Chris Matthews takes ‘ownership’ of past behavior during first MSNBC appearance since scandal

Former host Chris Matthews discussed the scandal that prompted his departure from MSNBC during his first appearance on the network since losing his show last year, saying he takes “ownership” of his past behavior.

“Nobody has to defend me,” Matthews said Tuesday on Joy Reid’s “The ReidOut,” which replaced his show, “Hardball,” on MSNBC.

“I did something wrong. I’m going to move on. Took ownership of it, using [a] modern phrase,” he added.

Matthews ended his MSNBC career in March 2020, announcing he would retire from his show after facing accusations of “inappropriate” behavior by GQ columnist Laura Bassett.

“I’m retiring. This is the last ‘Hardball’ on MSNBC, and obviously this isn’t for lack of interest in politics,” Matthews announced to his audience. “As you can tell, I’ve loved every minute of my 20 years as host of ‘Hardball.’ Every morning, I read the papers, and I’m gung-ho to get to work. Not many people have had this privilege.”

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— The ReidOut (@thereidout) March 3, 2020

At the time, Matthews acknowledged his conduct was not acceptable and repeated those mea culpas to Reid Tuesday.

“Did not deny it, lost my show over it. That’s it. So that’s the truth,” Matthews said. “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.”

Matthews during the MSNBC appearance also discussed his new book, “This Country,” which was released on Tuesday.