SBF Gives Unauthorized Tucker Carlson Prison Interview, Sent to Solitary
- CT Lore
Sam Bankman-Fried gave an unauthorized 43-minute interview to Tucker Carlson from Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center on March 5, 2025—the day before his 33rd birthday. The interview, which was not approved by the US Bureau of Prisons, saw SBF discuss his "soul-crushing" prison life, his relationship with cellmate Diddy, and his claims that the Democrats abandoned him despite his political donations. SBF maintained "I don't think I was a criminal" and suggested that former FTX co-CEO Ryan Salame faced "totally bogus crimes" due to political leanings. The Bureau of Prisons responded by placing SBF in solitary confinement immediately after the interview was published. By late March 2025, SBF was transferred to a federal transit facility in Oklahoma City. The interview was widely seen as part of an attempt to appeal to President Trump for a potential pardon, following Trump's earlier pardon of Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht.