Tucker Carlson called Boris Johnson a 'terrified old woman,' officially kicking off a feud with the former British PM

Tucker Carlson (left) and Boris Johnson. Jason Koerner/Getty Images; Aaron Chown/PA Images via Getty Images

• Tucker Carlson has ignited a feud with former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
• During his show on Wednesday, Carlson called Johnson a "terrified old woman."
• Johnson earlier said he was "amazed and horrified" by how many people were "intimidated by" Carlson.

Fox News host Tucker Carlson and former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson are feuding. 

During his show on Wednesday, Carlson accused Johnson of being afraid of going on Fox News to answer questions about his support for Ukraine.

"We knew that Johnson himself was a coward," Carlson said. "We watched during Covid as he transitioned into a terrified old woman, but we had no idea he was also a liar. We should have known." 

—Nigel Farage (@Nigel_Farage) February 2, 2023

Carlson's ire may have been stoked by comments Johnson made earlier that day. During a panel discussion with the Atlantic Council, Johnson accused Carlson of influencing "wonderful Republicans" with anti-Ukraine rhetoric.

"I've been amazed and horrified by how many people are frightened of a guy called Tucker Carlson," Johnson said. 

"Has anybody heard of Tucker Carlson? What is it with this guy? All these wonderful Republicans seem somehow intimidated by his perspective," Johnson said. He added that he was "struck by" how often Carlson's name came up in conversations.

—Ben Judah (@b_judah) February 1, 2023

"Bad ideas are getting into, starting to infect the thinking around the world about what Putin stands for, what he believes in, it's a disaster," Johnson added. "He stands for war, aggression, systematic murder, rape, and destruction. That's what he stands for."

In March 2022, Mother Jones reported on a leaked Kremlin war memo that instructed Russian state media to feature Carlson "as much as possible" because of how much he criticized the US and NATO. 

During an episode of his show in May, Carlson baselessly claimed the US was getting involved in Ukraine with the intention of toppling Putin from power as "payback for the 2016 election." In 2021, leaked Kremlin documents seen by The Guardian appeared to confirm that there was a Russian plot in 2016 to make sure then-presidential candidate Donald Trump won the election.

Meanwhile, Johnson has consistently supported Ukraine in the war against Russia. In July, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy lauded Johnson as a "true friend of Ukraine" and thanked him for his "decisive and uncompromising help" in the war.

Representatives for Carlson and Johnson did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment.