The Babylon Bee offered CNN’s Brian Stelter a job Thursday afternoon after the network announced that it was cutting Stelter’s show “Reliable Sources” after this weekend’s upcoming broadcast.
New CNN chief Chris Licht reportedly informed Stelter of the decision to cancel his show, “Reliable Sources,” yesterday. Licht started to evaluate the hyper-partisan so-called “talent” at the network shortly after he joined CNN as he aimed to dial down the extreme partisanship that has plagued the network in recent years.
“CNN will end its Reliable Sources program on Sunday, August 21st,” a spokesperson for the network said in a statement. “As a result Brian Stelter will leave the company. We appreciate his contributions to the network and wish him well as he embarks on new endeavors.”
Babylon Bee CEO Seth Dillon quickly extended an offer to Stelter on social media, tweeting at Stelter: “Hey @brianstelter, would you be interested in working for the Bee?”
“We’re looking for talent with experience putting out funny fake news,” Dillon continued. “You come highly recommended. Shoot me a DM if you’re interested!”
Hey @brianstelter, would you be interested in working for the Bee? We're looking for talent with experience putting out funny fake news. You come highly recommended. Shoot me a DM if you're interested!
— Seth Dillon (@SethDillon) August 18, 2022
Dillon was not the only one to offer Stelter a job following his ouster from the network.
Fox News host Greg Gutfeld tweeted at Stelter: “Yo @brianstelter – my show is hiring.”
Yo @brianstelter – my show is hiring.
— GregGutfeld (@greggutfeld) August 18, 2022
Stelter said in a statement that it was a “rare privilege” to lead a show that examined what he claimed was the “truth.”
The network reportedly laid off the show’s entire staff. Fox News reported that CNN’s Oliver Darcy will remain at the network to lead the “Reliable Sources” newsletter.
News of Stelter’s ouster from the network sparked a wide range of comments mocking him, with many saying that he had a toxic impact on the news industry.
“Brian Stelter was the most contemptible, vapid, and unbearably smug news-tv character of the past two decades. Good riddance,” Washington Examiner columnist Harry Khachatrian wrote on Twitter. “His departure has ameliorated cable news.”
“Everyone’s dunking on Brian Stelter since his show got canceled, but I honestly feel really bad for his fan,” conservative political commentator Allie Beth Stuckey said.
Former Assistant Secretary of the Treasury Monica Crowley tweeted, “Brian Stelter AND Liz Cheney getting canned the same week is like Christmas, Mardi Gras and Independence Day all at the same time.”
“Goodbye @brianstelter you’re a garbage guy and I hope you never work in journalism again,” Comfortably Smug, a popular conservative Twitter account, wrote on social media.