Tucker Carlson reportedly said he understands America's opioid crisis after having emergency back surgery on Wednesday and going to work on his show

VICE

"Something happened to Tucker Carlson Monday morning that caused him to get emergency back surgery later in the week," reports Tim Marchman of Vice's Motherboard. "It was, he said, according to a recording obtained by Motherboard, 'one of the most traumatic things that’s ever happened to me in my whole life, ever.' What exactly was so traumatic isn’t clear. A Fox News spokesperson said, 'Tucker Carlson had emergency back surgery yesterday and did the show anyway. He thanks all those who tuned in and watched closely.' But before Wednesday night’s broadcast of his Tucker Carlson Tonight program, Carlson—who by all accounts doesn’t drink or use drugs—spoke in detail on set to his production team about what he experienced, and said that because he was treated with intravenous fentanyl and other powerful painkillers, he now understands America's opioid crisis in a deeper way. Carlson is the most-watched news host in America, a hugely influential figure whose team, as he says on the recording, 'changed American politics.' His newfound insight into the suffering opioids cause is thus of potentially immense importance. (Motherboard described the comments to the Fox News spokesperson, who did not dispute their authenticity. Carlson, they said, would 'take a pass' on discussing the topic with a reporter.)" Marchman reports that a production worker told Carlson: “This is just like a miracle. I, like, truly cannot believe you’re standing right now.” ALSO: Carlson admits on his show: "I’ve never figured out what critical race theory is, to be totally honest, after a year of talking about it.”