Conservative CNN commentator Scott Jennings grew colder behind the scenes for weeks before cursing at a fellow panelist on live television.
Adam Mockler, the political commentator on the receiving end of that outburst in April, described the buildup on a Wednesday episode of “The Daily Beast Podcast” with host Joanna Coles.
Mockler said he and Jennings had been on “a lot of panels over the past few weeks” as the war with Iran slid into “a pretty bad stalemate,” with Jennings repeatedly insisting “that the war was going to be over soon and that we were winning.”
Off-camera, Mockler said, the mood shifted.
“As I would see him in the green room more and more, he would just be a little bit more disconnected,” Mockler said. “When I first started doing these, we would, you know, chat a little bit. Then he would get less chatty, then look at me less.”
“Then it just got more and more awkward behind the scenes, and I could tell he felt like he was in a weird position,” he added.
On air, Mockler pressed the same question he had asked on earlier panels. “Name one concession we’ve gotten from the country of Iran,” he recalled saying.
According to Mockler, Jennings answered with “isn’t it past your bedtime?” and later a dig about masculinity. “Even Abby [Phillip, the host] at the table was like, okay, Scott, you don’t have to say that stuff,” Mockler said.
Mockler accused Jennings of using the show’s time limits to “spew his bulls— and then hope that everybody moves on.” He said he refused to “play by those rules” and kept pushing until Jennings shouted, “Get your f— hand out of my face.”
Mockler acknowledged gesturing but said his hands were never in Jennings’ face. He described Jennings as “very clearly feeling cornered, very immature, and unprofessional.”
The tension carried past the segment. Mockler said he joked “no more tantrums” during the commercial break and Jennings “got mad,” while fellow panelist Kat Abughazaleh quipped, “I thought you were about to hit him earlier.”
Leaving the building, Jennings “was way ahead of me,” Mockler said. “I remember shouting, I s— you not, I said, this is not going to look good for you,” Mockler recalled. “And then he turned around, and he walked out.”
“He’s quite thin-skinned, isn’t he?” Coles asked.
“I’ve been doing CNN hits for one year. He’s been doing it for a decade,” Mockler said. “The fact that he lost his s— due to the Iran war is very indicative of how thin-skinned he is.”
Jennings notably defended his actions during an interview on the “Fifth Column” podcast last week by saying Mockler “got a little close to me” and saying he gave him “gentle parenting.”
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