Jeffrey Toobin Returns To CNN After Being Caught Masturbating On Zoom, Calls Incident 'Deeply Moronic, Indefensible'
The next time you're dreading heading back to work, keep this in mind: It could be worse — you could be Jeffrey Toobin.
The 61-year-old has returned to his role as chief legal analyst at CNN on Thursday, June 10 — seven months after he was caught masturbating during a Zoom call with his colleagues.
During his first appearance back, anchor Alisyn Camerota wasted no time asking the journalist about the cringe-worthy incident. "Obviously I wasn't thinking very well, or very much, and it was something that was inexplicable to me," he explained. "I think one point, I wouldn't exactly say in my defense, because nothing is really in my defense, I didn't think I was on the call. I didn't think other people could see me."
A sheepish Toobin admitted his behavior "was deeply moronic and indefensible," revealing he spent the "miserable months" since the scandal "trying to be a better person" with therapy and by doing public service. "I am trying to become the kind of person that people can trust again," he admitted.
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The reporter then embarked on a mini apology tour. "Above all, I am sorry to my wife, and to my family, but I'm also sorry to the people on the Zoom call, I'm sorry to my former colleagues at the New Yorker, I'm sorry to my current, fortunately, still colleagues at CNN," he continued. "And I'm sorry to the people who read my work and who watched me on CNN who thought I was a better person than this. I got a lot to rebuild, but I feel very privileged and very lucky that I’m going to be able to try to do that."
In October 2020, Vice reported Toobin was caught exposing himself during a virtual election simulation between members of The New Yorker and WNYC. At one point, both sides broke for a strategy session.
"The sources said that when the groups returned from their break out rooms, Toobin lowered the camera. The people on the call said they could see Toobin touching his penis," the outlet reported. "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."
At the time, Toobin attempted to do damage control, but he was subsequently fired from the New Yorker and temporarily removed from CNN.
"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. "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."
