Greta Van Susteren
Born	(1954-06-11) June 11, 1954 (age 58) Appleton, Wisconsin, U.S.
Education	University of Wisconsin-Madison Georgetown University Law Center
Occupation	Host of On the Record (Fox News Channel)
Years active	1991–present
Religion	Scientology
Spouse	John P. Coale
Website
Bio on FoxNews.com

Greta Van Susteren (born June 11, 1954) is an American commentator and television personality on the Fox News Channel, where she hosts On the Record w/ Greta Van Susteren. A former criminal defense and civil trial lawyer, she appeared as a legal analyst on CNN co-hosting Burden of Proof with Roger Cossack from 1994 to 2002, playing defense attorney to Cossack's prosecutor.

Early life[link]

Van Susteren was born in Appleton, Wisconsin, and is of Dutch, French, Irish, Icelandic and German ancestry on her paternal side.^[1] Van Susteren's father, Urban Van Susteren, an elected judge, was a longtime friend of U.S. Senator Joseph McCarthy, and a campaign strategist for him, although Urban later broke with him.^[2]

Van Susteren's sister, Lise, is a forensic psychiatrist in Bethesda, Maryland. In 2006, Lise was a candidate for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate.^[3] Her brother, Dirk Van Susteren, was a journalist and long-time editor of the Vermont Sunday magazine, jointly published, until folding in 2008, by the Rutland Herald and the Barre-Montpelier-Times Argus.^[4]

Career[link]

Van Susteren graduated from Xavier High School in Appleton in 1972 and the University of Wisconsin in Madison in 1976, where she studied geography and economics. She later earned a law degree from Georgetown University Law Center in 1979 and prior to the start of her television work returned to Georgetown Law as an adjunct faculty member in addition to her full-time legal career.

During coverage of the O. J. Simpson murder trial, she appeared regularly on CNN as a legal analyst.^[5] This led to her stint as co-host of CNN's Burden of Proof and The Point.

In 2002, Van Susteren switched to the Fox News Channel after a highly publicized contract bidding war. According to People Magazine, Van Susteren has utilized cosmetic surgery to enhance her screen presentation.^[6] Since then, she has hosted the current affairs show On the Record w/ Greta Van Susteren.

Personal life[link]

Van Susteren married tort lawyer John P. Coale in 1988.^[7] Coale, a self-described "ambulance chaser", became known as "Bhopal Coale" for his solicitation of clients among victims of the Bhopal disaster.^[8] He has served as an adviser for Sarah Palin.^[9]

Van Susteren and her husband are members of the Church of Scientology.^[7][10]

Since 2006, she has been part owner of a restaurant, the Old Mill Inn, in Mattituck, New York, on the North Fork of Long Island.^[11]

In recognition of her Dutch heritage she was asked to assume the role of Honorary Chairperson of the Little Chute Windmill Committee. The windmill, an authentic reproduction of a Dutch one, will be built in Little Chute, Wisconsin, where Van Susteren's family lived for some time.^[12]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Greta Van Susteren

• FOX News Bio of Greta Van Susteren
• On the Record w/Greta Van Susteren, from FOXnews.com
• Blog
• Greta Van Susteren at the Internet Movie Database

(Dutch) Susteren (Limburgish) Zöstere
—  City  —
The Sint Amelbergachurch in Susteren
Flag Coat of arms
Country	Netherlands
Province	Limburg
Municipality	Echt-Susteren
Area
• Total	28.34 km2 (10.94 sq mi)
Population (1 January 2008)
• Total	7,348
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)

Susteren (Limburgish: Zöstere) is a city in the Dutch province of Limburg. It is located in the municipality of Echt-Susteren, about 7 km northwest of Sittard. It was a separate municipality until 2003, when it was merged with Echt.^[1] Susteren received town privileges in 1276.

Susteren harbours a Benedict monastery, Abbey Susteren, that was founded in the 8th century. It got the symbol of a basilica in 2007 from pope Benedict XVI. There is a museum ‘t Stift next to the Abbey. There is the castle Eyckholt, and the mill Dieterdermolen, typical River Meuse valley farms like the Hommelhof.

References[link]

1. ^ Ad van der Meer and Onno Boonstra, Repertorium van Nederlandse gemeenten, KNAW, 2006.

