Months after he was fired from The New Yorker for masturbating during a work Zoom call, Jeffrey Toobin returned Thursday afternoon to CNN to face tough questions over the scandal that derailed his journalistic career.
Toobin took a leave of absence last falls as CNN’s chief legal analyst after the debacle, and his appearance on CNN anchor Alisyn Camerota’s midday broadcast marked the first time he’s addressed the scandal on-air.
In recent months, friends of Toobin’s had been aggressively lobbying CNN boss Jeff Zucker to allow the legal analyst back on-air, two people familiar with the matter told The Daily Beast. Zucker had expressed concerns about how viewers would react but was open to giving Toobin a second chance.
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After recounting all of the lurid details that led to his dismissal from The New Yorker after 27 years, Camerota flatly asked her colleague, “What the hell were you thinking?”
“Well, obviously, I wasn’t thinking very well or very much, and it was something that was inexplicable to me,” Toobin replied. “I think one point—I wouldn’t exactly say in my defense, because nothing is really in my defense. I didn’t think I was on the call. I didn’t think other people could see me.”
While Toobin reiterated that he thought he was off-camera when he exposed himself to co-workers, something he called “deeply moronic and indefensible,” Camerota wondered aloud if Toobin “ever thought about what it must have been like” to be on the receiving end of the call.
“Well, I haven’t just thought about it. I’ve spoken to several of my former colleagues at The New Yorker about it, and they were shocked and appalled,” he said. “I think they realized that this was not intended for them. I think they realized that this was something that I would immediately regret, as I certainly did, and it was then—it was that day that I began apologizing, and that is something that I have tried to continue to do both publicly and privately.”
Noting that Toobin has extensively covered the sex scandals of prominent politicians and celebrities, Camerota asked why he failed to exercise better judgment.
“Because I’m a flawed human being who makes mistakes, and you know, there is no defense for my conduct,” he replied. “The only issue is what should be the consequences, and The New Yorker made one decision about the consequences. CNN made a different decision, fortunately, for which I’m very grateful.”
At the same time, Toobin also insisted that The New Yorker didn't find any other instances of misconduct when they reviewed his career and, therefore, feels that the magazine firing him was “excessive.”
“That’s why they don’t ask the criminal to be the judge in his own case,” he added. “I’m incredibly grateful to CNN for taking me back. But you know, other people are going to weigh in about whether it was appropriate for them to get rid of me and for CNN to keep me.”
At the end of the lengthy segment, Camerota made it known that Toobin has been welcomed back to the network with open arms. “Jeffrey, many of us have really missed having your legal analysis to guide us on our programs, so let me be the first to welcome you back,” she declared with a smile.
“Thank you. It is good to be back, and I hope to be a better person off-camera as well as on camera,” Toobin said.
