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Spitzer Is ‘Thisclose’ to Hosting Deal With CNN

As much as you’ve read about a potential deal for disgraced former governor Eliot Spitzer to take over Campbell Brown’s 8 p.m. slot at CNN, it never really seemed like it could actually happen, right? You remember what this guy did: He experienced perhaps the most profound, hilarious, and surprising public loss of credibility this country has seen in years. And yet CNN, the news network that has built its reputation on reliability instead of opinion or flair, is apparently “thisclose” to hiring him for real. On top of the news that they’re also considering Piers Morgan, a man who was fired from the top spot at London’s Daily Mirror for running fake pictures of British soldiers torturing Iraqis, this poses the possibility of a real credibility gap in the network’s prime-time hours. (Let’s just ignore the credibility gap of publications who use “thisclose” as a technical term.) Sure, both are celebrities in their own way: Spitzer is famous for having sex with young hookers while wearing, the FBI said, black socks, and for inventing this face. Morgan judges a show where people put their entire bodies through a badminton racket while wearing neon American-flag costumes. But, call us crazy, something about them hosting serious news shows just seems, well, farcical.

Shrinking CNN taps Spitzer, Morgan [Page Six/NYP]
Earlier: Eliot Spitzer May Not Be a Media Steamroller

Spitzer Is ‘Thisclose’ to Hosting Deal With CNN