External links[link]

• J. Kuyper, Gemeente Atlas van Nederland, 1865-1870, "Susteren". Map of the former municipality, around 1868.

Coordinates: 51°04′N 5°52′E / 51.067°N 5.867°E / 51.067; 5.867

This Dutch Limburg location article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

Gloria Allred
Gloria Allred in a parade in 2007
Born	Gloria Rachel Bloom (1941-07-03) July 3, 1941 (age 70) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Education	B.A., University of Pennsylvania M.A., New York University J.D., Loyola Law School
Occupation	Attorney
Employer	Allred, Maroko & Goldberg
Children	Lisa Bloom
Website
gloriaallred.com
Notes [1]

Gloria Rachel Allred (née Bloom; born (1941-07-03)July 3, 1941) is an American lawyer noted for taking high-profile and often controversial cases, particularly those involving the protection of women's rights.^[1]

Early life and family[link]

Gloria Rachel Bloom was born to a Jewish family in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on July 3, 1941. After graduating from the Philadelphia High School for Girls, she attended the University of Pennsylvania, where she met her first husband. The couple had their only child, Lisa, on September 20, 1961, and divorced shortly after. Lisa Bloom is also an attorney and is best known as a former Court TV anchor.^[2]

Gloria Bloom moved back in with her parents and continued her education. In 1963, she earned a bachelor's degree in English, graduating with honors. She tried her hand at a variety of jobs before she decided to become a teacher, taking a position at Benjamin Franklin High School. She began work on a graduate degree at New York University, where she became interested in the civil rights movement. After earning a master's degree, she became a teacher and, in 1966, moved to Los Angeles, California, and lived in Watts.^[3] She graduated from Loyola Law School in Los Angeles, and was admitted to the State Bar of California in 1975.^[4]

In 1968, she married William Allred. They divorced in 1987, though she has retained her married name for professional use.^[5]

Career[link]

Legal[link]

Gloria Allred has represented numerous parties in various high-profile cases, and frequently comments on television. Gloria Allred represented Amber Frey when Frey was a witness in the criminal case against Scott Peterson.^[6] She has also represented cases against the Boy Scouts of America for excluding an eleven year old girl named Katrina Yeaw, something she referred to as gender apartheid, and a case against the former Sav-On Drugstore chain for having both a boys and a girls toy section, as well as representing actress Hunter Tylo when producer Aaron Spelling fired her because of her pregnancy.^[7][8]

In 1981, she sued California State Senator John G. Schmitz for slander, resulting in a settlement of $20,000 and an apology.^[9]

In 1985, Allred, along with Catherine MacKinnon, drafted a version of the Antipornography Civil Rights Ordinance for Los Angeles County. The legislation failed to pass the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.^[10][11]

In 1987, Allred achieved notoriety after successfully suing the then all-male Friars Club in Beverly Hills, an exclusive private club, over its membership discrimination policies.^[12] The Friars Club eventually settled the lawsuit with Allred and five other plaintiffs,^[13] after Allred displayed early skills in the effective use of the media.^[14]

In August 1997, she represented the model Kelly Fisher^[15] when she sued Dodi Fayed for allegedly breaking off their engagement to begin his highly-publicized relationship with Diana, Princess of Wales. The suit was dropped not long after Diana and Fayed died in Paris that August.^[16]

She represented Nicole Brown Simpson's family during the O. J. Simpson murder trial. She also represented photographer Henry Trappler in a lawsuit against Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee. Allred is also known for her criticism of pop singer Michael Jackson. After watching media coverage of the Berlin event with Michael Jackson, she wrote a letter to California's Child Protective Services, asking for an investigation into the safety of Jackson's children. She also spoke on CNN about the subject. Child Protective Services does not make their investigations public, so it is not known whether any action was taken as a result of Allred's letter.^[17]

Gloria Allred also represented Rhonda Miller in a sexual harassment suit against Arnold Schwarzenegger during his run for California's gubernatorial recall election in 2003.^[18] The lawsuit was later dismissed.

