According to NBC News reports, the five major new outlets have passed on offering former White House press secretary Sean Spicer a paid role as a commentator.
Since his exit from the White House, reps for Spicer have been trying to negotiate a deal where he could be taken on by a major network, which includes CBS News, CNN, Fox News, ABC News, and NBC News. But according to a source close to the matter who spoke to NBC, all the major networks “won’t touch him.”
“The news organizations might use him on roundtables, but [a paid exclusive contributor job] is not happening,” the source added.
Network insiders speaking to NBC on condition of anonymity said Spicer was rejected due to his “lack of credibility.”
From NBC News:
CNN had already said it wasn’t interested in him ahead of planned conversations, while Axios reported on Sept. 7 that Fox News would not be offering Spicer a TV contract. Fox News has previously hired the former White House press secretaries Ari Fleischer and Dana Perino. On Tuesday, sources with knowledge of the decisions confirmed that CBS News, ABC News and NBC News also would not offer him an exclusive role.
A person familiar with Spicer’s ongoing talks said that while conversations had not concluded, network punditry wasn’t the most important measure of success and that Spicer may want more freedom to work for multiple outlets. There are also talks about a nonscripted reality show in the mix, said one person familiar with the situation.
Spicer left the White House in July after reports revealed President Trump was hiring Wall Street firebrand Anthony Scaramucci as White House communications director. Scaramucci was ousted after only 1o days on the job.
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