MSNBC host Chris Matthews faces new allegations of sexual misconduct in the workplace after multiple witnesses came forward to claim he runs an abusive and often sexist work environment.
Two former NBC producers described Matthews as an unstable tyrant who was “liable to fly off the handle at the slightest mistake,” The Daily Caller reported.
Some staffers for his nightly show, “Hardball,” reportedly referred to themselves as having “battered wives syndrome.” They said Matthews made inappropriate sexual comments and that he had devised a system to rate the appearance of female guests who appeared on his show. The DC reports:
Both former NBC producers requested anonymity out of concern for their future careers. One is actively seeking a job in media and the other still works closely with MSNBC. One expressed fears about being labeled a “troublemaker” and cited the string of former Fox News women who have all but disappeared from television.
“Sadly, I know other women who won’t even be an anonymous source regarding Chris [Matthews] because they’re that concerned about the door closing on career opportunities in media,” the producer concluded.
“He would eye down a woman who walked on set or comment on their features or what they were wearing,” one former producer said, explaining that it looked like Matthews was undressing the women with his eyes. “He would objectify them and interrupt them in a way that he would never do to his male guests. He has a very outdated view of women.”
Perhaps the most disturbing part of the Caller’s report was Matthew’s apparent extreme emotional volatility, which led five sources to say that working around Matthews made them feel as though they were walking on “eggshells.” The sources claimed that Matthews screamed at staffers, threw objects, and demeaned anyone under him in the hierarchy.
“The screaming is beyond the screaming you’ve ever heard,” one source saId. “You just feel so under attack. He did it so openly… what are you supposed to do when somebody is verbally abusing you and attacking you this way?”
Sources said that they were “horrified” by Matthews’ behavior, which they claim left many women in tears as he berated guests and staffers on commercial breaks and after his show. During one such instance, Matthews supposedly chased a staffer off the set, screaming at them, while the rest of the guests on the show watched in horror.
“Seeing it would have made you shudder … you don’t forget something like that,” said a former producer who described the incident.
MSNBC did not immediately respond to request for comment from The Daily Wire.
Out of all the major news networks, MSNBC appears to have the lowest standards for employee conduct — if three recent disturbing revelations resulting in punitive action are any guide:
- Chris Matthews accused of sexually harassing a woman in 1999, which led to settlement – the exact amount of which is unknown, with one report claiming it was as high as $40,000.
- Joy Reid wrote nasty, anti-gay blog posts on a website she used to run that was uncovered in internet archives. Reid apologized for her writings, saying that South Park did it too so she thought it would be okay.
- Sam Seder wrote a disgusting tweet from a few years ago that resurfaced on the internet in which he joked about his daughter being raped, which led to MSNBC to cut ties with him. After left wing celebrities came to his defense, MSNBC backed down and reversed its decision on Seder and announced that they were renewing ties with him.