In November 2006, Cindy Streit, etiquette consultant in the film Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, hired Allred, who demanded that the California Attorney General investigate fraud allegedly committed by Sacha Baron Cohen and the film's producers.^[19]

On July 19, 2007, she filed a lawsuit in Superior Court on behalf of Elizabeth Mazzocchi against actor Esai Morales for "intentional and negligent transmission of a sexually transmitted disease, assault, battery, and breach of contract."^[20]

She represented three former Circuit City employees on behalf of a large plaintiff class in an age discrimination lawsuit against that company after it fired 3,400 workers nationwide in April 2007.^[21]

In September 2007, she represented Tony Barretto, a former bodyguard of pop singer Britney Spears, in the child custody case between Spears and ex-husband Kevin Federline.

She represented Mandi Hamlin in a March 2008 complaint against the TSA.^[22] Hamlin was reported to have been humiliated when she was made to take off her nipple rings in a Lubbock, Texas, airport.^[23]

In April 2008, it was reported that she had been hired by the family of the teenager who had been beaten and filmed by eight Florida teenagers.^[24] She also appeared on Today with Jessica Gibson, who is counter-suing Rob Lowe for sexual harassment.^[25]

On February 24, 2004, Gloria Allred and her law firm, Allred, Maroko and Goldberg, filed the first lawsuit in California challenging the denial of marriage licenses as being unconstitutional. She took the case pro bono for Robin Tyler and Diane Olson and Rev. Troy Perry and his husband Phillip Ray De Blieck. On May 15, 2008, the California Supreme Court ruled in favor of equal marriage rights for lesbian and gay couples.^[26]

On July 30, 2008, Gloria Allred filed a complaint with federal regulators against Downey Savings and Loan Association regarding check-cashing procedures. Marc Retmier, a 19 year old US Navy Hospitalman, was killed in action in Afghanistan in June 2008. Downey Savings refused to immediately cash his family's military bereavement checks, and Marc Retmier's family were forced to look elsewhere to secure funding necessary to pay for his funeral services.^[27]

In December 2009, Allred was retained by Rachel Uchitel after media sources alleged Uchitel had been having an affair with married golfer Tiger Woods.^[28] Allred is also representing Joslyn James, a pornographic actress and Woods's alleged mistress.^[29]

In February 2010, Allred was retained by Amanda J. Eneman, a massage therapist and ex-girlfriend of Illinois lieutenant gubernatorial candidate Scott Lee Cohen who once had Cohen arrested, and who had herself been arrested for prostitution.^[30]

On May 14, 2010, in a news conference held at Allred's office, English actress Charlotte Lewis, alleged that director Roman Polanski had sexually abused her in his Paris apartment when she was 16 years old.^[2][31] In June 2010 she was hired by Debrahlee Lorenzana, a former bank employee who had drawn wide public attention after alleging she was fired for being too attractive.^[2] In August 2010, Allred represented Jodie Fisher, whose sexual harassment claim revealed expense-account irregularities that led to the resignation of HP CEO Mark Hurd.^[32]

In July 2010, Allred filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against actor, David Boreanaz. She claimed he sexually harassed her client during filming of his TV show, "Bones," and it began during filming on August 21, 2009. According to the suit, Boreanaz was sending "sexually inappropriate text messages" to Kristina Hagan, who was an extra on the show. Hagan also claims Boreanaz grabbed, kissed, and fondled her and then "masturbated in front of her."^[33] In March 2011, Boreanaz settled the lawsuit. The terms of the settlement are confidential.^[34]

On April 27, 2011, Allred appeared at a press conference with the family of Justin Quinn, who was allegedly threatened at a San Francisco Giants baseball game by Braves coach Roger McDowell. Quinn had objected to McDowell's uttering of homophobic slurs and use of a baseball bat to simulate a sex act in the presence of his daughters.^[35][36]

On June 15, 2011, Allred appeared at a press conference with former pornographic actress Ginger Lee in regard to Representative Anthony Weiner allegedly coaching her to lie on his behalf in relation to a sexting scandal.^[37]

On October 18, 2011, Allred won court approval to represent nine former middle-aged cocktail waitresses who were fired from their jobs at Resorts Casino Hotel in Atlantic City, New Jersey after they "did not look good enough" in new uniforms modeled after 1920s-era Flapper outfits. Resorts had sought to bar Allred from the discrimination lawsuit, arguing in court papers that her "flamboyant and headline-grabbing antics" would add nothing to the case.^[38]

