Veteran MSNBC host Chris Matthews said he’s retiring from his show 鈥淗ardball,鈥� citing his inappropriate comments about women.
Matthews opened his program with the announcement he was ending his run on the political hour that he started in 1997.
鈥� Hardball (@hardball)
He said compliments on a woman’s appearance that some men, himself included, thought were OK 鈥渨ere never OK.鈥�
He remained proud of the work he’s done on the show, he said.
In a first-person story for GQ published Feb. 28, freelance journalist Laura Bassett said Matthews behaved inappropriately toward her when she was guest on his show.
鈥淚n 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, 鈥榃hy haven鈥檛 I fallen in love with you yet?鈥� When I laughed nervously and said nothing, he followed up to the makeup artist. 鈥楰eep putting makeup on her, I鈥檒l fall in love with her,鈥欌�� Bassett wrote. 鈥淎nother time, he stood between me and the mirror and complimented the red dress I was wearing for the segment. 鈥榊ou going out tonight?鈥� he asked.鈥�
Bassett said she written about the encounter in a 2017 essay but didn’t name Matthews because she was afraid of network retaliation, adding, 鈥淚’m not anymore.鈥�
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