Tucker Carlson became a FOX News star after taking over the hour vacated by Megyn Kelly — but his career nearly came to an end in 2001…
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Tucker Carlson became a FOX News star after taking over the hour vacated by
Megyn Kelly — but his career nearly came to an end in 2001!
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Photo credit: Getty Images
That's when Tucker was just beginning to enjoy success as a co-host on the hit CNN show "Crossfire." A series of
FOX News sex scandals —
and Megyn's dissatisfaction at FOX — would lead to his latest shot at primetime success. But first, his fledgling fame turned into a living hell after he was accused of rape!
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Photo credit: Getty Images
The allegation plunged the prim political pundit — then often sporting a bowtie — into a terrifying nightmare, as he even questioned his own innocence! "I sat on the front steps thinking about my life, my wife and my three children, my job and how it was all going to end because of something terrible I didn't even remember doing," he recalled.
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Photo credit: Getty Images
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A woman in Kentucky had claimed that Tucker took advantage of her after slipping a drug into her drink at a restaurant in Louisville, Ky. Carlson, who'd just joined CNN the year before, was stunned by the charge. He'd never been to Louisville and had no memory of the incident.
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Photo credit: Getty Images
Still, he admitted, "I actually woke up in the middle of the night thinking I had really done it. I always assumed, like every journalist does, that all sex scandals are rooted in truth." Finally, after paying $ 14,000 in legal fees and passing a lie detector test, he was cleared when a private eye discovered the woman was mentally ill.
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Photo credit: Getty Images
Still, he admitted, "I actually woke up in the middle of the night thinking I had really done it. I always assumed, like every journalist does, that all sex scandals are rooted in truth." Finally, after paying $ 14,000 in legal fees and passing a lie detector test, he was cleared when a private eye discovered the woman was mentally ill.
The relieved host added that he considered suing the woman's lawyer — but decided that he couldn't risk a high-profile trial that would keep his name linked to rape charges. Instead, insiders say the terrifying incident inspired the rising star to be even more demanding about the truth.
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Photo credit: Getty Images
"Tucker's never forgotten how easily a reputation can be ruined by a smear," said a longtime associate, "and he'll jump on anyone who's making wild charges!"
Tucker Carlson became a FOX News star after taking over the hour vacated by
Megyn Kelly — but his career nearly came to an end in 2001!
That's when Tucker was just beginning to enjoy success as a co-host on the hit CNN show "Crossfire." A series of
FOX News sex scandals —
and Megyn's dissatisfaction at FOX — would lead to his latest shot at primetime success. But first, his fledgling fame turned into a living hell after he was accused of rape!
Photo credit: Getty Images
The allegation plunged the prim political pundit — then often sporting a bowtie — into a terrifying nightmare, as he even questioned his own innocence! "I sat on the front steps thinking about my life, my wife and my three children, my job and how it was all going to end because of something terrible I didn't even remember doing," he recalled.
Photo credit: Getty Images
I
A woman in Kentucky had claimed that Tucker took advantage of her after slipping a drug into her drink at a restaurant in Louisville, Ky. Carlson, who'd just joined CNN the year before, was stunned by the charge. He'd never been to Louisville and had no memory of the incident.
Photo credit: Getty Images
Still, he admitted, "I actually woke up in the middle of the night thinking I had really done it. I always assumed, like every journalist does, that all sex scandals are rooted in truth." Finally, after paying $ 14,000 in legal fees and passing a lie detector test, he was cleared when a private eye discovered the woman was mentally ill.
Photo credit: Getty Images
The relieved host added that he considered suing the woman's lawyer — but decided that he couldn't risk a high-profile trial that would keep his name linked to rape charges. Instead, insiders say the terrifying incident inspired the rising star to be even more demanding about the truth.
"Tucker's never forgotten how easily a reputation can be ruined by a smear," said a longtime associate, "and he'll jump on anyone who's making wild charges!"
Photo credit: Getty Images
