Tucker Carlson Comments Go Viral as Kid Rock's Opening Act

Comments Tucker Carlson made while opening for Kid Rock during a tour stop in Gonzales, Louisiana, have gone viral on social media.

Kid Rock, born Robert James Ritchie, is performing in the Rock the Country tour, which sees the musician take the stage with stars such as Jason Aldean and Miranda Lambert.

The tour has two-day stops planned in seven small towns and cities across the U.S. between April and July, visiting Louisiana, Florida, Missouri, Alabama, Kentucky, Georgia and South Carolina.

The tour kicked off at Gonzales' Lamar Dixon Expo Center on April 5 and 6, and former Fox News host Carlson served as a surprise opener for Kid Rock. Video footage of Carlson at the show was posted on X, formerly Twitter, on April 7.

Standing behind a lectern emblazoned with Kid Rock's name and "United States of 'Merica," Carlson explained his appearance at the show.

"I wound up here tonight because I was having dinner at my house with Kid Rock a few months ago," the commentator told the crowd.

He continued: "He said, 'You should come and open for me on my summer tour.' And I said, 'Well, I'm honored, of course, but I don't play an instrument. Actually, I'm an unemployed talk-show host, so what would I do at your show?' And he said, and I'm quoting now, 'You will figure it out, and you will like it.'

"So that was two months ago. And I woke up this morning, and I thought, I gotta go to Gonzales, Louisiana, and open up for Kid Rock. What am I gonna say? And I had no idea until I got here."

Carlson, who interviewed Kid Rock in December, also said that after waking up that morning, he had gone on the internet and came to the conclusion that the U.S. is "f***** up"—until he got to Gonzales.

"The country they tell me about on the internet is f***** up. The country that I experience when I walk through this crowd, or when I wake up in my town of 100 people in a rural area, is a beautiful country filled with beautiful people," he added.

The TV personality also said he was drawn to a lighting rig at the venue because it was in the form of a cross. "A shape I like," he added.

"As I'm walking out [to the rig], this chick gets right in my face. She's got two nose rings, a cross necklace and a Trump bracelet. And she looks at me right in the face, and she goes, 'Ahhhhh!' And she said, 'I love you.' And I said, 'I love you, too.' And I meant it. And I thought, That's the America that I know. A little weird, slightly crazy, full of love, and beautiful. And that describes the man I'm here to introduce."

Carlson also told the cheering crowd that traveling long distances for the night's show was "worth it," adding: "Can you put a price on living free in the last free country? So let me tell you, my fellow Americans, what we've got. All gathered here tonight are free people united by our love of country and under God.

"And in the name of that country and that God, we're here to celebrate a party that will not stop. And so, as I know you can, please be as noisy and disobedient as possible for Kid f****** Rock."

Carlson's full speech was shared on X by Benny Johnson, a conservative commentator, where it has received more than 850,000 views. Ron Filipkowski, a former federal prosecutor and the editor-in-chief of the liberal outlet MeidasTouch, shared a snippet of Carlson's speech that has received more than 150,000 views.