There are two ways to cover Brian Stelter getting fired and the end of his show, ‘Reliable Sources.’ First, you can roast the guy. Or, second, you can give the now former CNN host a ‘Christ-like’ goodbye. Glenn prefers the latter, but he must use ALL self-restraint when Stu plays one particular Brian Stelter flashback clip…
Transcript
Below is a rush transcript that may contain errors
STU: So what's going on in your world, Glenn? Anything you want to talk about today.
GLENN: I mean, there's obviously something you want to mention.
STU: That I want to mention.
No. I don't have -- lack, I guess what you could do is take an inventory of the news stories of the day, right? And start to think if you had any personal connection to them. Let me think. No. That's going on. Well, no. I don't have any personal connection to those stories, do you?
Is there any personal connection, you might feel to any of the major news stories of the day?
GLENN: You know, for those people who are listening right now, and they may not follow the news or have personal connections to the news. They may be wondering, what are you even talking about?
STU: Oh, well.
GLENN: Uh-huh.
STU: We're talking about a potential story that you might want to discuss today, about --
GLENN: Oh, I want to. Oh, I really want to.
STU: An individual from CNN.
GLENN: Well, there's two ways to go. And the two ways to go, would be -- one would be very fun. Very satisfying.
STU: Sure.
GLENN: Funny. Entertaining.
STU: Yeah. Yeah.
GLENN: Right? And the other one would be Crist-like.
STU: You know, the Bible not always hilarious, I've noticed. You know.
GLENN: No. But usually right.
STU: Yeah. Almost all the time. Yeah. Uh-huh. Uh-huh. So it's not that big of a struggle. It's just I'm fighting the urge to be very, very funny.
STU: Well, maybe it's worth instead of talking about today's news, to look back at history, you know. Like, for example, you can look back at the an always of history, to about four years ago, when I was watching, and there was an interview on.
GLENN: All right.
STU: On TV. And the -- the host of the show.
GLENN: Uh-huh.
STU: The show's name was a reliable source.
GLENN: I believe this was easier.
STU: And I believe the interview was supposed to be about one thing. I can't remember at all what that was, coming together, or something like that.
But then it took a turn, about halfway through. And the interviewer, started talking to the interviewee, about how much trouble his business was in.
GLENN: Uh-huh.
STU: Do we have a clip of it?
GLENN: No, come on. No, no, no. No, no. Come on.
STU: Because I was trying to describe it. I can only do it so well. If we have the actual audio.
GLENN: One is arguing justice. One is arguing mercy. Or they say they are. But they're not. All they're doing is playing politics. And the American people are tired of it. Who is actually talking about a solution on this? Who has actually been consistent and cared when it was a Democrat in office. And cared when it was a Republican in office.
You know, those people exist around the country. And they're watching you two. The media, and Donald Trump, playing this little game back and forth. And they're sick of it. They don't want to hear about it, on either side.
VOICE: Because I invited you on, I'm self-aware enough to know that we need to talk about this because I know it's a problem. The mainstream media is having a very hard time -- the mainstream media is having a very hard time reaching Trump's base. That's a fact. We see that in all the polling.
GLENN: Well, then here's the deal. Brian, you all have my phone number. I've reached out to all of you in the past, and said, let's have a conversation, not on the air. You really want to understand? You want to hear the other side?
VOICE: Why can't our viewers -- why can't you tell our viewers right now?
GLENN: My gosh, this is making so difficult.
Because this is all about ratings. This isn't about ratings.
STU: Is it bringing it back?
GLENN: This is about saving our country. Bringing us together. Stop dividing us.
STU: That's nice. Uh-huh.
GLENN: I mean, you --
VOICE: To be fair, you think I'm dividing the country for ratings by booking you?
GLENN: Brian, stop driving -- look at what you're doing. When did this become about you? This is about the media and the administration. That's what you guys want to make it into.
VOICE: If it was about me --
GLENN: Listening to me. Why?
VOICE: If it was me, I would get --
STU: Oh. Is he being -- is that Christ-like?
GLENN: Well, maybe you should.
VOICE: What do you mean make it about me? I don't know how I've made it about me?
GLENN: You just said -- never mind. Look, Brian, if you want to have a conversation. The media really wants to know. Great, we can have that conversation. But every time I've approached, everybody always says yes. But as soon as it gets tough or uncomfortable, nobody is interested. Nobody is interested in looking at themselves, and saying, what did I do? I know what I've done. I know what I've done. I've tried to make amends.
VOICE: Yes. And we talked about that before. I completely agree with you. And we all do need to be self-reflective. Yeah, I do have to ask you. There's this new headline on the daily beast saying your company is trouble, that you're trying to find a buyer. Is this related to the point about people not talking to each other? That if you want to create that media company there's not interest? What's going on with that?
GLENN: Wow. Brian, thanks a lot. I think that's the most ridiculous question I've ever heard. I'm sitting here, ready to talk to you about the detaining of children and parents and trying to break -- break families apart. Something that has been happening with Janet Reno. That's why it went to the Supreme Court in the first place. With Janet Reno. It's been happening. We want to stop it. And you want to play those games. Have a nice day.
VOICE: What game did I just play?
STU: See, Glenn. Now, of course, as you pointed out, there's two ways to go with the news story. And one of the ways is to be incredibly Crist-like, as you were trying to be in that interview there. But Bryan Stelter was interviewing you about how your company was failing. It's weird, because we're -- we're sitting here, at work. For that company. Right now.
GLENN: Uh-huh. Uh-huh. Uh-huh.