On November 7, 2011, Allred appeared at a press conference with Sharon Bialek, a Chicago woman who alleged that Herman Cain grabbed her in a sexually aggressive way when she sought his help after losing her position at an education foundation affiliated with the National Restaurant Association in the late 1990s.^[39]

On March 9, 2012, Allred reportedly called for an investigation into whether radio personality Rush Limbaugh should be subject to criminal prosecution in Florida for derogatory remarks he made regarding a female law student. Allred commented: "Mr. Limbaugh targeted his attack on a young law student who was simply exercised [sic] her free speech and her right to testify before congress on a very important issue to millions of American women and he vilified her. He defamed her and engaged in unwarranted, tasteless and exceptionally damaging attacks on her..... He needs to face the consequences of his conduct in every way that is meaningful."^[40]

Also in 2012, Allred took on the case of Jenna Talackova, a Canadian transgender woman who was challenging her disqualification from the Miss Universe Canada pageant for not being a "naturally born" female.^[41] The Miss Universe organization ultimately reversed its decision before the case proceeded to the courts.^[41]

Entertainment[link]

She formerly co-hosted a radio talkshow with Mark Taylor on KABC in Los Angeles. She also served as a panelist on the 1990 revival of television game show To Tell the Truth.^{[citation needed]} She made two cameos as herself on the 2001 film Rat Race.

On September 12, 2011, Allred debuted in the court TV show "We the People With Gloria Allred", a show using improv actors to reenact real-life case scenarios.^[42]

Works[link]

• Allred, Gloria; Rybak, Deborah Caulfield (2006). Fight Back and Win: My Thirty Year Fight against Injustice and How You Can Win Your Own Battles. New York: ReganBooks. ISBN 978-0-06-073928-7. OCLC 62755633. 

See also[link]

• Membership discrimination in California social clubs

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Law firm of Allred, Maroko & Goldberg

Tucker Carlson
Tucker Carlson at CPAC in February 2012.
Born	(1969-05-16) May 16, 1969 (age 43) San Francisco, California, U.S.
Occupation	News Anchor, Commentator, Pundit, and Columnist
Spouse	Susan Andrews
Website
dailycaller.com

Tucker Swanson McNear Carlson (born May 16, 1969) is an American political news correspondent and conservative commentator for the Fox News Channel. He is co-founder and editor-in-chief of The Daily Caller.^[1] He is a senior fellow of the Cato Institute^[2] and formerly co-hosted CNN's Crossfire and MSNBC's Tucker.

Family and education[link]

Carlson grew up wealthy in Carlsbad, a suburb of San Diego. He is the elder son of Richard Warner Carlson, a former Los Angeles news anchor and U.S. ambassador to the Seychelles who was president of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and director of Voice of America.^[3] His adopted mother is Patricia Caroline Swanson (born 1945), former wife of Howard Feldman and an heiress to the Swanson food-conglomerate fortune.^[3][4] He has a brother, Buckley Swanson Peck Carlson.^[5][6] A great-uncle was Sen. J. William Fulbright.^[4]

He attended St. George's School, a boarding school in Newport, Rhode Island. After graduation, he majored in History at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut.

He is married to Susan Carlson, née Andrews. They have four children: Lillie, Hopie, Dorothy, and Buckley.^{[7][8][9][10]}

Journalism career[link]

Carlson began his journalism career as a member of the editorial staff of Policy Review, a national conservative journal then published by the Heritage Foundation (and since acquired by the Hoover Institution). He later worked as a reporter at the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette newspaper in Little Rock, Arkansas and at The Weekly Standard.

As a magazine and newspaper journalist, Carlson has reported from around the world. He has been a columnist for New York and Reader's Digest. He has also written for Esquire, The Weekly Standard, The New Republic, The New York Times Magazine, and The Daily Beast.

Carlson joined CNN as its youngest anchor ever, remaining at the network until February 2005. Carlson got his television start in 2000 as co-host of The Spin Room opposite Bill Press.

[edit] CNN's Crossfire

He later was appointed co-host of Crossfire, where he represented the political right. During the same period, Carlson also hosted a weekly public affairs program on PBS, Tucker Carlson: Unfiltered.

