Chris Matthews Says He’s Retiring, ‘Hardball’ To End



Chris Matthews announced that he was retiring effective immediately, with MSNBC’s Hardball coming to an end on Monday.

“This isn’t for a lack of interest in politics,” he said. “As you can tell I have loved every minute of my 20 years as host of Hardball.”

Matthews did not appear on MSNBC’s coverage of the South Carolina primary on Saturday night, which led to speculation over his absence. Laura Bassett wrote in GQ last week that he had “inappropriately flirted” with her before an appearance on his show, “making me noticeably uncomfortable on air.” She criticized the way that Matthews interviewed presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren following the debate last week in Charleston.

He addressed that story in his remarks.

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“After conversations with MSNBC I decided tonight will be my last Hardball, so let me tell you why. The younger generation is out there ready to take the reins. We see them in politics, in the media, in fighting for their causes. They are improving the workplace. We are talking here about better standards than we grew up with — fair standards.”

“A lot of it has to do with how we talk to each other. Compliments on a woman’s appearance that come men, including me, once incorrectly would have thought were okay. They were never okay. Not then, and certainly not today, and for making such comments in the past, I am sorry.”

After Matthews made his announcement, a stunned Steve Kornacki appeared on air after a commercial break and said, “That is a lot to take in now, and I am sure you are still absorbing that, and I am too.” He then stepped in to host for the rest of the hour.

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A rotating group of hosts will fill the slot until a permanent successor can be named.

Hardball, with its intense, freewheeling talk about all things politics, has been a Washington institution, a prime spot not just for political figures but for reporters and pundits. Matthews was known for an interviewing style that demanded guests get to the point or face interruption.

Matthews said that he will continue to write books and talk about politics and “cheer on my producers and my crew here in Washington and New York and my MSNBC colleagues. They will continue to produce great journalism in the years ahead.”

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