STU: And I don't know what Brian is doing. But not the same thing. Is there anything that you would want to bring up on that. As you point out, there's two ways to go with that news story. Did that help bring you back to the moment a little bit? Watching that clip once again. And watching the quizzical faces of Brian Stelter?
I don't understand. I don't understand how you don't think -- all right. Let me take a quick break here, and talk to you with about the Tuttle Twins pooks.
If you haven't checked out the American History by the time -- by the Tuttle Twins right now, you're running out of time on their offer.
I'm strong. I'm strong. I'm not going to go --
STU: Tuttle Twins are great books. Did they cover these 2018 interview.
GLENN: The audiobooks, and the workbooks that go on right now. You have one more day. Kids don't learn history in school the way it should be taught.
They most likely learn the dates and the places and the names. And the stupid questions. They -- they need the deep story. They need to learn the ideas that makes our country work. I want you to go right now. Today is your last day. You want your -- it is Friday, isn't it? Thank God it's Friday. By the way, I'm going to Gettysburg. I'm going to Gettysburg.
I'm going this weekend. Doing a history thing up in Gettysburg, with a bunch of great people. And that's a sign of a great battlefield right there. Where people just couldn't control their anger. And couldn't work together, to work things out, you know what I mean?
Anyway, so TuttleTwinsBeck.com. TuttleTwinsBeck.com. Do it now, before the offer is gone. They're throwing in audiobooks, workbooks, and so much more. You can go there now, and get the deal of the free sample chapter before it's too late. That's TuttleTwinsBeck.com. Ten-second station ID.
(music)
No, it's not.
STU: It's a good exercise.
GLENN: No, it's not good. I just told Stu, as we were taking that ten-second break. That's really hard. Stop it.
STU: Well, I think, you knew I would antagonize you, if you would break on Brian Stelter. But you didn't know that that video was coming. And just to watch you kind of relive those moments. The excited, smug nature of --
GLENN: Don't gloat when your enemy falls. When he stumbles. You do not let your heart rejoice. Or the Lord will see it, and disapprove, and turn his wrath away from him. Just saying.
STU: Look, I would agree --
GLENN: Thought of the day. Thought of the day.
STU: By the way, we should mention Brian Stelter got fired. We didn't mention it. He got let go. 30-year show. Couldn't survive Brian Stelter.
GLENN: I wish him well.
STU: But I will say this, the lesson here is not to do that in 2018. And some of the other things that Brian has done during the last few years. And I pointed it out to people yesterday, who only know Brian Stelter from this recent term. You know, this turn in the Trump era, where he became a left-wing media critic.
GLENN: Let's not get closer to the point.
STU: But like, what I was saying was, I remember him from when we first started on cable news. He reviewed your very first show. It wasn't I would say, a positive review. It wasn't the worst review you've ever had.
GLENN: No, it was fair.
STU: It was fair. And has a written some of the most fair pieces about you, at times.
GLENN: A long time ago.
STU: A long time ago. And I honestly think, he's a really good example of what the Trump era has done to the media. It's broken them. Their anger against Donald Trump, has changed a lot of people who, yes. They may have been liberal. They may have been Democrats. They may have been left-leaning. But it's changed them into completely irrational actors.
GLENN: I don't think that's the only thing. I don't think that's the only thing that has happened. It's also a result of your world being so small. They're in New York City. And New York City comes to New York City. I mean, the world comes to New York City. And, you know, they're working at, you know, these places where you have global reach. And so you think that you are the globe. And you're very informed. And you know everything, because, look, I'm with the best people. And the best people from all over the world. And it's so cosmopolitan here. It's not.
Your friends are all exactly the same.
STU: I agree with you.
GLENN: That's not real life.
STU: I definitely agree with that analysis. But that analysis existed long before 2016.
GLENN: No, I know. But the hatred --
STU: It's changed.
GLENN: But the hatred of Donald Trump.
And the -- and the political agenda. Not everything was political. See, right now, you cannot talk about anything, without it being political. Sports, political. You know, the big Pebble Beach car show, I was watching on CNBC this morning. Big pebble car show. That's political as well. Because they'll be talking about the new cars. The all electric cars, et cetera, et cetera. Why is everyone coming out with an electric car?
Political, politics. I mean, everything now is politics. Who you are, how you see yourself, is now fought out in the political space. That's what's changed.
STU: Uh-huh.
GLENN: And the left has gone insane. And people who used to be fairly reasonable, and used to agree with the Bill of Rights. They have been so skewed now, that they -- you know, we have to do things. I'm for the Bill of Rights. But there's things we have to do. No. No. No, there's not. On either side. No, there is not. You don't silence speech. And so they get this -- they just -- just get this snowball rolling, in their own little clique. Where everybody is thinking alike, and you pour hate like gasoline on that fire, and you're done. You're done.
STU: And you're choosing not to go in that direction.
GLENN: Shut up. There's a skin wig right at your finger tips. Our producers went out, and they got skin wigs, and they were like, this is going to be funny. Oh. It would be so funny. It would be so funny. It would be so easy to do, and so good.
STU: But you're choosing to do the right thing. And can we give Glenn a clap.
GLENN: Shut up. You are such a jerk.
STU: He's so well behaved. And such a gentleman.
GLENN: You know you agree with me. Shut up. No. Shut up. You agree. We've talked about it on the air before. You agree with me.
STU: Look, of course, again, I'm easily restrained in a moment like this.
GLENN: Just turn his microphone on off. I don't need this.
STU: This is not a moment I would have trouble. This is a moment I would see how you're struggling. And that's why I want to investigate how you're feeling. Because as a friend, I am concerned, with what you're going through.