OK, I admit I was probably wrong when I interpreted Carlson’s coy refusals to say whether or not he was vaccinated as an implicit admission that he is. On the other hand, Carlson is a liar.

Voice of San Diego reported on Carlson’s speech at the Awaken megachurch in San Marcos, California last week:

Carlson, who grew up in La Jolla, heaped praise on Awaken for choosing to stay open during the pandemic, citing the need for fellowship and community, and saying Christian leaders who “chose the path of cowardice and abandonment of their own flocks” had committed a “grotesque sin.” The crowd at Awaken erupted in applause when he scoffed at the idea of getting a second booster shot, and insinuated he hadn’t been vaccinated at all.   

“I skipped the first three, I’m not getting that one either,” Carlson said.  

The Daily Beast’s Source Material newsletter (behind paywall) heard audio and confirmed Carlson’s remarks. It also noted that Carlson cited “his having grown up ‘next to the Salk Institute in La Jolla’ as evidence that he is ‘obviously’ not opposed to vaccines.” Yeah, obviously.

It's odd that Carlson is suddenly willing to boast about being unvaccinated to a megachurch when the anti-vaxxer twice ducked the question on the record. Carlson has also been too cowardly to criticize Fox News’ vaccine mandate or even acknowledge he knows anything about it.

What kind of church would host a vicious, racist, hate monger like Carlson? It just so happens I wrote about this church last week for a post on Crooks and Liars. It’s a far right, anti-vaxx, promoter of America’s Frontline Doctors on its “about” page. AFLD is the ivermectin-promoting, pro-Trump group founded by January 6th insurrectionist Dr. Simone Gold. It also includes Dr. Stella “Demon Sperm” Immanuel among other COVID crazies. A few weeks ago, the church hosted a conference that featured Michael Flynn, Roger Stone and Eric Trump, Voice of San Diego reported. 

My Crooks and Liars post was inspired by the Ukrainian Americans protesting Carlson’s talk. He is so pro-Russia and anti-America that his Fox commentary has been deemed “essential” to the Kremlin’s propaganda as it wages a vicious war against Ukraine.

So whether or not Carlson was lying, as he frequently does, I don’t know. I’ll take him at his word. But I’ll also note that he waited to make this “revelation” until now, when most people think COVID is on the wane and when his vaccine-mandating employer presumably wasn't looking. For such a bully, he remains shockingly cowardly.

(Carlson image via screen grab)