Accuracy in Media

Keith Olbermann has left ESPN — again.

Olbermann announced on Twitter earlier this week that he is quitting the sports giant to get back into politics with a daily commentary show on YouTube. He has named it “The Worst Person in the World,” after a regular segment from his old MSNBC show.

“I’ve left ESPN in every different way imaginable,” he wrote. “And while only once was it unpleasant, this time it is truly on happy terms.”

2/6

In the 31 years since I first worked for the network filling in for Roy Firestone on “Sportslook” in L.A., I’ve left ESPN in every different way imaginable. And while only once was it unpleasant, this time it is truly on happy terms.

— Keith Olbermann (@KeithOlbermann) October 6, 2020

This was Olbermann’s third stint at ESPN, which welcomed him back in 2013 after a contentious split in 1997, hired him back in 2018 after he said he was quitting politics because his “work here is done,” referring to his commentaries for GQ.

“I’m confident now, even more so than I have been throughout the last year, that this nightmare presidency of Donald John Trump will end prematurely and end soon, and I am thus also confident that this is the correct moment to end this series of commentaries.”

With Election Day less than four weeks away, Olbermann couldn’t resist getting back in the game to ramp up attacks on President Donald Trump. In his first show on Wednesday, he called Trump a “mass murderer” for his handling of COVID-19.

NEW VIDEO: “I think this was a blessing from God that I caught it.” In fact Trump is a mass murderer whose “recovery” means 150,000 more of us will die of Covid-19 this year. Next new episode at 5 PM ET. A clip new commentary series below. Full video: https://t.co/R8ANjFFcg9 pic.twitter.com/cBlD3wi0pn

— Keith Olbermann (@KeithOlbermann) October 8, 2020

Olbermann’s television career has been a bit rocky — from his first split with ESPN to his abrupt firing by MSNBC to a failed program on Al Gore’s now-defunct Current TV.  After that last failure, the best he could do was post commentaries on GQ, which were barely noticed, pushing him back to ESPN, where his visibility was greatly reduced compared to his previous stints at the network.

It’s unclear how long Olbermann will keep his YouTube show going, particularly if Trump loses the election since he’s the primary target. Olbermann is unlikely to attack a Democratic administration unless they don’t go enough to the left to satisfy him.