious blood clots in a small number of people among millions who received the vaccine.

Carlson put the side effects into statistical perspective, but stoked vaccine hesitancy with remarks from Dr. Anthony Fauci (a familiar Fox News target) and other health officials urging vaccinated people to maintain caution.

“At some point ― no one’s asking this, but everyone should be ― what is this about?” Carlson said. “If the vaccines work, why are vaccinated people still banned from living normal lives? What’s the answer to that? It doesn’t make any sense at all. If the vaccine is effective, there’s no reason for people who’ve received it to wear masks or avoid physical contact.”

“So, maybe it doesn’t work, and they’re just not telling you that,” he continued. “You’d hate to think that, especially if you’ve gotten two shots. But what’s the other potential explanation? We can’t think of one.”

Fox News and Carlson have been called out for spreading skepticism about the shots before.