Young Democratic star Adam Mockler has confronted former Fox News host Geraldo Rivera after the conservative broadcaster called him a “d---.”
MeidasTouch podcaster and commentator Mockler, 23, made headlines last Thursday when Trump ally Scott Jennings, 48, blasted his attempt to debate him on the Iran war by shouting, “Get your f---ing hand out of my face!”
Footage of the fiery exchange on CNN’s NewsNight with Abby Phillip went viral online.
The conservative had told Mockler minutes before in a patronizing tone: “When you get up past your bedtime, you get hyper.” Rivera, 82, was also on the panel of NewsNight with Mockler and Jennings at the time.
Rivera went on NewsNation on Friday to share his opinion of the interaction, where he branded Mockler a “d---.”
“He’s smart, eloquent, had his argument together and obviously debated Scott before and he was really being a d---,” Rivera told host Chris Cuomo of Mockler. “I mean, come on. Like, shut up, go out and get some life experience.”
Mockler got to respond to Rivera directly when he joined a panel on Piers Morgan Uncensored on Monday.
“It’s not a ‘d---’ to try to force a critical question,” Mockler told Rivera, referring to his repeated attempts to get Jennings to “name a single political concession” the U.S. had got from Iran since the president ordered air strikes on the Middle Eastern country on Feb. 28.
He pointed out that Rivera, who left Fox News in 2023 after more than 20 years with the conservative network, was also “there when Scott made fun of my bedtime 5 minutes earlier” on the CNN panel.
“This is somebody not bound by any rules whatsoever on this show,” Mockler said. “He’s able to lie over and over. Why should I be bound by some decorum that my opponents aren’t bound by?”
Mockler added that it is a “new era” where he was “playing in a reciprocal manner. ”
“So I’m not playing the games where I have to be nice,” he told the TV veteran.
He also called out Rivera’s command to get some life experience by noting they are both on the same panels regularly, “so ‘life experience,’ what has it gotten you?”
Rivera bragged about his 10 Emmy awards and a 56-year-career. “Adam, don’t be a wise a-- OK?”
The 82-year-old admitted he told Mockler in the commercial break after the confrontation with Jennings that “I thought you made some good points.”
“The problem is you can be very obnoxious in your presentation,” Rivera continued. “Sometimes being obnoxious can lead to a whole career.”
After calling him a “smart kid” and praising the fact he had prepared for the debate with Jennings, Rivera said, “You know, stick to that. Stick to the substance. Because I do think that you do have a future.”
The TV veteran admitted he was “surprised” how Jennings reacted to Mockler, “but then listening to Adam, he can be very grating.”
He then noted that Mockler could, “be a voice for a generation that has so far been unable to penetrate into the mainstream media.”
Mockler on Monday posted an AI-generated photo of himself in a suit in a cave watching two men dig a hole after the awkward interaction with Rivera.
“Hey everyone, after some reflection, I’ve decided to take Geraldo Rivera’s advice and start a new venture in my media career,” he stated.
Later, Mockler appeared on Monday’s NewsNight on CNN, however Jennings was not on the panel with him.
Jennings has not commented on the clash, however his interaction raised eyebrows among important circles. Former CNN anchor Jim Acosta called for “hot-head” Jennings to be fired after last week’s interaction.
Writing on his Substack, he said, “Lighten up, Scott! Mockler is almost a kid. And a nice one at that. Either way, Jennings should be fired. As James Earl Jones announces every so often in the network promos, ‘This is CNN.’ Not an episode of The Jerry Springer Show.”
Keith Boykin, a former White House aide to Bill Clinton, wrote on Threads that “Scott Jennings should be fired.”
He stated “I’ve been on the air with Scott many times over the years. He is a paid CNN contributor. I’m not. Telling a fellow panelist to ‘get your f---ing hand out of my face’ is unacceptable.”
