CNN's Jeffrey Toobin fired by New Yorker magazine following Zoom call masturbation incident
The star CNN legal analyst has been taking 'time off' from the network
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}CNN's star legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin lost his job as a staff writer at the New Yorker magazine Wednesday following an investigation into an incident in which Toobin was seen masturbating on a Zoom call with colleagues at the venerable publication.
"As a result of our investigation, Jeffrey Toobin is no longer affiliated with the company," a spokesperson for the New Yorker confirmed to Fox News.
Toobin himself confirmed his dismissal on social media.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"I was fired today by @NewYorker after 27 years as a Staff Writer," he tweeted. "I will always love the magazine, will miss my colleagues, and will look forward to reading their work."
CNN'S JEFFREY TOOBIN REPORTEDLY MASTURBATING ON ZOOM CALL THAT LED TO NEW YORKER SUSPENSION
An internal memo to staff from Condé Nast chief people officer Stan Duncan informed them of Toobin's termination.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“I am writing to share with you that our investigation regarding Jeffrey Toobin is complete, and as a result, he is no longer affiliated with our company,” Duncan wrote in the memo, which was obtained by The Daily Beast. “I want to assure everyone that we take workplace matters seriously. We are committed to fostering an environment where everyone feels respected and upholds our standards of conduct."
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Toobin was initially suspended by the magazine last month and was taking "time off" from CNN. Fox News has reached out to CNN for comment.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The messy controversy began when Vice reported that Toobin exposed himself to staffers of the New Yorker and members of WNYC radio during a Zoom call.
Vice later added a very salacious update.
Jeffrey Toobin, pictured in 2018, had written for the New Yorker since 1993. (Photo by Thos Robinson/Getty Images for The New Yorker)
The call, which was described as an "election simulation," featured New Yorker writers Jane Mayer, Masha Gessen, Andrew Marantz, Jelani Cobb, Evan Osnos, Sue Halpern, and Dexter Filkins playing various roles in potential 2020 outcomes including President Trump, Joe Biden, "establishment Republicans," 'establishment Democrats," and "the military." Toobin was playing "the courts."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}According to two sources, Toobin was seen masturbating during what was supposed to be a 10-minute "strategy session" among the various role-playing groups. However, the sources told Vice that it "seemed like Toobin was on a second video call."
"The sources said that when the groups returned from their breakout rooms, Toobin lowered the camera," Vice reported. "The people on the call said they could see Toobin touching his penis. Toobin then left the call. Moments later, he called back in, seemingly unaware of what his colleagues had been able to see, and the simulation continued."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Vice noted, "This piece has been updated with more detail about the call and the headline has been updated to reflect that Toobin was masturbating."
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Prior to the reported masturbation, Toobin, one of CNN's biggest stars, offered an apology for his "embarrassingly stupid mistake" and attempted to explain what led to the incident.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“I made an embarrassingly stupid mistake, believing I was off-camera. I apologize to my wife, family, friends and co-workers," Toobin said in a statement to Motherboard. “I believed I was not visible on Zoom. I thought no one on the Zoom call could see me. I thought I had muted the Zoom video."