Tucker Carlson gave his first interview since being fired by Fox News for podcaster and comedian Russell Brand on Friday in a livestream that was broadcast on Rumble to an audience over 120,000. 

Carlson, 54,  said that he was ‘shocked but not really shocked’ by his Fox News firing in April which was the first topic brought up by the British comedian, who referred to the former host as a ‘friend.’

‘I don’t know why I was fired. I really don’t. I’m not angry about it. I wish Fox well,’ Carlson added. 

At one point in the discussion, Carlson railed against President Joe Biden‘s immigration policies. ‘

I’m not against immigrants … But the way that the United States is doing immigration is designed to wreck the country and to make it unstable,’ he said. 

Carlson said that he felt as though other leaders in the United States were also ‘stoking’ racial issues. 

Tucker Carlson sat down for his first interview since leaving Fox News on Friday with British comedian Russell Brand 

During the interview, Brand called Carlson ‘a friend’ as the piece aired on Rumble before 120,000 people 

He said that was ‘hurt’ the first time he was called a white supremacist. 

Carlson contradicted multiple past statements in saying: ‘I love Trump.’ 

When asked the 2024 Republican field, Carlson said that he felt that Trump was right in his criticisms of the US unrelenting support of Ukraine amid the Russian invasion. 

‘Trump is the only person… who is saying: “Wait a second. You know, why are we supporting an endless war in Ukraine? “‘he said. 

‘All I can say at this point is I’m so grateful that he has that position. He’s right. And everyone in Washington is wrong, everyone,’ Carlson continued. 

‘Trump is right on that question… the war is reshaping the world. It’s reshaping the economy of the world. It’s reshaping populations,’ he went on. Later, Carlson said that US had an unique power to force a peace in the conflict, but the powers that be refuse to do so. 

Carlson called Democratic fringe candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr ‘a wonderful person.’ 

Speaking about RFT Jr’s chance, he said that he felt it was unlikely that either the Democrat or Trump would manage to win their party’s nomination. 

In relation to his Twitter broadcasts, Carlson said that he was not being paid for Elon Musk and was not being paid by the Tesla founder. He said that he never wanted to have a boss again. 

‘What social media offers in the short term is an audience and a reason to write,’ Carlson said. It was reported last month that he was attempting to raise money for a new media venture. 

Carlson said that he was enjoying his leisure time but that he was still staying engaged with what was going on in the world

When speaking about the January 6th Capitol riot, Carlson said that he was ‘labeled’ a racist when he began questioning the narrative around the incident. 

After interviewing the chief of Capitol police, in a piece that never aired on Fox News, the officer said that the crowd on that was day was filled with federal agents. 

‘It was a spasm of rage… that Trump helped enrage,’ he said. Carlson defended the QAnon Shaman Jacob Chansley, saying it was outrageous that he received a prison sentenced as he was shown into the Senate chamber Capitol police.

‘He was not an insurrectionist. He wasn’t armed,’ Carlson said. In March, Chansley was released from prison after serving four months of a 41 month sentence. 

‘January 6 was not an insurrection. It was not armed, and its purpose was not an attempt to overthrow the US government,’ he added.  

Carlson also called into question the security of electronic voting machines. 

In a separate section, Carlson said that he did not think that one of his former Fox News colleagues leaked his infamous text messages to the New York Times and denied allegations that he is a racist.’ 

The former cable host said that he was enjoying his leisure time living in rural Maine but that he was still staying engaged with what was going on in the world.