Tucker Carlson was once one of Ron DeSantis' biggest supporters.
That relationship completely fell apart over one issue.
And Tucker Carlson turned on Ron DeSantis after he pulled this one stunt in Israel.
Tucker Carlson calls out DeSantis for signing law in Israel
Tucker Carlson didn't hold back when he went after Florida Governor Ron DeSantis for flying to Israel to sign a hate speech law criminalizing criticism of the Jewish state.
The former Fox News host made his feelings clear during interviews with Megyn Kelly and Florida gubernatorial candidate James Fishback — DeSantis crossed a line that Carlson couldn't ignore.
Carlson told Fishback he initially admired DeSantis, especially during COVID when the Governor stood up to lockdowns and protected freedom.
But DeSantis' foreign policy decisions made Carlson question who was really calling the shots.
"I always admired DeSantis certainly during COVID. I thought he was just a remarkable leader, interviewed him many times. I know him and his wife. And it was the foreign policy stuff that made me wonder, like, what is this and how controlled is he by Ken Griffin and the rest of his donors?" Carlson asked.
Ken Griffin, the billionaire investor, reportedly pushed DeSantis to flip his stance on Ukraine from calling it a "regional conflict we shouldn't get involved in" to supporting more funding for the war.
But the Ukraine flip wasn't what killed Carlson's support for DeSantis.
DeSantis flew to Israel for what Carlson calls a "humiliation ritual"
Carlson described the moment he knew DeSantis lost him — when the Governor flew to Israel in 2023 to sign HB 269, Florida's antisemitism law that makes it a felony to harass people based on religion or ethnicity.
The bill passed with unanimous support from both chambers and targeted a surge in antisemitic harassment, including hate groups distributing intimidating materials to homes and religious facilities.
"Then he had this moment where he signed a hate speech law out of the country. He flew to a foreign country, Israel, to sign a hate speech law for Florida," Carlson recalled. "And I thought, well, this is obviously unconstitutional. It's immoral, but it's also part of an elaborate humiliation ritual where you have to go not just like enslave your own people with a hate speech law, which that is slavery."
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DeSantis signed the bill during a trade mission to Israel while flanked by the bill's Republican sponsors and delivered a keynote speech at the Museum of Tolerance in Jerusalem.
At the time, DeSantis said Florida was leading the way in fighting antisemitism.
"Through this legislation, we are ensuring that perpetrators who commit acts of antisemitism and target religious groups or individuals will be punished," DeSantis stated.
Carlson saw it differently — as DeSantis kissing the ring of a foreign government while restricting the speech of his own citizens.
"You have to go kiss someone else's wall to show your obedience," Carlson said.
Florida Lieutenant Governor says you don't have the right to criticize Israel
Carlson's criticism of Florida's approach to Israel went beyond just DeSantis.
He torched Florida Lieutenant Governor Jay Collins for statements Collins made after meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in January 2026.
Collins met with Netanyahu at a roundtable with Jewish community leaders in Surfside, Florida.
According to Carlson, Collins gave an interview after the Netanyahu meeting where he argued Americans don't have unlimited free speech rights when it comes to Israel.
Carlson quoted Collins as saying people have free speech rights "but you don't have the right to harm other people with your words" and that calling for Israel's destruction crosses a line.
Carlson destroyed Collins' argument in a monologue on his show.
"Oh, you don't have the right to say things that people in charge don't like. You don't? That's the whole point!" Carlson fired back. "If you don't have that right, you are a slave and Jay Collins is your master."
Carlson pointed out the hypocrisy of Collins' position — you can call for the destruction of any foreign country on cable news, but criticizing Israel is somehow off limits.
"Notice, by the way, he didn't say you can't attack America. That's totally fine," Carlson continued. "Instead, this former military officer asserts you can't attack Israel. You can't call for the destruction of Israel."
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"Of course, you can call for the destruction of any foreign country you want. It's a staple on Fox News. Lindsey Graham does it every single day. You just can't call for the destruction of Israel. That's a crime," Carlson mocked.
Carlson made it clear that criticizing Israel — or any country — is exactly what the First Amendment protects.
"It may be an ugly opinion. It may be an unsustainable argument. You may be an idiot, but you have a God given right to that opinion and a God given right to express it," Carlson declared.
Then Carlson issued a warning about what happens when the government tries to take away free speech rights.
"And again, if they try to take that away, you need to have an insurrection against the government because you're done at that point," Carlson said. "An insurrection against the government if they try to take away your right to say what you think, your right to your own conscience. Period."
Megyn Kelly backs up Carlson's defense of free speech
Megyn Kelly, who is also an attorney, jumped in to support Carlson's position during their interview.
She laughed when directly responding to Collins' claim that "you don't have the right to harm other people with your words."
"I absolutely do!" Kelly celebrated. "And it's actually what makes us fundamentally American. It's awesome! I have every right to insult you, to speak hatefully about you. And it's glorious! It's what makes it wonderful to live here."
Kelly explained that the First Amendment exists specifically to protect offensive speech.
"The First Amendment, of course, is there to protect hate speech. Hate speech is not only constitutional, it's written right in there that you can say the most hateful things possible," Kelly confirmed. "Sorry, but I can. And if you don't like it, you're the one who needs to move out of the United States of America. That's my fundamental right, to say things that offend."
Kelly also pointed out the irony of laws that claim to combat antisemitism — they actually create more of the hatred they claim to fight.
"The more you start cracking down on people's thought crimes against Israel, or even their antisemitism — truly, like this is America, you're allowed to be a racist, you're allowed to be a misogynist, you're allowed to be an antisemite," Kelly explained. "You're not allowed to make hiring and firing decisions based on that, but that's not what we're arguing over here. We're talking about what's in your head and your heart."
"The more you try to criminalize that or ruin someone's life over those thoughts, the more you engender the very hatred you say you're objecting to," Kelly concluded.
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DeSantis responded to Carlson's attacks by calling them "bizarre" and claiming he stopped paying attention to Carlson after he left Fox News.
But Carlson's criticism struck a nerve with conservatives who believe Florida's laws on Israel go too far in restricting free speech while giving special protection to a foreign government.
Sources:
- Patrick Delaney, "Tucker Carlson denounces Florida's 'hate speech' law criminalizing criticism of Israel," LifeSiteNews, January 9, 2026.
- A.G. Gancarski, "Tucker Carlson takes Ron DeSantis to task for 'foreign policy stuff' and antisemitism legislation," Florida Politics, January 10, 2026.
- Jamal Andress, "Gov. DeSantis OKs adding definition of antisemitism to Florida law," Florida Politics, June 24, 2024.
- Jacob Ogles, "Gov. DeSantis signs law cracking down on hate speech, says Florida 'led the way' fighting antisemitism," Florida Politics, April 28, 2023.
- Evan Axelbank, "Governor signs bill that targets hate crimes into law following Anti-Semitic incidents' in Florida," FOX 13 Tampa Bay, April 27, 2023.
- Ryan Nicol, "Florida defunds 'academic boycotts' of Israel," Florida Politics, June 27, 2025.
