An Escalating War of Words Between Cable News Rivals

A professional rivalry between personalities at competing cable news networks has intensified, with CNN’s Scott Jennings and MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell exchanging sharp, public insults. The feud centers on on-air commentary, allegations of dishonesty, and conflicting claims about viewership ratings in their shared 10 p.m. time slot. The dispute moved into the public spotlight after O’Donnell, the host of MSNBC’s The Last Word, used his program on Monday, October 27, to launch a pointed critique against Jennings.

The conflict began when O’Donnell directly called out Mark Thompson, the CEO of CNN, for what he characterized as a poor programming choice. O’Donnell stated that Thompson was “paying Scott Jennings to lie about Donald Trump.” He then took aim at the viewership of CNN’s competing program, NewsNight with Abby Phillip, where Jennings is a frequent panelist. “The show that Scott Jennings frequents the most is on opposite this program,” O’Donnell told his audience. “And that show on a good night gets half of the audience of this show.”

Jennings Fires Back with Forceful Denials

Two days later, on the Wednesday, October 29 episode of his podcast, The Scott Jennings Radio Show, the conservative commentator dedicated a segment to addressing the MSNBC anchor’s remarks. Jennings began by dismissing O’Donnell, framing him as an out-of-touch figure.

“There’s this lunatic on MSNBC at 10 o’clock every night named Lawrence O’Donnell,” Jennings stated. “I had sort of forgotten that he was a thing, but I guess he still has a show, and he went crazy on yours truly the other night.”

After playing the audio clip from O’Donnell’s broadcast, Jennings expressed indignation at the accusation of lying, turning the criticism back on O’Donnell’s network. “Someone at MSNBC is accusing someone else of lying?” he asked rhetorically. “From that propaganda outfit over there? They’re accusing me or anyone else of lying? Outrageous.”

Jennings then offered his own theory for the on-air attack, attributing it to professional pressure and declining relevance. “He’s irrelevant, nobody likes his show,” Jennings asserted, describing this as O’Donnell’s “real problem.” He directly challenged the MSNBC host’s claims of ratings superiority.

The Battle Over Viewership Numbers

The core of the dispute involves the fierce competition for viewers in the 10 p.m. hour. Jennings presented his own analysis of the ratings, claiming that CNN’s program was outperforming its MSNBC competitor in a crucial metric. He stated that host “Abby Phillip was kicking his rear end by 30 per cent on a nightly basis” in the key demographic of adults aged 25-54, which is highly valued by advertisers.

An examination of the latest available Nielsen ratings data presents a more complex picture, with each host having figures to support their respective positions. On Monday, October 27—the night of O’Donnell’s initial comments—CNN NewsNight with Abby Phillip did indeed secure more viewers in the key A25-54 demographic, averaging 178,000 viewers to O’Donnell’s 150,000.

However, just a few days earlier, on Friday, October 24, the situation was reversed. On that night, The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell drew 272,000 viewers in the demo, significantly outpacing NewsNight, which had 227,000.

When considering total viewership, O’Donnell’s program maintained a consistent and substantial lead on both nights. On Monday, The Last Word averaged 1.779 million total viewers, more than double NewsNight’s 685,000. On the preceding Friday, O’Donnell’s audience was even larger, at 2.089 million total viewers compared to 900,000 for Phillip’s show.

Personal Attacks Intensify the Feud

Beyond the ratings debate, Jennings escalated the personal nature of the conflict. He criticized O’Donnell for using his platform to attack a competitor. “Can you imagine having a television show on a network and you spend your precious time on that network complaining about what someone else is doing on another network?” Jennings asked.

He continued to assail O’Donnell’s professional standing, labeling him a “failed media personality” and declaring that “nobody cares what he thinks.” According to Jennings, O’Donnell’s on-air outburst was a direct result of this perceived failure. “His show is failing,” Jennings claimed. “Abby Phillip and CNN are kicking his rear end on a nightly basis, and so he goes on TV under all this pressure and has a psychotic episode and starts complaining about Mark Thompson and me.”

Jennings concluded his segment with a direct and unambiguous message for his MSNBC rival: “You’re a failure.” The exchange leaves the two media figures locked in a contentious and highly public feud, highlighting the intense competitive pressures within the landscape of primetime cable news.