Keith Olbermann Says Goodbye to "Countdown"

After nearly eight years as host of MSNBC's "Countdown," Keith Olbermann announced he is leaving the show. Elaine Quijano reports on his controversial career and the speculation surrounding the reason for his departure.

[@SantaMonicaSue]

I am glad you are back and I can see you on You Tube!

[@lwdawg]

Keith was the reason I started watching MSNBC. Them getting rid of him is like FOX getting rid of billo the clown. He will be missed.

[@darrellee8194]

I only discovered MSNBC upon Keith's departure.

[@bubbispapa2053]

He definitely changed MSNBC. His show had more news, information, and entertainment (not always a bad thing for news to have) in one hour than all the other shows combined!

[@peterbury9707]

Apparently, he got a HUGE payout bc he worked as an independent contractor and not as an employee. They hired him as a contractor bc they didn't want to pay his health insurance and ended up having to pay the balance left on his $30m contract.

[@rsr789]

Someone get me the name of his agent!

[@jonathanbush6197]

In his podcast he speaks in detail about why he left.

[@craig4053]

Did he also explain why he's so left?

[@smallfootprint2961]

I remember loving Kieth, in those days. I always felt he told it like it was.

[@patriciamalone4473]

They need to bring him back

[@steelstreet3765]

I miss this show.

[@CoWproperties]

Fortunately he started up Countdown as a podcast this year!!!

[@deanf7086]

😂

[@somahmed123]

He was the best thing in msnbc history.

[@casailboat_78]

You are so right .He's the best. I love Rachel, but she's no Keith Olbermann. He has a channel now on KZbin that I like to watch.

[@somahmed123]

@@casailboat_78 the worse person in the world.

[@somahmed123]

Segment.

[@TighelanderII]

Keith is a Hall of Fame

[@davidgraham7279]

Keith Olbermann is one of the greatest. I listen to his dailey podcast most days.

[@myratravin9588]

He was a genius.

[@user-op9iv5eo2i]

WE NEED KEITH MORE THAN EVER NOW!!!!!

[@craig4053]

To push his Marxist views?

[@TighelanderII]

So glad that I discovered his (newish) podcast.

[@terryatpi]

Me too. It’s great!

[@captainnutsack8151]

You and the four other listeners LOL

[@terryatpi]

@@captainnutsack8151 lo mf o

[@terryatpi]

The room is shrinking

[@chingon711]

you did great work and you'll be missed!

[@steelstreet3765]

Yes he is missed

[@azpro2957]

Best show ever!

[@sheilacrabtree5993]

He's back!! On his KZbin channel.

[@markhankins3023]

Olbermann rocks!

[@philokevetch8691]

Some people in positions of power do not like success. They call it repositioning, retooling, standing back to have a better perspective on things. I call it green with envy and something about the nail getting the...well you know.

[@wandaruiz9814]

Hated to see you go !! 😮

[@milosterwheeler2520]

I watched Keith and Rachel every night. First they got rid of Keith, then they let Rachel go to once a week. It ain't the old MSNBC anymore - now when we need them most.

[@ABESAW]

I guess no more MSNBC for me then. I'm gonna miss you Keith.

[@michaelRay2576]

Keith Obermann for president 2024 👍🏾💪🏼😄

[@katubaldy]

Damn!!! One of a rare breed vanishes from the airwaves...lets hope he finds an outlet on some other media source...

[@janetplanet8746]

And now, thanks to Keith's podcast, we know all about Lawrence O'Donnell's position on this fracas.

[@ohana8535]

His podcast is amazing. I think he is better without MSNBC

[@richhughes2225]

Kieth said that Rachel had something to do with his departure.

[@dannysunay4386]

They both got caught in the custodians room. She was using a mop handle on keith.😢

[@MikeOwl]

@Freedom1749 I bet the opposite happens: I bet that viewership goes way down except for Rachel Maddow. MSNBC tried competing that way with Fox before and was in last place. Olbermann built up MSNBC in the mid-2000s and Maddow expanded on it. You're right that he could be mean and petty but that was always in response to something mean and nasty on the other side of the political spectrum.

[@darrellee8194]

wow. Brian Stelter used to be so young and thin, and what happened to his voice? Maddow looks exactly the same.

[@chiefdancingostriche]

this was a sad day....for msnbc.

[@MikeOwl]

@independentview1 I've never heard that before. Strange if he did say that. I've never heard him advocate violence and he often apologized for his mean, snarky remarks after he calmed down.

[@dannysunay4386]

Does anybody remember Keith doing sports on channel 2 in Los Angeles back in the day???? Uhh, behind Jim hill that is!!! I met Jim at the great forum. He was having trouble with his broadcast and in between takes, I yelled "HELLO JIM, I HOPE YOU ARE HAVING A GOOD AFTERNOON!" and he used that ever since! Many many many years later, when I saw the movie Forrest Gump, I related to that just a bit!!!😂😂😂

[@riparianlife97701]

The commercials buffer way worse than the videos we're trying to watch. Why are they forcing us to watch commercials before they're even ready to run them?

[@olyokie]

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ Next?

[@chingon711]

@dewerbylhserf very insightful reply...i bet you were a regular short yellow bus passenger as a child.

[@sugarcookiecube]

🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸COMEBACK KEITH!!! WE NEED REAL AMERICANS ON CABLE. (NOT TRAITORS LIKE faux news network) 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

[@Berry_N]

At least he has a great podcast now.

[@oddnomad8010]

i love how the foxnews worshippers visit this video, shouldnt you be out there with the rest of the teabaggers

[@Mewstor151]

@Freedom1749 There's never been any name calling on FOX news either? Woah. Where have I been?

