Tucker Carlson Sparks Uproar After Revealing Plan To Buy a Home in Qatar To ‘Make a Statement That I’m an American and a Free Man’

Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson ignited fury from MAGA critics when he announced over the weekend that he was buying a home in Qatar in order to "make a statement" after he was "criticized as being a tool" of the Arab country.

Carlson, 56, made the revelation during an appearance at the Doha Forum on Dec. 7, when he told Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani that he was preparing to purchase a new home in the city the following day.

The divisive TV star explained that his reasons for the property purchase were twofold, noting that he "likes the city" but also wants to prove that, as an American, he has the freedom to live wherever he chooses—although he stopped short of saying he was leaving the U.S. permanently.

"I have been criticized as being a tool of Qatar, and I just want to say—which you already know—I have never taken anything from your country and don't plan to," Carlson told the prime minister.

"I am, however, tomorrow buying a place in Qatar ... I like the city, I think it’s beautiful, but also to make a statement that I’m an American and a free man, and I’ll be wherever I want to be."

It is unclear whether Carlson plans to make the Qatari property his full-time residence, or whether he will continue to live at his remote Maine cabin, where he currently films his eponymous podcast, "The Tucker Carlson Show."

However, after he came under furious criticism from the likes of Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and far-right activist Laura Loomer for revealing his property plans, Carlson told Doha News that he will not bow to those who he claimed are trying to put the American population into "mental bondage."

"I like it here a lot. I’m an American. I can go wherever I want and speak to anyone I want to, because I’m a free man. That’s the promise of my country," he said. "And some are seeking to change that and to put our population into mental bondage. And I’m not participating in that.

"I have a right to say what I think. I'm an American citizen. Period," he added, although he did not name those who he believes are trying to carry out this "mental bondage."

Carlson's initial admission about his new home purchase sparked fury from his most outspoken critics, including Cruz, who took to X to share a bizarre AI image of the former Fox New host's head on the body of someone sitting in a prayer position with their legs pointed up in the air.

"Live footage of @TuckerCarlson interview the Prime Minister of Qatar," Cruz captioned the photo, which many believed was meant to be sexual in nature.

He then reshared another user's post in which Carlson was furiously criticized for his "insane" decision to buy Qatari property, before adding his own NSFW remark, writing: "I thought fellatio was illegal in Qatar?"

Loomer also quickly weighed in on the news, sharing her own X posts in which she accused Carlson of using the home purchase as an opportunity to covertly receive money from the Qatari government, writing: "As we all know, real estate is another way to launder money."

"Tucker Carlson thinks he's being cute and funny by saying 'Qatar hasn't paid me! I'm paying Qatar' when he says he's buying a place to live in Qatar this week," she went on. "The PM of Qatar even said, hopefully a big one, not cheap one [sic].

"The Qatari government could easily give Tucker Carlson a multi million dollar home as “compensation” and then only make him pay $1 for it, and Tucker could still say he bought it.

"There’s a lot of ways to launder money and pay someone off. Tucker isn’t fooling anyone. He’s just upset more people have caught on. Unless the public sees the real estate documents, this is very likely just Qatar washing money to Tucker through 'property.'"

Several of her followers alleged that Carlson could also buy a property and then sell it to "some rich" person for "double what he paid."

Loomer's criticism of Carlson comes days after she slammed the podcast host for agreeing to appear at the Doha Forum, accusing him of "promoting Islam extensively" and "downplaying the threat of Islamic terrorism and mass Islamic immigration in the West."

"This is why I call him Tucker Qatarlson," she wrote in a Dec. 4 post. "Tucker has denied receiving payments from Qatar, the funder of HAMAS and the Muslim Brotherhood, but it’s worth noting that the speakers at the Doha Forum are not only paid, but they also have their 5 star accommodations and travel paid for by the government of Qatar, a state sponsor of Islamic terrorism."

She later shared a video of former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and her longtime advisor, Huma Abedin, at the Doha Forum, questioning why Carlson attended "this event full of Trump haters," branding his decision "very bizarre."

Carlson has not responded to any of Loomer's posts, save to double down on his decision to buy a new home in his interview with Doha News.

A move to Doha would certainly mark a change of pace for the right-wing host, who has been living in a remote cabin in Woodstock, ME, for the last two years, having first purchased it as a weekend retreat in 2020, when he was still working for Fox News.

While he was still with Fox, reports emerged that Carlson had planned to convert a nearby garage that he purchased for $30,000 into a professional TV studio so that he could continue to film his show without having to return to Washington, DC, where he was based during his time with the network.

After leaving Fox News in 2023, he pivoted those plans, instead using the space as a base for his podcast, which he releases weekly.

Carlson has since sold off all his properties in DC; however, it's understood that he still owns a sprawling vacation home in Florida, where he purchased a $2.9 million dwelling in Boca Grande in 2020.

Surrounded by lots of tropical landscaping, the retro abode features terrazzo floors and cypress-wood decor. There’s a fireplace and a renovated kitchen in the main house, as well as a separate one-bedroom, one-bath guest cottage near the courtyard pool.

Then, he apparently decided that perhaps two homes would double his fun. In 2022, he picked up a three-bed, 3.5-bath pad next door for $5.5 million. Built in 1969, the space spans 2,812 square feet.