Fox News host Greg Gutfeld offered a simple solution to CNN’s sudden leadership problem, saying on Wednesday’s broadcast of “The Five” that the network should hire podcaster Joe Rogan as a “takeover artist.”
Congressman Harold Ford Jr. (D-TN) began the conversation with the report of former CNN chief Jeff Zucker’s surprise resignation earlier in the day. The longtime CNN head announced Wednesday morning that he was leaving the network after failing to disclose a relationship with a colleague.
“New reports say Chris Cuomo may have forced his old boss out of CNN by exposing a consensual relationship Jeff Zucker had with a colleague,” Ford said. “The chief announcing his resignation today, after admitting he failed to disclose the situation. Uncovered as part of the investigation into Chris Cuomo’s tenure at the network. Greg, you have strong thoughts about this network and about some of the things. How do you feel about this day at the network and for Jeff Zucker?”
“I personally want to thank Jeff Zucker for supplying this show and my show with so much amazing content,” Gutfeld replied, prompting laughter from his cohosts as he continued, “Sure, he could have gotten rid of Chris Cuomo a couple of years ago, got rid of the cricket muncher or Don Lemon. But he stood by these incompetents and filled me with so much quality television, I can’t begin to thank him.”
“This obviously is about Chris Cuomo exacting revenge,” Gutfeld continued. “This is like a relationship version of mutually assured destruction. When powerful people know things about other powerful people, and you come after me, well, you’d just better be careful because I know what’s in your backyard. That is what happened. This was a sure takedown from Chris Cuomo, which makes it sad for me to enjoy it because I wanted him to be fired for the crappy product that he creates, because it’s a terrible, awful product that’s hurt so many people … I hope CNN starts from scratch. You keep painting of turd, it still smells really bad. It’s a conduit for conflict clickbait. That’s what it is now.”
Dana Perino appeared to agree that former CNN host Chris Cuomo might have played a role in bringing Zucker down, but she thought that there had to be more to it than a consensual relationship between two adults. “It’s not like the president and the intern.”
“I want people to meet and fall in love wherever they meet, and you often meet people at work … It seems to me a little bit — the human resources on this front is a little overwrought,” Perino added.
Judge Jeanine Pirro noted that while it did seem to be an open secret of sorts, the start point of their relationship was a question mark — and one or both could have been married at the time.
“If I’m Jeffrey Toobin, I’m thinking, ‘Wow, did I dodge a bullet here,’” Jesse Watters laughed. “I mean, I got off easy.”
“He did get off easy,” Gutfeld cracked.
“I heard Chris [Cuomo] might have some recordings,” Jesse Watters jumped in. “And if Zucker had just fired him and let him keep the rest of his contract, I think maybe he wouldn’t have dropped this dirt.”
“It’s open season on CNN,” Watters continued, suggesting that the network could right itself by bringing in a “takeover artist” to get everything back in line. “All of their talent’s looking around like, ‘Oh my God, I don’t have Zucker here. He’s not going to have my back.’ They might even have to change the whole business model of CNN. Just go, breaking news, documentaries, and just cut the crap with all the opinion, fake news conspiracy garbage because that, as a business model, doesn’t work.”
“Joe Rogan,” Gutfeld interjected.
“Rogan!” Watters agreed.
“Rogan should run CNN,” Gutfeld went on. “That is — God would decide that.”
“Spotify could buy CNN,” Perino mused.
“And then let Joe take it over,” Gutfeld said.