Interview with Jon Stewart[link]

One of Carlson's most memorable appearances on Crossfire was his 2004 heated exchange with Jon Stewart, host of The Daily Show on Comedy Central, prior to the 2004 presidential election. Stewart criticized the format of shows like Crossfire, calling Carlson and co-host Paul Begala "partisan hacks," and asked them to "stop hurting America."

Carlson countered by criticizing Stewart's July 2004 interview with then U.S. Presidential candidate John Kerry. He accused Stewart of "sniffing Kerry's throne" and "not asking tough questions." Stewart replied, contextualizing his own show as a comedic rather than informational venue, "I didn't realize that [...] the news organizations look to Comedy Central for their cues on integrity." After Carlson told Stewart "I think you're more fun on your show," Stewart replied by saying: "You know what's interesting though? You're as big a dick on your show as you are on any show."^[11]

After their televised confrontation, Carlson recalls, Stewart "stayed at CNN several hours after the show to discuss the issues that he raised on the air... He (Stewart) needed to do this".^[12]

In January 2005, CNN announced they were ending their relationship with Carlson and would soon cancel Crossfire.^[13][14] CNN chief Jonathan Klein told Carlson on January 4, 2005, that the network had decided not to renew his contract.^[15] Carlson, however, claims he had already resigned from CNN and Crossfire long before Stewart was booked as a guest, telling host Patricia Duff: "I resigned from Crossfire in April, many months before Jon Stewart came on our show, because I didn't like the partisanship, and I thought in some ways it was kind of a pointless conversation... each side coming out, you know, [raises fists] 'Here's my argument,' and no one listening to anyone else. [CNN] was a frustrating place to work."^[16]

[edit] MSNBC's Tucker

Carlson's early evening show, Tucker, premiered June 13, 2005, on MSNBC (originally entitled The Situation with Tucker Carlson). The show lasted fewer than three seasons; the network announced its cancellation due to low ratings on March 10, 2008.^[17] The final episode aired on March 14, 2008.

Carlson had also hosted a late afternoon weekday wrap-up for MSNBC during the 2006 Winter Olympics, during which he attempted to learn how to play various Olympic sports. In July 2006, he reported live for Tucker from Haifa, Israel, during the 2006 Lebanon War between Israel and Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. While in the Middle East, he also hosted MSNBC Special Report: Mideast Crisis. He appeared regularly on Verdict with Dan Abrams as a panelist in political discussions.

Fox News Channel[link]

In May 2009, it was announced that Carlson was hired as a Fox News Contributor. Since then, he has been a frequent guest panelist on Fox's late-night satire show Red Eye w/ Greg Gutfeld, made frequent appearances on the All-Star Panel segment of Special Report with Bret Baier, been a substitute host of Hannity in Sean Hannity's absence, and produced a Fox News special titled "Fighting for Our Children's Minds."

[edit] The Daily Caller

On January 11, 2010, Carlson and former Dick Cheney aide Neil Patel launched a political news website titled The Daily Caller. The editorial staff is led by executive editor Megan Mulligan and features reporting from White House correspondent Jon Ward,^[18] formerly of The Washington Times and reporter Alex Pappas. Other high-profile bloggers include Jim Treacher (DC Trawler) and Mickey Kaus (Kausfiles.)

In an interview with The Politico, Carlson said that The Daily Caller will not be tied to ideology but rather will be "breaking stories of importance". In a Washington Post article, Carlson added "We're not enforcing any kind of ideological orthodoxy on anyone."

Political views[link]

Partisan ambivalence[link]

Carlson has stated that while he votes and cares deeply about conservative ideas, he does not care about the success or failure of any political party.^{[citation needed]} In addition, his definitions of conservative views often conflict with the mainstream opinion.

Carlson has stated that former U.S. President George W. Bush is not a true conservative. Despite his general reputation as a political conservative, this and other views have been interpreted as partisan ambivalence by some Republican political figures and movement conservatives.^[19]

In an August 27, 2004, Washington Post interview, Carlson expressed his "displeasure with Bush." "Why do so many anti-war liberals give Kerry a pass when he adopts the Bush view on Iraq, as he has? The amount of team-playing on the left depresses me."^[20] Carlson did not vote in the 2004 election, citing his disgust with the Iraq War and his disillusionment with the once small-government Republican party.

