Fox News host Tucker Carlson called a CNN reporter a 'midget with the microphone'
- Fox News host Tucker Carlson mocked a CNN reporter calling him a "midget with the microphone."
- Shimon Prokupecz reported on the anti-vaccine mandate protests in New York.
- Carlson accused Prokupecz of thinking "nurses know less about health care than the politicians."
Fox News host Tucker Carlson called a CNN reporter who was reporting on the New York vaccine mandate a "midget with the microphone."
During a Monday night segment, Carlson condemned the policy enacted by New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, requiring all city workers to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or undergo weekly testing if they refuse.
"Thousands of protesters gathered in New York to oppose this grotesque mandate," Carlson said. "Unfortunately, it was not millions, but it was thousands. CNN promptly accused them of being conspiracy theorists."
The segment included clips of CNN reporter Shimon Prokupecz covering the anti-vaccine demonstrations in New York City, saying protesters, which included healthcare workers, feel the mandate is "part of a conspiracy by the government to try to control people."
"They're (the protesters) crazy because those nurses know less about health care than the politicians and the midget with the microphone on CNN," Carlson said, mocking Prokupecz's reporting. "And they're crazy because they think a COVID mandate is an attempt by the government to control them, but it's not."
He added: "The government just fires you from your job if you don't do what they tell you to do because they (government officials) know better than nurses."
Research conducted in the last year on the vaccines' effectiveness show that inoculation could prevent serious symptoms from infection and subsequently decreasing hospitalization rates. A study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revealed that those who are not vaccinated are 29 times more likely to be hospitalized with COVID-19 than those who were inoculated against the coronavirus.
The derogatory term "midget" relates to the medical condition of dwarfism, which Prokupecz does not have. The word is largely seen as offensive, according to Little People of America, the world's oldest and largest non-profit dedicated to support those impacted by dwarfism. The organization has been pushing for the abolishment of the word, which they consider a "derogatory slur."
"The word 'midget' is considered by Little People of America to be an antiquated slang term and is most often used in a derogatory manner toward a shorter than average person, or specifically, a person with a diagnosable skeletal dysplasia or medical condition," according to a 2015 statement by the LPA.
The Monday remark was not the first time Carlson disparaged CNN employees based on their physical appearances. In October 2019, the Fox News host described CNN President Jeff Zucker as a "Dwarf King."
"From his shadowy lair, hidden high above the newsroom, CNN's secretive Dwarf King slithered to the intercom and summoned his minions," he said during an episode of his program. "From across the cable empire, they gathered at his beckoning, each with talking points ready."
He also described CNN reporter Brian Stelter as a "eunuch" when accusing him of justifying the Democratic National Committee's decision not to host a 2020 presidential primary debate on Fox News, citing the cable network's negative coverage of the Democratic caucus.
Representatives from Fox News and CNN did not immediately return Insider's request for comment.