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O'Donnell Apologizes for Off-Camera Outbursts: 'A Better Person Would've Had a Better Reaction'

(Updated)

MSNBC's Lawrence O'Donnell / Getty
MSNBC's Lawrence O'Donnell / Getty
September 21, 2017

MSNBC host Lawrence O'Donnell tweeted an apology for his leaked angry outbursts during a filming of "The Last Word" last month, saying a better person would've reacted better to technical problems.

Mediaite obtained eight minutes footage of O'Donnell from his Aug. 29 broadcast where he is seen berating his control room for a strange woman's voice being in his ear piece, gesturing angrily and also shouting about "hammering" going on near his studio.

The footage quickly went viral, and O'Donnell tweeted Wednesday evening, "A better anchorman and a better person would've had a better reaction to technical difficulties. I'm sorry."

O'Donnell used repeatedly vulgar language throughout the show's problems, at one point saying, "It just fucking sucks. It fucking sucks to be out here with this out of control shit."

MSNBC said it had no further comment on the matter when asked by the Washington Free Beacon.

O'Donnell has hosted "The Last Word" on MSNBC since 2010. Like the rest of the network, the left-wing host has enjoyed a ratings surge in the Donald Trump era.

O'Donnell has courted controversy before, saying in 2011 that former Republican National Committee chairman Michael Steele was "dancing as fast as he can" for his "master," the RNC. He issued a fulsome apology for the remark.

He also issued an apology in 2012 for harsh comments about the origins of Mormonism, saying it "was created by a guy in upstate New York in 1830 when he got caught having sex with the maid and explained to his wife that God told him to do it."

UPDATE: 8:04 A.M.: This article was updated with MSNBC saying it had no further comment on the matter.

Published under: Lawrence O'Donnell , MSNBC