Online posts cost writer for Tucker Carlson his job
A writer for Fox News star Tucker Carlson resigned after he was revealed as the pseudonymous author of several years’ worth of racist, sexist and obscene posts on an online message board.
Blake Neff, who joined “Tucker Carlson Tonight” in 2017, left Fox News on Friday after the network learned of his activity on an online forum, Autoadmit, which is popular with law students. The site has previously been the subject of at least one lawsuit for its offensive and misogynist content.
In a memo Saturday, leaders of Fox News described Neff’s writings as “horrendous and deeply offensive” and said the network condemned his behavior.
“Neff’s abhorrent conduct on this forum was never divulged to the show or the network until Friday, at which point we swiftly accepted his resignation,” the network’s chief executive, Suzanne Scott, and its president and executive editor, Jay Wallace, wrote in the memo, which was distributed to the Fox News staff. “Make no mistake: Actions such as his cannot and will not be tolerated at any time in any part of our workforce.”
Carlson has not commented on the matter since Neff resigned. Scott and Wallace wrote in their memo that Carlson would address the episode on his Monday show.
Neff did not respond to inquiries seeking comment.
Neff is a conservative writer who previously worked at the right-wing news and opinion site The Daily Caller, which Carlson co-founded. Neff published on Autoadmit under a pseudonym, Charlesxii. His posts there mocked and denigrated African Americans, Asian Americans and women, and he contributed to message threads in which other writers used racial slurs. He also occasionally bragged about his influence on Carlson’s show.
CNN identified Neff as the author of the posts and first reported his resignation Friday.
Neff, in a recent interview with the Dartmouth Alumni Magazine, said that he enjoyed working at a show that could affect national politics.
Neff was featured in a Washington Post dating column in 2017, in which he was quoted saying his hobbies “allow me to escape women.” He also told the Post he was miffed at his date’s assertion that she was not sure about starting a relationship, saying, “If I were Brad Pitt, you would be.”
Ashok Sharma
NEW DELHI — Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan, his son and two other family members have tested positive for the coronavirus in Mumbai, India’s financial and entertainment capital, a government minister said Sunday.
The Nanavati Super Speciality Hospital said that Amitabh Bachchan was in stable condition with mild symptoms in an isolation unit.
Bachchan, 77, said in a tweet Saturday that he had tested positive, and he appealed to those who had been near him in the past 10 days to get tested.
His son, Abhishek Bachchan, 44, tweeted Saturday night that he also had tested positive and was in a hospital.
“Both of us having mild symptoms have been admitted to the hospital,” he wrote. “I request all to stay calm and not panic.”
Abhishek Bachchan tweeted Sunday that his wife, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, and their 8-year-old daughter also had tested positive. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is a top Bollywood actress.
“They will be self-quarantining at home,” he said.
Maharashtra state Health Minister Rajesh Tope said Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and her daughter are asymptomatic.
The elder Bachchan has acted in more than 200 Indian films over the past five decades. He is also a former politician and a television host.
The Bachchans are often called Bollywood’s first family. His wife, Jaya, is also an actress and a one-time member of Parliament.
The Press Trust of India news agency cited Tope as saying that Amitabh Bachchan and his son had a cough and fever. “They underwent rapid antigen test and (results) came positive,” he said.
In 2015, the actor revealed that he had been treated for hepatitis B for more than two decades and had lost more than 75% of his liver to the disease.
The elder Bachchan’s breakthrough performance came in the 1973 film “Zanjeer,” or “The Chain,” and he rose to superstardom playing bold characters, inspiring fans to copy his hairstyle, clothes and deep voice.
He briefly entered politics in 1985 but resigned his seat in Parliament midterm when former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi’s administration became ensnared in corruption.
Bachchan returned to film in the 1990s and made a rare Hollywood appearance in Baz Luhrmann’s 2013 version of “The Great Gatsby.”
He embraced social media, engaging with fans using Twitter and Tumblr, and served as host of “Kaun Banega Crorepati,” India’s version of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.”
Mumbai is among the Indian cities worst hit by the coronavirus. On Sunday, India’s virus caseload approached 850,000, with 28,637 new cases announced, the most on any day.