"I don't know what you consider conservative," Carlson said, "but I'm not much of a liberal, at least as the word is currently defined. For instance, I'm utterly opposed to abortion, which I think is horrible and cruel. I think affirmative action is wrong. I'd like to slow immigration pretty dramatically. I hate all nanny state regulations, such as seat belt laws and smoking bans. I'm not for big government. I think the U.S. ought to hesitate before intervening abroad. I think these are conservative impulses. So by my criteria, Bush isn't much of a conservative."^[20]

Self-proclaimed conservative Republicans have accused Carlson of not being sufficiently conservative. This first began following Carlson's public and private endorsement of 2000 Presidential candidate John McCain. Speaking to Salon.com, Carlson responded:

1999 Bush interview[link]

In 1999, during the 2000 Republican Presidential primary race, Carlson interviewed George W. Bush, then Governor of Texas, for Talk magazine. Carlson reported that Bush mocked soon-to-be-executed Texas Death Row inmate Karla Faye Tucker and "cursed like a sailor."^{[citation needed]} Bush's communications director Karen Hughes publicly disputed this claim.^{[citation needed]}

Asked by Salon about the response to his article on Bush, Carlson characterized it as "very, very hostile. The reaction was: You betrayed us. Well, I was never there as a partisan to begin with. Then I heard that (on the campaign bus, Bush communications director) Karen Hughes accused me of lying. And so I called Karen and asked her why she was saying this, and she had this almost Orwellian rap that she laid on me about how things she'd heard — that I watched her hear — she in fact had never heard, and she'd never heard Bush use profanity ever. It was insane. I've obviously been lied to a lot by campaign operatives, but the striking thing about the way she lied was she knew I knew she was lying, and she did it anyway. There is no word in English that captures that. It almost crosses over from bravado into mental illness. They get carried away, consultants do, in the heat of the campaign, they're really invested in this. A lot of times they really like the candidate. That's all conventional. But on some level, you think, there's a hint of recognition that there is reality — even if they don't recognize reality exists — there is an objective truth. With Karen you didn't get that sense at all. A lot of people like her. A lot of people I know like her. I'm not one of them."^[21]

Supporting, then opposing, the U.S. war in Iraq[link]

Carlson initially supported the U.S. war with Iraq during its first year. After a year, he began criticizing the war, telling the New York Observer: "I think it’s a total nightmare and disaster, and I’m ashamed that I went against my own instincts in supporting it. It’s something I’ll never do again. Never. I got convinced by a friend of mine who’s smarter than I am, and I shouldn’t have done that. No. I want things to work out, but I’m enraged by it, actually."^[22]

Gay marriage[link]

On July 24, 2007, Carlson said on his show, "I'm just for marriage generally. I'm for people making a lifelong commitment. Do you know what I mean? I'm not against gay marriage, actually, and I'm the most right-wing person I know."^[23] Carlson later went on to say, "I think, marriage has been a great thing for me, and I think it's a really civilizing force, and I think it would be a civilizing force for gay people too."^[23]

Libertarianism[link]

On May 3, 2007, Carlson interviewed Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul and recalled voting for Paul in 1988 when he was running as the Libertarian Party presidential candidate.^[24]

On November 20, 2007, Carlson was seen showing his support at a Ron Paul rally in Reno, Nevada.

On the conservative Media Research Center-owned blog "Newsbusters", Carlson was called an "MSNBC conservative" explaining that: "Carlson is clearly the kind of conservative MSNBC could love - one who doesn't support the incumbent Republican president and opposes the cornerstone of his foreign policy. It's the same phenomenon that explains Pat Buchanan's ubiquity on MSNBC."^[25] At the 2009 Conservative Political Action Conference, Carlson was booed "for saying that the journalists at the New York Times care about accuracy."^[26]

On November 26, 2007, it was reported that Carlson lobbied Nevada brothel owner Dennis Hof to support Paul's candidacy. Explained Carlson, "Dennis Hof is a good friend of mine, so when we got to Nevada, I decided to call him up and see if he wanted to come check this guy out."^[27]

On September 2, 2008, Carlson participated in Ron Paul's Campaign for Liberty Rally for the Republic in Minneapolis, MN, as the first speaker to introduce the rally and also acted as the MC by introducing nearly every guest speaker.

