A couple of weeks ago, we reported that Tiffany Cross was fired from MSNBC after NBCUniversal executives became tired of her “bad judgment.” Now, new developments in the story have revealed that she did not want to exit quietly.
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Cross had much bigger plans for her departure from MSNBC than what was originally reported.
Former MSNBC host Tiffany Cross learned she was being fired days ahead of her departure and threatened to “burn the cable TV network down” and “take down” Rashida Jones, its boss, according to The New York Post.
In an effort to rally support for her ouster, a source with knowledge said the controversial anchor began calling other journalists, media executives and social activists a week before her weekend show “The Cross Connection” was abruptly canceled earlier this month because MSNBC declined to renew her contract.
“She made calls saying, ‘I’m going out in a blaze and I’m taking down the network and going after Rashida,’” a source close to the situation said, paraphrasing Cross.
A source told The Post that MSNBC executives and Jones, the network’s president, did not learn of the phone calls until after Cross had been fired. Insiders speculate that Cross’s agent learned of her looming dismissal while negotiating a new contract for her.
Cross, according to insiders, was ousted partly because of her habit of making “vulgar” remarks and “name calling” on air, but The Post has learned she had also racked up expenses for hotel stays of up to $100,000.
She took trips, portraying them as work-related, to Los Angeles and the Super Bowl during her two years at MSNBC, sources said. One source says Cross’ Oscars trip, during which she stayed at the Beverly Wilshire on Rodeo Drive for an “extended stay,” raised eyebrows.
In a statement on her exit, Cross claimed that her show had “over 4.6 million monthly viewers” and was MSNBC’s top-rated weekend show.
However, Nielsen reports that “The Cross Connection” has never come close to that number, drawing between 704,000 and 465,000 viewers a week since June. Cross’ show averaged 548,000 viewers for the year.
Just 605,000 viewers tuned in on average last month, trailing CNN Newsroom with 696,000 viewers and Fox News’ Cavuto Live, which drew nearly 1.4 million viewers. Additionally, “MSNBC Live with Alex Witt” is the network’s highest-rated weekend show.
Tiffany Cross’ firing from MSNBC was long overdue. For too long, she allowed her personal biases to color her reporting, often making “vulgar” remarks and engaging in “name calling.” This behavior made it difficult for MSNBC to be seen as a trusted news source. Additionally, Cross’ expenses for hotel stays totaled up to $100,000. Clearly, she was not acting in the best interests of the network. By removing her from their lineup, MSNBC is taking a step in the right direction to becoming a reliable source for real news- without the fluff and bias. Instead, they can focus on delivering unbiased reporting that their viewers can trust.
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