Chris Matthews makes first MSNBC appearance since his scandal-ridden retirement in 2020
New York, New York – Ex-MSNBC host Chris Matthews appeared on the network for the first time on Tuesday since he became mired in controversy and subsequently retired in 2020.
On Tuesday, Matthews appeared on Joy Reid's show The ReidOut, which replaced his long-running show Hardball.
The former TV host was accused of making inappropriate remarks to several women in the workplace.
Political reporter Laura Bassett alleged that Matthews came into her makeup room before a 2016 appearance on his show and said, "Why haven't I fallen in love with you yet?"
To the makeup artist, he added, "Keep putting makeup on her, I'll fall in love with her."
Bassett wrote about the incident in 2017, but did not reveal the name of the TV host until February 2020.
Also in 2017, details arose from a 1999 settlement in which another woman accused Matthews of making inappropriate remarks to her while at work.
"Nobody has to defend me," Matthews told Reid on Tuesday, as reported by The Hill. "I did something wrong. I’m going to move on. Took ownership of it, using [a] modern phrase."
Matthews came under fire for his on-air treatment of Bernie Sanders during the 2020 primaries
Calls for Matthews' resignation also came after he made negative comments about Bernie Sanders during the 2020 presidential primary cycle.
After Sanders' success in the New Hampshire primary, Matthews engaged in a long, semi-hysterical rant on TV about socialism: "I have an attitude about them. I remember the Cold War. I have an attitude toward [Fidel] Castro. I believe if Castro and the reds had won the Cold War there would have been executions in Central Park and I might have been one of the ones getting executed. And certain other people would be there cheering."
He continued, "Well, what does he think of Castro? That’s a great question. What did you think of Fidelissmo?"
As the results of the Vermont senator's Nevada win began to roll in, Matthews compared Bernie Sanders, whose parents were Holocaust survivors, and his supporters to Hitler and the Nazis, recalling an exchange between French Prime Minister Paul Reynaud and UK Prime Minister Winston Churchill after the fall of France: "'Reynaud, calls up Churchill and says, 'It's over.' And Churchill says, 'How can that be? You've got the greatest army in Europe. How can it be over?' He said, 'It's over.'"
Matthews said his retirement did have a silver lining: "The good news is, I’ve never had in my life two years to actually sit down and write about my 70 years, which is to talk about an incredible life I’ve been so lucky to have, to be on the inside of American politics looking out."
His new memoir The Country: My Life in Politics and History was released on Tuesday.
Cover photo: IMAGO / ZUMA Wire