MSNBC's Chris Matthews mocks Hillary Clinton, makes Bill Cosby pill joke in unearthed footage

FILE: April 26, 2011: NBC host Chris Matthews at the 2011 Time 100 Gala ceremony in New York. (REUTERS)

MSNBC star Chris Matthews has apologized for making fun of Hillary Clinton and joking about a “Bill Cosby pill” in network footage that was obtained by The Cut.

Matthews was gearing up for an interview with Clinton in January 2016 during the Democratic primary season and his behind-the-scenes comments were captured by an MSNBC camera. The footage kicks off with Matthews asking: “Can I have some of the queen’s waters? Precious waters?”

The “Hardball” host then asked, “Where’s that Bill Cosby pill I brought with me?”

The Cut’s Noreen Malone, who uncovered the footage, noted that Matthews “then laughs, delighted with the line” and staffers are seen reacting “with disbelief, clearly uncomfortable.” Malone did not mention how she obtained the footage.

The footage takes place in an Iowa fire station and features two different camera angles. Back in September, video was leaked of fellow MSNBC star Lawrence O'Donnell launching into profanity-laced tirades at his staff during a taping of his show. He complained about "insanity in my earpiece" and begging someone to "stop the hammering!"

O'Donnell's tirades were first reported by Mediaite, which posted a stitched-together video of the outbursts that lasted more than eight minutes, resulted in the liberal host becoming a punchline for his outburst. While the footage of O'Donnell was embarrassing, it’s far from making a joke about alleged serial rapist Bill Cosby – and it appears Matthews is aware of his wrongdoing.

Matthews issued a statement to The Cut: “This was a terrible comment I made in poor taste during the height of the Bill Cosby headlines. I realize that’s no excuse. I deeply regret it and I’m sorry.”

The Cut said Matthews has a long history of derogatory comments about Clinton, and he once called her witchy," "anti-male" and "uppity," according to Jezebel.

MSNBC recently admitted that Matthews had settled with a former producer who accused him of sexual harassment. In fact, NBC News and MSNBC have dealt with a variety of other high-profile issues lately.

Among them, longtime “Today” star Matt Lauer was fired for sexual misconduct; and MSNBC fired “Morning Joe” regular Mark Halperin for sexual misconduct and suspended contributors Glenn Thrush and Harold Ford Jr., who had also been accused of inappropriate behavior with women.

MSNBC declined comment.