Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson has sparked widespread ridicule after claiming that the removal of Venezuelan Dictator Nicolás Maduro was motivated by a desire to legalise same-sex marriage in the country.
Carlson made the remarks in a since-deleted Facebook video titled “Are we carrying out regime change in Venezuela in the name of gay marriage? It seems that way.”
In the clip, Carlson dismissed democracy or human rights as reasons for US involvement in Venezuela.
“We can safely discount democracy as a reason for affecting regime change in Venezuela,” Carlson said.
“We’re not going to go kill Nicolás Maduro because we don’t like the way he’s treating his people.”
Instead, he suggested the true motive was LGBTQIA+ equality.
“It’s possible we’re mad because he doesn’t allow gay marriage,” Carlson continued.
“That is a distinct possibility, but nobody will say that out loud.”
Carlson went on to characterise Venezuela as socially conservative, claiming only El Salvador was comparable, and argued that a potential successor to Maduro would prioritise marriage equality.
“The US-backed opposition leader who would take Maduro’s place… is of course, pretty eager to get gay marriage in Venezuela,” he said.
“So those of you who thought this project was globo homo, not crazy actually.”
Major Flaws in Carlson’s Theory
While María Corina Machado, a former opposition figure, has publicly supported same-sex marriage and adoption rights, she did not run in Venezuela’s 2024 presidential election.
Machado instead endorsed Edmundo González, who was widely viewed by the international community as the legitimate winner of the election after Machado was barred from standing. González, however, does not have a strong record on LGBTQIA+ rights.
Additionally, the Trump administration has not endorsed Machado as Venezuela’s next leader. Speaking after Maduro’s arrest by US forces, Donald Trump dismissed her leadership prospects.
“I think it would be very tough for her to be the leader,” Trump said.
“She doesn’t have the support within or the respect within the country.”
Instead, the US has backed Delcy Rodríguez as interim leader — a figure who has not been associated with advancing LGBTQIA+ rights.
Claim Widely Mocked
Carlson’s comments were swiftly ridiculed across the political spectrum, including by conservatives.
“I suppose the administration may have to explain to people like Tucker Carlson that, in fact, it was not ‘globo homo’ that ousted Nicolás Maduro,” said right-wing commentator Ben Shapiro.
“It was a conservative Republican president.”
A Pattern of Anti-LGBTQIA+ Conspiracies
This is not the first time Carlson has promoted conspiracy theories involving LGBTQIA+ people. He has previously claimed that Pete Buttigieg was only pretending to be gay to appeal to progressive voters.
Buttigieg has been openly gay for more than a decade, married his husband Chasten Buttigieg in 2018, and the couple are raising four-year-old twins together.
