The renowned anchor, analyst, and journalist Jeffrey Toobin returns to CNN after making headlines in 2020 and getting fired by the New Yorker.
The former journalist and news expert was caught masturbating on a Zoom call with his colleagues during a presidential election podcast back in 2020. The zoom meeting had members from the New Yorker and WNYC.
On June 10th, 2021, Jeffrey Toobin made a comeback to CNN with a surprise appearance on the channel after the scandal; while admitting his mistake stating he admits he “wasn’t thinking”.
In an official zoom meeting back on 15th October 2020, Toobin was allegedly caught on camera while touching himself inappropriately and blowing kisses towards someone who wasn’t his coworkers. The incident was revealed on social media instantly.
Shortly after the embarrassing incident, Toobin apologized in a statement saying “I made an embarrassingly stupid mistake, believing I was off-camera”; he further apologized to his wife, friends, family, and co-workers.
After the rift, he was suspended from the New Yorker as its editor David Remnick released a statement regarding the inappropriate incident, stating that the New Yorker takes such incidents seriously and will be looking into the matter in depth.
Later on, Jeff Toobin was fired from the New Yorker after serving for 27 years as a writer. While the New Yorker fired Jeffrey Toobin immediately, CNN took a different stance on the whole scenario. Toobin who had been associated with CNN since 2002, was not fired from his job as a senior legal analyst but was given a leave of absence till June 10, 2021. A CNN source revealed that he was too good to be fired, that’s why he was given time to collect himself.
An official statement by CNN stated, “Jeff Toobin has asked for some time off while he deals with a personal issue, which we have granted.”
Toobin made a return on the news network with an interview with Alisyn Camerota. He again stated that he is a flawed person like anyone else and there is nothing he can say in defense of his misconduct yet he faced consequences and now he will not continue to give explanations and justifications. He was wrong and stupid in the past and is trying to be a better person.
He further stated that he had forgotten to turn off his camera during the Zoom call and had no calculation that his colleagues could still see him. It was “deeply moronic and indefensible” and his last few months had been utterly miserable as he even pursued therapy or working at public service as well as giving time at the food bank to remorse and rectify his mistake.
Jeffrey Toobin expressed relief and gratitude towards CNN for restoring his previous role and for taking him back.
