Tucker Carlson 'Detained' in Israel and Has Passport Taken Following His Interview With Mike Huckabee
Tucker Carlson claims he was held at an airport in Israel.
Feb. 18 2026, Published 4:14 p.m. ET
Tucker Carlson and members of his staff were allegedly "detained" in Israel after arriving there and conducting a scheduled interview with U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
The right-wing political commentator, who has been known to be very critical of Israel, told the Daily Mail "airport security" took their passports and "hauled" their executive producer into another room before questioning them on what they spoke about in the interview.
'It Was Bizarre'
Tucker Carlson claimed 'airport security' in Israel took his passport.
"It was bizarre," added Carlson. "We're now out of the country.''
A spokesperson for the U.S. Embassy in Israel has since released a statement that alleged the former Fox News personality was not "detained" at all.
Instead, they claimed he was asked the "same passport control questions that countless visitors to Israel including Ambassador Huckabee and other diplomats receive as part of normal entrance and exit from Israel."
Concerns About Letting Tucker Carlson Into Israel
Tucker Carlson interviewed Mike Huckabee in Israel.
Prior to the incident, the Israeli government reportedly had concerns about letting Carlson travel into the country, according to sources who spoke with the Daily Mail. Following negotiations between the State Department and Israel, Carlson was eventually allowed to enter the country and have his sit-down with Huckabee.
However, the spokesperson for the embassy said it was "not accurate that Israel only was going to let Tucker into the country for the interview."
"The only engagement the Embassy had with Israel about his visit was to coordinate his private plane landing as part of facilitating a seamless visit," the spokesperson continued. "It was Tucker who chose to only come into the country for a few hours and depart. And Tucker received the same positive treatment of any visitors to Israel."
Mike Huckabee Hit Back at Tucker Carlson Before the Interview
Mike Huckabee is the U.S. Ambassador to Israel.
Huckabee first invited Carlson to have a chat with him after the conservative podcaster accused him of not doing enough to protect Christians who currently live in Israel.
"How does the U.S.-funded Israeli government treat Christians in the Holy Land?" Carlson posted on February 4. "We asked some. Listen carefully to their accounts. This will shock you."
One of the chapters of the video was titled: "Jordan’s Muslim King Funds Christian Holy Sites as Huckabee Fails Jerusalem’s Christians."
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Mike Huckabee told Tucker Carlson, 'Instead of talking about me, why don't you come talk to me?'
That same day, Huckabee replied to the post via X, saying: "Instead of talking about me, why don’t you come talk to me? You seem to be generating a lot of heat about the Middle East. Why be afraid of the light?"
Huckabee echoed a similar sentiment during a speaking engagement with the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish organization's meeting in Jerusalem.
"He should talk to me," Huckabee said regarding Carlson, per Cleveland Jewish News. "We do not change the narrative by being silent in the face of misinformation. We change the narrative by pushing back. Silence is agreement. It is why some of the horrific things in history have happened. Because people were silent in the face of blood libels and lies."
