'Words Matter' Podcast Breaks Up Over Co-Host Steve Schmidt's Work With Howard Schultz

Contentious End

STEVE SCHMIDT, the former Republican political consultant, former MSNBC pundit, and opponent of President TRUMP who recently signed on to aid former STARBUCKS CEO HOWARD SCHULTZ's independent campaign for President in 2020, stormed off his own podcast when his co-host and producer challenged him on his decision to work with SCHULTZ, ending his run of six-and-a-half months as the show's co-host.

"WORDS MATTER" co-host and fellow NBC political analyst ELISE JORDAN and Executive Producer ADAM LEVINE, both also Republicans who oppose TRUMP, had SCHMIDT on for what they called his first podcast after announcing he would be associated with SCHULTZ, and said they would ask SCHMIDT questions like any other guest.  SCHMIDT responded that he was not joining the SCHMIDT campaign directly but was instead leading a 501(c)(4) organization to build a third party "movement," funded by SCHULTZ.  But JORDAN and LEVINE, noting that SCHMIDT had not given them a heads-up that he would be doing so, and when they pressed him on why he would work with the SCHULTZ campaign and thus possibly split the anti-TRUMP vote and re-elect the President, SCHMIDT audibly bristled, then proclaimed that the interview was "bullshit" and walked off the show.

THE DAILY BEAST reports that SCHMIDT threatened legal action if the episode was to be released, then offered to buy the recording, to no avail, finally telling THE DAILY BEAST that the show was "hijacked" from him.  LEVINE told the site that the podcast will continue, but then announced via a tweet on SUNDAY that she, too, is walking away from the show.

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