Hardball host Chris Matthews announced his retirement on Monday night after being accused of sexual harassment and inappropriate comments.
Said Matthews: “After conversations with MSNBC I decided tonight would be my last Hardball, so let me tell you why. The younger generations out there are ready to take the reins. You see them in politics, in the media, in fighting for the causes. … A lot of it have to do with how we talk to each other. Compliments on a woman’s appearance that some men, included me, might have once incorrectly thought were okay, were never okay. Not then and certainly not today, and for making such comments in the past, I’m sorry.”
Mediaite adds: “Critics called on the MSNBC host to resign or be fired after he compared Bernie Sanders’recent victory in the Nevada caucuses to the Nazi defeat of the French during World War II. The comment prompted private complaints to MSNBC from senior Sanders staffers and a rare on-air apology from Matthews himself. That apology did little to stanch the criticism, as calls for his firing were renewed after a combative interview with Elizabeth Warren was decried as sexist. The interview prompted journalist Laura Bassett, a frequent MSNBC guest, to allege in an op-ed that Matthews made sexist and belittling comments to her off the air.”
After Matthews’ announcement, he was gone, with a shocked Steve Kornacki in his place.
