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Jeffrey Toobin apologizes for Zoom masturbation, Internet calls CNN interview 'strangest'

'I tip my hat to Jeffrey Toobin. Man got the guts to go on CNN and speak on why The New Yorker fired him,' said a user

CNN's longtime chief legal analyst, Jeffrey Toobin, made his way back to the network on Thursday, June 10, after almost seven months since he exposed himself during a Zoom call with his New Yorker colleagues.

Toobin, 60, was fired from his longtime staff writing position at the New Yorker magazine in November 2020 after he exposed himself to his co-workers during a video call. At that time, Toobin was only suspended by the cable network, CNN. On Thursday, June 10, he was welcomed back by CNN for the first time and issued an apology to his colleagues. Toobin said his conduct "was deeply moronic and indefensible."

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He said, "I didn't think other people could see me" but admitted that was no defense. In the interview, Toobin apologized to his wife and family, the people who were on the Zoom call that day and his colleagues. "And I'm sorry to the people who read my work and who watched me on CNN who thought I was a better person than this. And so, you know, I got a lot to rebuild, but I feel very privileged and very lucky that I'm going to be able to try to do that," he said.

Toobin added that he has spent his "miserable months" off-air "trying to be a better person." He mentioned "therapy;" public service like running a food bank; and a forthcoming book about the Oklahoma City bombing. "I am trying to become the kind of person that people can trust again," he said. A spokesperson confirmed that Toobin will be back on the channel in his chief legal analyst role.

He was sidelined last October after what happened on the Zoom call became public. Toobin exposed himself when he began masturbating during a Zoom video call. The sources stated that they did not believe he intended his colleagues to see it. He also admitted that he "made an embarrassingly stupid mistake, believing I was off-camera." The New Yorker suspended Toobin and fired him a month later.

As soon as the viewers saw Toobin on air, they started talking about it. One person said, "This Jeffrey Toobin CNN interview is one of the strangest interviews I've seen in a long time...." While another one wrote, "Jeffrey Toobin on #CNN ??! change the channel immediately."

One person slammed Toobin and tweeted, "If I had been caught on a Zoom call playing with the ol’ cheese stick I would literally change my name, move to Lichtenstein, and never again acknowledge that I was ever employed by anyone at any time, and yet here’s Jeffrey Toobin on TV just talking about it." Tim Young said, "Let's be real here... CNN just excused away Jeffrey Toobin jerking off on a zoom call in front of his colleagues... they just forfeit their right to be outraged by Trump's comments on the Access Hollywood tape."

Brigitte Gabriel slammed the channel and said, "CNN would rather talk about Jeffrey Toobin pleasuring himself on a Zoom call a year ago, than Hunter Biden (the President's son) using the n-word casually with his lawyer. This is why no one watches their channel." Another one said, "I tip my hat to Jeffrey Toobin. Man got the guts to go on CNN and speak on why The New Yorker fired him."