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Fox News host Tucker Carlson was at his desk Wednesday evening, less than two hours before his 8 p.m. live show, when he suddenly started receiving multiple text messages.
There was some difference in Northwest D.C.
"I called my wife," Carlson told The Washington Post in a phone interview. "She had been in the kitchen getting ready to go to dinner. … Someone started throwing himself against the front door and actually cracked the front door. "
His wife, thinking it was a home invasion, locked herself in the pantry and called 911, Carlson said. The couple have four children, but none are home to the time.
But it was not a home invasion. It was a protest.
Smash Racism DC, a local anti-facist organization whose members have been tied to other demonstrations against prominent Republican figures, activists showed up outside Carlson's home on Wednesday and they had a message for him.
"Tucker Carlson, we are outside your home," one person could be heard saying it. The person, using a bullhorn, accused Carlson of "promoting hate" and "an ideology that has led to thousands of people dying."
"We want you to know, we know where you sleep at night," the person concluded, "Tucker Carlson, we will fight! We know where you sleep at night! "
Roughly Carlson's residence, said Lt. Jon Pongratz with the Metropolitan Police Department of D.C.
Tucker Carlson speaks during Politicon 2018 at the Los Angeles Convention Center in October. (Photo by Rich Polk / Getty Images for Politicon)
Carlson said the protesters had both sides of his street. The group called Carlson has "racist scumbag" and asked that he "leave town," according to his blog. "A woman was also overheard in one of the deleted videos saying she wanted to" bring a pipe bomb "to his house, he said.
"It was not a protest. It was a threat, "said Carlson, who is often denounced by critics, particularly liberal critics, for inflammatory rhetoric about immigrants and minorities on his Fox News show. "They were not protesting anything specific that I had said. They were not asking me to change anything. They were not protesting a policy or advocating for legislation. … They were threatening me and my family and I was leaving my home in the city I grew up in. "
He added that he still does not know who was behind the protest, but plans to find out.
On Twitter, Smash Racism accused DC Carlson of spreading "fear into our homes" every night, taking a look at the migrant caravan.
"Tonight you're reminded that we have a voice," a now-deleted tweet read. "Tonight, we remind you that you are not safe either."
Neil Patel, with whom he co-founded the conservative media site The Daily Caller, were shared in tweets from Smash Racism DC's account.
In a Facebook post that included video of the gathering, the group wrote, "Fascists are vulnerable. Confront them at their homes! "
Following backlash and news reports, Twitter deleted the problematic tweets and suspended the group's account early Thursday morning. The Facebook video was also taken down, but the page is still up. A request for comment made to the group's Facebook page has not been returned.
Hours after the dispersed protesters, police were still stationed near Carlson's home, Pongratz said, adding the block will be under "special attention" for "as long as needed."
"We're going to keep an eye on the block because of the escalation," he said, noting that increased security was made by police. "We wanted to make sure that it stayed safe … in case they do come back."
News of the protest and doxxing, revealing personal information on the Internet, prompted widespread condemnation of not just conservative-leaning reporters or Fox News media personalities who are critical of Carlson.
Megyn Kelly, the Fox News trainer who is reportedly in exit talks with NBC, called the "stomach-turning."
"This has to stop," Kelly tweeted, sharing a video of the protesters. "Who are we? What are we becoming? @TuckerCarlson is tough and can handle a lot, but he does not deserve this. His family does not deserve this. "
Fox News Senior Political Analyst Brit Hume decried it as "revolting, and frightening." Daily Wire reporter Amanda Prestigiacomo tweeted that the protesters were "cowards" for going to Carlson's home while he was taping his show. S.E. Cupp, at CNN host, wrote on Twitter that the activists' actions were "not okay," adding, "do not do this."
Washington Post columnist Max Boot, who has been critical of Carlson, also spoke out against the protest.
"I think Tucker is a terrible influence on modern America but it does not justify harassing him at home," Boot tweeted. "Go high, not low."
In his nightly newsletter, CNN's Brian Stelter dedicated a section to the titled protests, "Tucker Carlson does not like this." Stelter also shared screenshots of the newsletter on Twitter.
"You can love or hate Fox's Tucker Carlson, but we should all be able to see this protest behavior is wrong," the newsletter read. Quoting the responses from Kelly and Boot, Stelter wrote, "I agree. Carlson's office if you want. But do not sing 'we know where you sleep at night' outside his home. "
Carlson, a longtime resident D.C., said he went to "great lengths" to keep his private home, which were "very upset" by the protesters. He added that he loves his home and does not want to move.
"They think of Northwest D.C. has a tranquil sanctuary where they know everyone and everyone is nice," he said. "They think of this as the greatest place in the world."
Now, Carlson is worried about leaving his home alone.
"How do you go about it?" He said. "If they're talking about pipe bombs … how do you live like that?"
He added that he also does not know what he's going to do about checking the mail. In October, pipe bombs were mailed to the country to high-profile critics of President Trump.
"Carlson said," I probably will not open another package.
Wednesday nights are the latest in a spate of harassment aimed at prominent politicians and media outlets, ranging from restaurants to receiving packages containing explosive devices.
Carlson said this time things went "too far."
"I do not think I should be threatened in our house," he said. "I think I should fight back, and I plan to."
He added: "I'm not going to be bullied and intimidated."
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