Chris Matthews Announces Retirement: ‘This Is the Last Hardball’
Chris Matthews, a staple on the cable TV circuit for the better part of three decades, announced tonight he’s retiring.
The surprise move comes amid controversy as the longtime MSNBC host has come under criticism for his treatment of female guests, as well as a recent embarrassing racial blunder.
Over the weekend, Matthews was anchoring South Carolina election returns when he mistook Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) for another black politician, Jamie Garrison, who is running against Sen. Lindsey Graham.
Last week, a former Matthews regular, Laura Bassett published an account in GQ of the sexualized treatment she received while appearing on his show.
Bassett recounted:
In 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, “Why haven’t I fallen in love with you yet?”
When I laughed nervously and said nothing, he followed up to the makeup artist. “Keep putting makeup on her, I’ll fall in love with her.”
Another time, he stood between me and the mirror and complimented the red dress I was wearing for the segment. “You going out tonight?” he asked.
I said I didn’t know, and he said—again to the makeup artist—“Make sure you wipe this off her face after the show. We don’t make her up so some guy at a bar can look at her like this.”
Here’s a rush excerpt of Matthews’ announcement:
MATTHEWS: “Let me start with my headline tonight. I’m retiring. This is the last “Hardball” on MSNBC, and obviously this isn’t for lack of interest in Politics. As you can tell I have loved every 20 minutes of my host as “Hardball.” Every morning I read the papers, I’m gung ho to get to work. Many many people have had this privilege. I love working with the producers and discussions we’ve had over how to report the news. I love having the connection with you the good people who watch. I’ve learned who you are, bumping into you on the sidewalk or waiting in an airport and saying hello. You’re like me. I hear from your kids and grandchildren. My dad loves you, my grandmother loves you. We watched it till the end. After my conversation with NBC, I decided tonight will be my last “Hardball.” I’ll tell you why. The younger generations are ready to take the reigns.”
