Media

Chris Matthews Misses ‘Meet The Press’ Appearance Amid Harassment Scandals [VIDEO]

Amber Athey Podcast Columnist
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MSNBC’s Chris Matthews, host of “Hardball,” was conspicuously absent from a scheduled “Meet The Press” appearance on Sunday morning.

Matthews announced the scheduled appearance on a pre-taped episode of “Hardball” on Friday, and it was noted in the Friday edition of POLITICO’s Playbook.

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Matthews may have chosen to sit out the appearance because of a 2016 video uncovered by New York Magazine’s The Cut late Friday, which showed him joking about drugging and raping then-presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. (RELATED: Chris Matthews Made Bill Cosby Pill Joke Before Interviewing Hillary Clinton)

“This was a terrible comment I made in poor taste during the height of the Bill Cosby headlines,” Matthews told The Cut. “I realize that’s no excuse. I deeply regret it and I’m sorry.”

The video, however, was just the latest in a string of scandals for the MSNBC host.

The Daily Caller previously spoke to six former NBC guests and staffers who accused Matthews of running a brazenly sexist and abusive work environment. Some former staffers referred to themselves as victims of battered wives syndrome, and noted that Matthews would often rate the looks of his female guests on a numerical scale and verbally berate female producers to the point of tears. (RELATED: Sources: Chris Matthews Runs An Abusive Work Environment) 

 MSNBC also confirmed to TheDC that the company had made a separation-related payment to an assistant producer in 1999 after she accused Matthews of sexual harassment. (RELATED: NBC Made Payment To Staffer After Sexual Harassment Claim Against Chris Matthews) 

An MSNBC spokesman said that Matthews was formally reprimanded at the time, but would not provide details of the complaint or state if it was why the woman left the network.

According to a former NBC producer and executive who were at the network when the payment was made, the woman left the network “overnight” after she filed the complaint. The former executive, who was intimately familiar with the payment, claimed that the woman had specifically complained about Matthews making rape jokes.

MSNBC did not immediately return a request for comment on Matthews’ canceled appearance.

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