After being accused of improperly flirting with a journalist, the host of the MSNBC program “Hardball,” Chris Matthews, made the announcement during Monday’s broadcast that he will be leaving his role as host of the show.
“Compliments on a woman’s appearance that some men, including myself in the past, might have erroneously thought were acceptable, but which are now understood to be inappropriate, are no longer acceptable. Not then, and certainly not now, and I apologize for ever having said anything to suggest otherwise in the past “According to what Matthews stated on Monday night.
The well-known news presenter made a reference in her comments to an article written by journalist Laura Bassett and published in GQ magazine on Friday. Bassett recalled an interaction she had with Matthews in 2016: “right before I had to go on his show and talk about sexual assault allegations against Donald Trump, Matthews looked over at me in the makeup chair next to him and said, ‘Why haven’t I fallen in love with you yet?'” Bassett was referring to the moment when she had to discuss the allegations of sexual assault against Trump. She asserted that he afterward urged his makeup artist, “Keep putting cosmetics on her, and I’ll fall in love with her.”
On another occasion, according to Bassett, he reportedly questioned her about whether or not she planned to go out that evening and informed his makeup artist, “Are you going out tonight?” “After the performance, you should make sure to clean this off her face. We didn’t dream her up just so some guy at a club might stare at her the way he is now.”
Matthews was quoted in Bassett’s article as referring to CNN anchor Erin Burnett as a “knockout,” rating the attractiveness of female guests on a numerical scale, and making a joke about wanting a “Bill Cosby pill” before interviewing then-Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. These are just a few of the instances in which Matthews appeared to behave inappropriately.
The phrase “Bill Cosby pill” referred to the fact that Cosby would often give quaaludes to women before raping them in order to make them more compliant. She also brought up the fact that Matthews was accused of sexual harassment in 1999 by an assistant producer, and that he has made public comments about the physical attractiveness of female government officials, such as the former governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin, and the former acting attorney general, Sally Yates.
After learning that Matthews will be retiring, Bassett tweeted, “All I’ve Got to Say Is… It’s About Time,” in response to the news. She continued by saying, “Not at all; I have considerably more to say than that. Since I called out Chris Matthews earlier this week, I’ve had a pretty difficult time. The harassment has been intrusive, malicious, and quite personal. And if it means that he will never have the opportunity to degrade and objectify us again, then it was all worth it.”
Some female journalists have taken a contentious stance in support of Matthews in recent days.
“As a woman, I feel compelled to state that it was a pleasure to collaborate with Chris Matthews. It was a pleasure working with him,” says Joe Scarborough on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.” “co-host Mika Brzezinski stated. “I am aware of the significant shifts that are occurring in relation to the so-called cancel culture; these adjustments are difficult, they cause a lot of discomforts, and in many instances, they are essential. I do wonder at this point, however, as we move forward and we look at this and what happened here, if there might not be a better way for all of us in the future where can work through this and get to a better place. I say this because we are moving forward and because we are looking at this and what happened here.”
The editor-in-chief of Baltimore magazine, Max Weiss, stated on Twitter that Brzezinski’s remarks were inappropriate “today’s episode of Mika Is a Bad Ally argues that using the phrase “cancel culture is a tale” and that Mika is not a good ally. In a manner analogous to the use of the word “social justice warrior.” The statement was intentionally crafted to convey contempt for the target.” Former host of the news program Fox News and co-founder of “Gretchen Carlson, in response to Brzezinski’s tweet, posted the following message: “Were you at every meeting and interaction? Lift Our Voices” I am aware that we care deeply for our family, friends, and coworkers; nevertheless, what does this imply about the bravery of women who come forward?”
Columnist Kathleen Parker, who writes for “Chris Matthews is a friend of mine, according to a tweet posted by “The Washington Post.” Since we’ve known each other, we’ve engaged in shameless flirtation. This is a horrible way to bring an honorable and successful happy-warrior career to a close. I shall maintain our friendship in the future. The next column will be very angry.” “Kathleen — respect you but were you with him in every occasion of encounters with other women?” Carlson asked her in a tweet in response to her question.
A similar point was made by CNN host S. E. Cupp when she tweeted, “This almost never turns out nicely. The testimony of the buddy that “He never did it to ME” is invalid because the friend wasn’t always present; in addition, this testimony discredits the putative victims. This one, on the other hand, is able to rationalize harassing behavior as nothing more than harmless flirting, an idea that, like Matthews, should rightfully be dismissed.”
Laura Bassett Net Worth
Her estimated net worth ranges between $500k – $1 million.
