Chris Matthews Announces He's Leaving MSNBC

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NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- MSNBC host Chris Matthews is leaving the network, he announced at the start of Monday night's "Hardball." It comes after accusations of unwanted overtures to a guest and controversial remarks about Bernie Sanders and others.

After the 74-year-old "Hardball" host made the announcement, Steve Kornacki replaced him on Monday's show.

"Let me start with my headline tonight: I'm retiring," Matthews said. "This is the last 'Hardball' on MSNBC, and obviously this isn't for lack of interest in politics. As you can tell, I've loved every minute of my 20 years as host of Hardball. Every morning I read the papers and I'm gung-ho to get to work. Not many people have had this privilege."

Matthews continued: "I love working with my producers and the discussions we have over how to report the news, and I love having this connection with you, the good people who watch. I've learned who you are, bumping into you on the sidewalk or waiting at an airport and saying hello."

"After a conversation with MSNBC, I decided tonight will be my last 'Hardball,' so let me tell you why," he said. "The younger generation is out there ready to take the reins. We see them in politics, in the media, in fighting for the causes. They have improved the workplace. We're talking about better standards than we grew up with: fair standards."

After Kornacki took the seat, he said, "Chris Matthews is a giant, he's a legend. It's an honor for me to work with him, to sit in for him on occasion. I think you're going to miss him, and I know I'm going to."

In a first-person story for GQ published Feb. 28, freelance journalist Laura Bassett said Matthews behaved inappropriately toward her when she was guest on his show.

“In 2016, right before I had to go on his show and talk about sexual-assault allegations against Donald Trump, Matthews looked over at me in the makeup chair next to him and said, ‘Why haven’t I fallen in love with you yet?’ When I laughed nervously and said nothing, he followed up to the makeup artist. ‘Keep putting makeup on her, I’ll fall in love with her,’” Bassett wrote. “Another time, he stood between me and the mirror and complimented the red dress I was wearing for the segment. ‘You going out tonight?’ he asked.”

Bassett said she written about the encounter in a 2017 essay but didn't name Matthews because she was afraid of network retaliation, adding, “I'm not anymore.”

And a few days before the publication of the article, Matthews apologized to Bernie Sanders for comparing the his win in the Nevada caucus to the Nazi takeover of France.

Matthews was set to retire in the near future with the events of the past week playing a factor in the timing of the move, an MSNBC spokesperson said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.