Becker Business — “Kanye, Tucker, and the World is Crazy”
Host: Scott Becker
Date: November 8, 2025
Episode Overview
Scott Becker delivers an incisive commentary on recent developments involving Kanye West and Tucker Carlson, focusing on their public positions regarding antisemitism. Becker contrasts Kanye’s tentative outreach towards the Jewish community with Carlson’s increasing amplifications of extreme, antisemitic viewpoints. The episode is a candid reflection on personalities, media, and the shifting nature of public figures’ influence, especially in the business and culture landscape.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Kanye West’s Recent Actions
- Redemption Attempt: Kanye West, previously widely denounced for his antisemitic statements (“defcom to the Jews”), met with rabbis in New York reportedly seeking to walk back his previous rhetoric.
- Becker’s View: Becker expresses skepticism about Kanye’s sincerity—questioning whether his actions are driven by a fluctuation in mental health or in views—but acknowledges any move away from open antisemitism as positive.
- Uncertainty About Change: The host isn’t sure what branch of Judaism the rabbis represented, but sees the meeting as “better that he did that and tries to sort of come back to the fold of the world versus full on anti Semite.” (01:15)
- Memorable Quote:
“He reminds me of people that I know that go in and out of crazy based on how their medicines are working. And it’s hard for me to tell whether Kanye is more crazy or more hateful or some mix of both, I don’t really know.” — Scott Becker (01:00)
2. Tucker Carlson’s Radicalization
- Rightward Shift: Becker discusses Carlson’s shift “from being relatively centrist to the full Fox News anchor” after Bill O’Reilly, and ultimately adopting more extreme talking points.
- Alleged Kremlin Influence: There’s speculation—though Becker admits uncertainty—about whether Carlson is being “funded directly, indirectly” by Russian sources.
- Antisemitic Content: Becker references Carlson's increasing promotion of antisemitic tropes, noting most recently that he hosted Nick Fuentes, whom Becker describes as a “full on Jew hater, black hater, woman hater, the whole thing, really a true on Nazi.” (02:00)
- Personal Disappointment: Becker shares his past positive professional interactions with Carlson, contrasting them with his current distaste for Carlson’s new direction:
“We used to have him at our conferences. I used to visit to find it to be a pleasure, and now he just has gone sort of nuclear anti Semite.” — Scott Becker (03:00)
3. Nick Fuentes and the Extreme Right
- Fuentes as a Symbol: Nick Fuentes is positioned as a symbol of the increasing mainstreaming of white nationalist, antisemitic, and misogynist ideology.
- Carlson’s Association: Hosting Fuentes is described as evidence of Carlson’s troubling trajectory—“Tucker seems to have gone onto the like right onto the extreme with Nick Fuentes and be really hard to listen to, hard to watch and just appalling.” (03:30)
- Comparison to Others: Carlson is compared to other right-wing media personalities like Candace Owens in his approach.
4. Broader Reflections
- The State of the World:
“That’s sort of the, the Kanye, the Tucker, the. The Nick Fuentes thing. It’s a little bit hard to watch what’s going on out there. It is what it is.” — Scott Becker (04:00)
- Small Victories: While lamenting Carlson’s and Fuentes’ extremism, Becker takes a small amount of hope in Kanye’s attempt at reconciliation.
- Call for Awareness: Implicit call for audiences to stay aware and critical of public figures’ influence on discourse and business climates.
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
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On Kanye’s Outreach:
“I’ll chalk it up as a win that he met with some rabbis … better that he did that and tries to sort of come back to the fold of the world versus full on anti Semite.” — Scott Becker (01:15)
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On Evaluating Personalities:
“It’s hard for me to tell whether Kanye is more crazy or more hateful or some mix of both, I don’t really know.” — Scott Becker (01:00)
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On Tucker Carlson:
“Tucker seems to follow the money. This is how he now has his fame — is now how he’s making money. It’s sort of a shame because … now he just has gone sort of nuclear anti Semite.” — Scott Becker (03:00)
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On the Current Media Landscape:
“While Kanye has come back into the fold, Tucker seems to have gone onto the like right onto the extreme with Nick Fuentes and be really hard to listen to, hard to watch and just appalling.” — Scott Becker (03:30)
Timestamps for Important Segments
- 00:00–01:30: Kanye West’s antisemitic history and recent outreach to rabbis
- 01:30–02:30: Tucker Carlson’s rightward shift, speculation about motives
- 02:30–03:30: Carlson’s hosting of Nick Fuentes, description of Fuentes
- 03:30–04:15: Reflection on personal disappointment, comparison to other right-wing commentators
- 04:15–end: Broader reflection on antisemitism, “the world is crazy,” final thoughts
Tone and Language
The episode is direct, unscripted, at times deeply personal, and employs a candid and occasionally irreverent tone. Becker uses informal language (“full on anti Semite,” “nuclear,” “crazy”) to convey both frustration and his sense of urgency about the cultural climate. The approach is conversational, opinionated, and reflective—a hallmark of Becker’s solo commentary style.
For listeners seeking a critical take on headline-grabbing figures and current media discourse, this episode offers sharp opinions, sobering reflections, and a glimpse into how these stories intersect with business and culture.
