Keith Olbermann Fired From Al Gore’s Current TV, Replaced by Eliot Spitzer … Olbermann Threatens Law Suit

Keith Olberman fired again …

Who didn’t see this coming? The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. The same could be said with hiring Olbermann and thinking that it would not end in a bitter split. Just ask MSNBC and ESPN.  Such was the case with Current TV today when they fired Keither Olbermann. According to accounts, Olbermann clashed early and often with Mr. Hyatt and Current TV execs.

For nearly a year now, Al Gore and Joel Hyatt have been building their liberal cable news channel, Current TV, with the mercurial television anchorman Keith Olbermann at its center.

This week, the center collapsed.

Current said on Friday afternoon that it had fired Mr. Olbermann — one of the nation’s most prominent progressive speakers — just a year into his five-year, $50 million contract. It was the culmination of months of murky disputes between Mr. Olbermann and the channel that he was supposed to save from the throes of ratings oblivion.

Yet as inevitable as it might have seemed to some in the television business who know the long history of antipathy between Mr. Olbermann and his employers, it was nonetheless shocking to his fans, to his detractors and to staff members at Current when the announcement was made.

In a letter to their viewers Current TV stated they they were founded on the values of respect, openness, collegiality, and loyalty to our viewers. Unfortunately these values are no longer reflected in our relationship with Keith Olbermann and we have ended it.

There might be only one thing worse than being fired. How about bring replaced by Eliot Spitzer? Yes, the same disgraced former NY Governor Eliot Spitzer, Client # 9 who was an absolute ratings catastrophe at CNN.

So much for the match made in heaven putting together the genius of Keith Olbermann and the media mogul Al Gore.    Ha, ha, ha … fantastic tweet at Protein Wisdom from Jonah Goldberg, “When they write the history of Gore v. Olbermann, will they call it “An Inconvenient Douche.” PRICELESS!!!

UPDATE I: Keith Olbermann’s response can be read here. Always the victim, Keith tried so hard to make it work and tried to bare the the pain and suffering, but alas nio one would listen to his ti-raids and nonsensical requests.

I’d like to apologize to my viewers and my staff for the failure of Current TV.

Editorially, Countdown had never been better. But for more than a year I have been imploring Al Gore and Joel Hyatt to resolve our issues internally, while I’ve been not publicizing my complaints, and keeping the show alive for the sake of its loyal viewers and even more loyal staff. (snip)

UPDATE II: Olbermann threatens lawsuit as Current TV Won’t Pay $50 Million Deal, Cites Breach of Contract, Sabotage, Disparagement.

The network sent an email to Olbermann’s agent, Nick Khan at ICM, on Thursday morning stating that Olbermann was being let go for “material, serial breach of contract” [...] According to knowledgeable sources, the issues were Olbermann’s repeated unauthorized absences as well as “sabotaging the network” and “attacking Current and its executives.”