Scott Jennings, a political commentator on CNN, criticized MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell, branding him a “lunatic” and a “failed media personality” after O’Donnell suggested that Jennings was being paid to “lie” about Donald Trump during his broadcasts.
During his show, Jennings remarked, “There’s a madman named Lawrence O’Donnell on MSNBC every night at 10 o’clock.” He mentioned how he had almost forgotten about O’Donnell but noted his continued presence on the network.
Jennings speculated that O’Donnell’s comments stemmed from jealousy related to his low ratings, labeling him as someone who has become “irrelevant.” He further claimed that O’Donnell’s show struggles to attract viewers.
“Nobody likes his show,” Jennings stated, pointing out that his own appearances on “NewsNight with Abby Phillip” have consistently outperformed O’Donnell’s “Last Word” by around 30 percentage points among the coveted 25 to 54 demographic in October’s Nielsen ratings.
Interestingly, while O’Donnell may draw a larger audience overall, Jennings’s analysis suggests his program connects better with the key advertising market.
Jennings found it puzzling that O’Donnell would spend time criticizing other networks rather than focusing on his own work. “That’s the amount of pressure that Lawrence O’Donnell is under,” he remarked.
The conflict ignited when O’Donnell accused CNN of producing “absurdly poor” content, mentioning Jennings specifically and implying that CNN’s leadership had questionable motives in hiring him.
He described Jennings as morphing into a “fanatic, lying Trump supporter” to elevate his profile, recalling how Jennings used to candidly critique Trump’s more extreme stances when he first started on the air.
O’Donnell also took issue with a recent compliment from CNN’s president comparing Jennings to D’Artagnan from “The Three Musketeers,” labeling it as “the stupidest thing a CNN guy has ever said.” He dismissed the overall quality of programming at CNN, asserting that Jennings’s preferred show had only half the viewership of his own.
In a separate tweet, Jennings humorously dismissed O’Donnell’s remarks, suggesting that O’Donnell’s intense reaction might indicate broader frustrations with his own show.
Earlier this month, CNN’s president had likened Jennings’s interactions on air to an intense duel against multiple opponents, suggesting that such dynamics could enhance the entertainment value of television.
The Post is awaiting comments from both CNN and MSNBC regarding this ongoing dispute.