[@peaceonhotdogs]

Wow, see ya

[@apocalypseap]

@OMGZergRush Okay, it does have the needy part. But it still goes to people who don't really need it, as well, and I'm sure that it's not being distributed as well as it could to people who really need it. Old age, for example, is something that you yourself should prepare for if capable enough to do so. Aren't the 50+ year olds the richest demographic as well? I read that somewhere. My point is that capable people (or already-well-off-enough people) should not be able to leech the system.

[@BlakeBarbieDoll]

@cjm608 He had better be. I am writing MSNBC right now!

[@juliancrooks3031]

MSNBC lost it's best show when he left

[@cjm608]

he will be back! count on it.

[@deanf7086]

😂I’m glad you didn’t tell me to hold my breath….

[@kayzyr9442]

@@deanf7086You were correct! Hadn’t realized how much I missed him until I caught his podcast.

[@kayzyr9442]

@@deanf7086His podcast is widely available, and Keith is as informative and entertaining as ever!!!

[@ohana8535]

No he doesn't LOL He is better than ever.

[@IP0Monsturd]

MSNBC told Keith Olbermann to "LEAN FORWARD" and then they kicked Keith in the seat of his pants and right out the door.

[@dewerbylhserf]

keith olbermann Final Countdown

[@dewerbylhserf]

@chingon711 I WAS A GOOD BOY IN SCHOOL, 5 ' 11 LB 180 . NOT SO SHORT

[@rixar139]

☘ Irish Honey Badger - ^ I miss him. ^

[@karlc2869]

Aren't you going to apologize to Britney, Keith?

[@golfwhiskey871]

Shame he had to drag Tim Russert's name through the mud on the way out.

[@clinthammer965]

Keith Olbermann, you are a freak. :)

[@tbronk7996]

I’m going to miss all the lies

[@edwardweber5655]

Ya and over in fuax news. They do he'll they might kick back on that channel

[@stewgaatz]

He's such a fool these days. Nobody wants to even look at the guy anymore.

[@cato451]

Such a tragic death

[@yatyas72]

Ha ha ha! Good Riddance!!

[@65ranchero]

BYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE ! Great news !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@tracer740]

@apocalypseap -Stop pointing out facts and making sensible observations! you would want to offend the delusion under which those people operate, ... would you?

[@surlyorc]

@cjm608 Yes, and I will be elected as the Emperor of Pluto.

[@surlyorc]

@surlyorc Hail cjm608, Emperor of Pluto!

[@Jason-vp8nd]

This guy's not a giant at all. I'll tell you who is though. Tucker Carlson That's a giant

[@melanies.6030]

Tucker Who???😂😂😂😂

[@tracer740]

@surlyorc - In your dreams! This man has more following, left and right, than Oreilly and Beck combined! The mere fact that you are here chirping your reaction, should be a signal. Duh...

[@namomme5008]

😂

[@dewerbylhserf]

@CtwoShiningC YES . 4 KIDS LOL

[@theluckydawgzband3734]

Yet has boss donated million to trump

[@forexcobar7273]

He made MSN b. C. And they're s******* on him today.He has turned into a cranky old man, though spokennoise

[@dewerbylhserf]

bye bye from comcast

[@freshhug]

If you criticise a jew on a jewish network you get the sack, that's what heppend.

[@surlyorc]

@1019drummer He wasn't popular. That's why he was canned.

[@robertjiffers1468]

Haha

[@apocalypseap]

@Uaz31 Social security is not the same as taxes and is completely unnecessary. What purpose does social security serve? Does it help build important facilities? Does it help repair anything? Does it help the needy? Does it go to people who deserve it? The answer to all of this, is no. In fact, you're right: social security isn't communism - it's much worse than communism. How do you like that? Oh and just because something's in the constitution, that doesn't automatically make it good.

[@vickiobrien9809]

I loved this show. I miss the show!,

[@hookalakah]

"I don’t begrudge Olbermann wanting more money... If you think you can fetch a better price from a giant corporation for your low-rated show, why not go for it? Of course, putting your “greed” ahead of the cause you consider yourself vital to is a nice bit of hypocrisy for a prog like Olbermann. But letting your staff sit in the dark until they hear the news on air, strikes me as precisely the sort of thing you’d expect from a self-involved jerk." -Jonah Goldberg

[@theluckydawgzband3734]

Bs ge order him off cause de ceos mom watch fox and was mad cause e expose oreillys lyong

[@vaderbaby]

Olbermann was the best they've ever had.

[@MrJeremyTX]

Bub bye!!!!

[@IP0Monsturd]

@halcyon0830 Saying Keith Olbermann had the "highest rated" show on one of the lowest rated cable networks is like saying you had the best smelling fart.

[@greg11786]

Good riddance

[@freshhug]

He got the sack because he criticised John Stewart.

[@Jason-vp8nd]

What a great day! This was finally some accountability out of the left. It's only 12 years ago though. How about nowadays?

[@PsychicDogTalkRadio3]

@JAtria why? cnn is full of shit too. i hope he makes a youtube channel and continues the daily show with no body telling him what he can and can't say

[@SuperBigblue19]

Oberfurer is fired by Current. And there will be no goodbyes from this disaster of a human being on Currents time. And to add insult to this tube of vinegar. They are putting Elliot Spitzer in his time slot. HA, HA. man you have to suck bad to get replaced by that cat.

[@IP0Monsturd]

@Fringe111 Keith Olbermann was fired because his ratings sucked.

[@lwdawg]

Keith was the reason I started watching MSNBC. Them getting rid of him is like FOX getting rid of billo the clown. He will be missed.