On February 23, 2009, Carlson was introduced as a senior fellow for the Cato Institute.^[28]

Bow ties[link]

Season 5, Episode 2 of Curb Your Enthusiasm ("The Bowtie") referenced Tucker Carlson when one character referred to Larry David as "Tucker Carlson" for wearing a bowtie.

On April 11, 2006, Carlson—who was known for wearing bow-ties—announced on his MSNBC show that he would no longer be wearing a bow-tie, adding, "I just decided I wanted to give my neck a break. A little change is good once in a while, and I feel better already."^[29] He now wears long neckties on the air.

On Red Eye he stated that the reason he retired the bow tie was that he was "Sick of people screaming obscenities at him on the subway"

[edit] Dancing with the Stars

On August 14, 2006, the ABC television network announced that Carlson would be a participant in its fall 2006 Dancing with the Stars reality show.

Carlson reportedly took four-hour-a-day ballroom dance classes in preparation for the competition, and mourned "missed classes" during an MSNBC assignment in Lebanon.^[30] "It's hard for me to remember the moves," he stated.^[30] When asked why he accepted ABC's invitation to perform, Carlson responded, "I'm not defending it as the smartest choice, but I think it's the most interesting. I think if you sat back and tried to plan my career, you might not choose this. But my only criterion is the interest level. I want to lead an interesting life." He concluded, "I'm 37. I've got four kids. I have a steady job. I don't do things that I'm not good at very often. I'm psyched to get to do that."^[30]

The gambling site BetBet placed Carlson's odds of winning the competition at 15:1.^[31] Jerry Springer was ranked as having the longest odds of winning, at 30:1.

Carlson, who was paired with professional partner Elena Grinenko, was voted off on September 13. His performance on the previous night was the lowest ranked among the judges; the low score resulted from him spending much of the performance sitting down in a chair.

At the close of the show Carlson said that teaching him to dance was "like Einstein teaching addition to a slow child."^[32]

Alleged bathroom grabbing[link]

On MSNBC Live, on August 28, 2007, Carlson told host Dan Abrams that as a teenager, an apparently homosexual man allegedly grabbed Carlson in a public restroom in Georgetown in Washington, D.C. As Carlson explained, "I went back with someone I knew and grabbed the guy by the -- you know, and grabbed him, and...hit him against the stall with his head, actually.... And then the cops came and arrested him."^[33][34]

In the initial exchange, Carlson only described the man as having "bothered him" in the restroom. A day later, Carlson described the incident in a statement to Media Matters for America, which had reported on the exchange, writing:

In the mid-1980s, while I was a high school student, a man physically grabbed me in a men's room in Washington, D.C. I yelled, pulled away from him and ran out of the room. Twenty-five minutes later, a friend of mine and I returned to the men's room. The man was still there, presumably waiting to do to someone else what he had done to me. My friend and I seized the man and held him until a security guard arrived. Several bloggers have characterized this is a sort of gay bashing. That's absurd, and an insult to anybody who has fought back against an unsolicited sexual attack. I wasn't angry with the man because he was gay. I was angry because he assaulted me.[3]

In multiple later airings of the August 28, 2007 episode of MSNBC Live, Carlson's comments about the 1980s incident were omitted.^[35] After his second statement, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) and Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) expressed outrage and called on Carlson and MSNBC to apologize for "remarks that appear to condone violent assault" against gay people.^[36][37]

Autobiography[link]

In 2003, Carlson authored an autobiography, Politicians, Partisans and Parasites: My Adventures in Cable News, about his television news experiences. One of the book's revelations was Carlson's description of how he was falsely accused of raping a woman he did not know. Carlson wrote in the book that the incident was emotionally traumatic and strengthened his belief in the presumption of innocence, particularly on allegations of a sexual nature.

References[link]

The Social List of Washington DC, The "Green Book"

The Social Register

External links[link]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Tucker Carlson

• Tucker Carlson profile at NNDB.
• Tucker Carlson at the Internet Movie Database
• Media Matters' page on Tucker Carlson.
• "Hillary Clinton Has Sweet Revenge", CNN, July 9, 2003.
• Video of Tucker Carlson exchange with Jon Stewart on CNN's Crossfire, 2004.
• "Tucker Carlson to join MSNBC", MSNBC statement, February 2, 2005.
• MSNBC promotional video slot for Tucker.