Olbermann Airs Complaints About Current TV
In what "Late Show" host David Letterman called "the latest chapter in the Keith Olbermann saga," the recently fired news and opinion commentator for cable network Current TV aired his side of the story.
Olbermann, who hosted the program "Countdown" said Monday he "screwed up" by joining the channel because he "didn't think the whole thing through."
"I didn't say, if you buy a $10 million chandelier you should have a house to put it in," he said. Just walking around with a $10 million chandelier isn't going to do anybody a lot of good and it's not going to do anything to the chandelier."
"And then it turned out we didn't have a lot to put the house into, put the chandelier in, or a building permit and I should have known that. And it is my fault at heart."
Letterman asked "you're the chandelier?" Olbermann acknowledged it.
On the day Olbermann was fired, Current TV's co-founders Al Gore and Joel Hyatt released a statement saying the network was "founded on the values of respect, openness, collegiality, and loyalty to our viewers. Unfortunately these values are no longer reflected in our relationship with Keith Olbermann and we have ended it."
Olbermann has previously said the statement is untrue and would be filing legal actions against the co-founders.
Letterman went through a series of previously reported points of dispute relating to a car service, the state of the set where he taped the show, and Olbermann's failure to appear for the channel's election coverage.
Olbermann said during his stay at Current TV, he had about eight different car services that took him to and from work.
"The problem that's left out of that side of the story was in at least one occasion, the car services stopped coming to get me because the bill hadn't been paid," he said.
Olbermann was asked about set issues.
"Well again, the chandelier was never installed properly. The lights went out a couple of times during the show," he said. Letterman asked why.
"I don't think we paid the electric bill," Olbermann said.
Letterman also asked about why Olbermann did not participate in Current TV's Super Tuesday coverage.
Olbermann said he had had a problem with his throat and his ear, nose and throat doctor said he had to be silent for five days.
"Now I thought I have to kill myself to attain that," he said. "I actually did it. And you can't do a television show while you're silent unless the guests do all the talking."
Letterman asked what Current TV co-founder Al Gore's role was.
"He meant well, I think. It didn't go well. He just wasn't that involved in it. It was kind of difficult to get to him about these things," Olbermann said.