A private text message sent by Tucker Carlson to one of his producers has been discovered, contributing to events that ultimately led to his firing. In the message, sent in the hours after violent Trump supporters stormed the Capitol in January 2021, Carlson expressed his dismay that the attackers, who were white, had jumped someone he described as an "Antifa kid". He wanted them to hurt and kill the person. However, he also admonished himself, writing "I'm becoming something I don't want to be." The discovery of the text message "set off a panic" amongst Fox executives who worried that it would become public during legal proceedings and ultimately lead to a worse outcome for the network in the Dominion defamation trial. The incident raised questions about whether Carlson's private views on race and violence contributed to his firing. Carlson has long promoted white nationalist views on his show at Fox and he has hawked racist rhetoric for years.