Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Olbermann Gets Taiwanese CGI, Bosses Call Him Crazy
By
Jen Chung
Published Jan 24, 2011
Modified Jan 24, 2011
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jen Chung
Published Jan 24, 2011
Modified Jan 24, 2011
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Keith Olbermann, the now-former MSNBC talk show host, has admired Next Media Animation's CGI reenactments as such moments as "Tiger Woods' car accident," but now NMA has given him his own video, which feature the Special Commenter with a golden parachute, being pushed by a NBC employee, replacing Parker/Spitzer on CNN and mopping up after Glenn Beck.
Back to the reality: The YY Times has an interesting look at the deteriorating relationship between Olbermann and MSNBC/NBC. Apparently the two parties had been considering a split since last summer. Olbermann gets credit for making MSNBC a contender in the cable news fight, but he also gets portrayed as a diva:
...Stories about Mr. Olbermann’s thin skin circulated widely in the newsroom. One such story, which was recalled independently by two hosts, dates to early December, when [Lawrence] O’Donnell, then carving out some success as the 10 p.m. host on MSNBC, collegially proposed via e-mail that Mr. Olbermann come on his show to talk about President Obama’s tax-cut compromise.
Mr. O’Donnell had written this post on Twitter: “Liberal critics of the Obama deal say exactly what Pat Buchanan said of George H. W. Bush: he’s weak.” The message speculated that Mr. Obama’s critics would do to him what Mr. Buchanan “did to H.W. Bush: destroy him and help elect a president from the other party.”
Mr. Olbermann apparently interpreted the message as a personal attack; he declined to appear on Mr. O’Donnell’s show. “I saw what you wrote on Twitter,” he snapped at Mr. O’Donnell.
O'Donnell, a former staffer under Senator Moynihan and a writer/executive producer of The West Wing, will be taking over Olbermann's old 8 p.m. timeslot on MSNBC. The Wall Street Journal points out, "Swapping in Mr. O'Donnell could be a financial windfall for MSNBC. Mr. O'Donnell's contract costs a fraction of Mr. Olbermann's [Olbermann had a four-year $30 million contract], according to two people familiar with the matter. MSNBC said that he has in the past been able to hold onto much of Mr. Olbermann's audience when acting as a fill-in."
The Times also reprints some old quotes from Olbermann's former bosses calling him crazy: Olbermann once worked for Fox Sports and Rupert Murdoch had said, "I fired him; he’s crazy," while MSNBC president Phil Griffin told the New Yorker (while Olbermann was still at the network), "First day he was in TV, I knew right away that Keith had something that I’d never seen. He was made for this. I mean, the guy is crazy, but he is made for this."
TMZ says that Olbermann's lawyer during the negotiations with MSNBC/NBC was Patty Glaser, who repped Conan O'Brien. In the meantime, some Olbermann fans are hoping that he'll run for Senate in Connecticut.
Tagged
keith olbermann
lawrence odonnell
msnbc
next media animation
nma
Phil Griffin
rupert murdoch
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Queens man charged with hate crime at Jewish-owned bagel shop displaying Israeli flags
Prosecutors say the 22-year-old damaged property outside the Fresh Meadows shop twice in May.
By
Giulia Heyward
Published Oct 19, 2026 at 6:07 p.m. ET
MTA train yards are in such bad shape plants are growing out of the roof, watchdog says
In some cases, the damage was “clearly not recent."
By
Stephen Nessen
News
MTA train yards are in such bad shape plants are growing out of the roof, watchdog says
In some cases, the damage was “clearly not recent."
By
Stephen Nessen
High-ranking NYC officials to testify in ex-buildings boss Eric Ulrich's corruption trial
By
David Brand
Mamdani launches new team to help NYers keep SNAP, Medicaid benefits
By
Caroline Lewis
Riders at 53rd St. station where man was fatally shot say they worry about gun violence
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .