The ongoing public feud between prominent American conservative commentators Tucker Carlson and Ben Shapiro has drawn in a new, younger voice: Tucker Carlson's own son. Buckley Carlson, 28, has entered the fray with a sharp social media rebuke of Shapiro, amplifying a bitter ideological clash that has divided right-wing circles in the United States.
Son Enters The Fray With Scathing Social Media Post
Buckley Carlson, who has served as Deputy Press Secretary in J.D. Vance's office since January 2025, took to the platform X to respond to a controversial clip from Ben Shapiro's recent podcast appearance. The clip, from Shapiro's interview on the Triggernometry podcast, featured the 41-year-old commentator suggesting that young Americans who cannot afford to live in the US should consider moving to another country for better opportunities.
In his post, Buckley did not hold back. "Hard to fathom this is the 'man' that presumes to lecture - endlessly, angrily - the 'acceptable' parameters of the 'conservative movement'," he wrote. He specifically targeted Shapiro's stance on economic issues, adding, "AND, specifically to young Americans unable to survive the economy he and his friends designed and still advocate. Truly repulsive." This public defense marks a significant moment where family has publicly joined the ideological battle.
Roots of the Shapiro-Carlson Feud
The bitter disagreement between Ben Shapiro and Tucker Carlson is not new. Tensions escalated significantly after Tucker Carlson invited white nationalist Nick Fuentes for an interview on his podcast, The Tucker Carlson Show, in 2023. Following that episode, Shapiro dedicated a full segment of his show, The Ben Shapiro Show, to criticizing Carlson.
Shapiro labeled Carlson an "intellectual coward," a "dishonest interlocutor," and a "terrible friend." He accused Carlson of transforming into a "conspiracist and a crank and a pathological liar" since his departure from Fox News in 2023. The conflict moved from the airwaves to a live stage at the Turning Point USA's AmericaFest conference, where Shapiro attacked Carlson by noting that the late Charlie Kirk "despised" Nick Fuentes.
Carlson, in his retort during the same event, opened his speech by sarcastically joking that he "missed the first part of the program" when Shapiro was speaking, adding he hoped he "didn't miss anything meaningful."
Who Is Buckley Carlson?
Beyond being Tucker Carlson's son, Buckley Carlson has built his own career in conservative political communications. A 2019 graduate of the University of Virginia, he previously worked as the communications director for then-Rep. Jim Banks. Banks praised him on X as "one of the smartest, most trustworthy and loyal staffers I've ever had." Before joining Senator J.D. Vance's office in early 2025, Buckley Carlson served as the Indiana Republicans' deputy chief of staff.
His decision to publicly confront Ben Shapiro underscores the personal and deeply factional nature of the current debates within the American conservative movement. The feud, now spanning generations of commentators, highlights fundamental disagreements over ideology, rhetoric, and economic policy that continue to shape the political landscape.
