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''Hardball with Chris Matthews'' was an American television
talk show A talk show (or chat show in British English) is a television programming or radio programming genre structured around the act of spontaneous conversation.Bernard M. Timberg, Robert J. Erler'' (2010Television Talk: A History of the TV Talk Sh ...
that was hosted by
Chris Matthews Christopher John Matthews (born December 17, 1945) is an American political commentator, retired talk show host, and author. Matthews hosted his weeknight hour-long talk show, '' Hardball with Chris Matthews'', on America's Talking and later on ...
. The program premiered on the now-defunct
America's Talking America's Talking was an American short-lived cable television channel focused mainly on talk based programming, created by NBC and spun off from economic channel CNBC. It was launched on July 4, 1994, and was carried in 10 million American hous ...
network in 1994 (as ''Politics with Chris Matthews'') before moving on
CNBC CNBC (formerly Consumer News and Business Channel) is an American basic cable business news channel. It provides business news programming on weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., Eastern Time, while broadcasting talk s ...
, and then to
MSNBC MSNBC (originally the Microsoft National Broadcasting Company) is an American news-based pay television cable channel. It is owned by NBCUniversala subsidiary of Comcast. Headquartered in New York City, it provides news coverage and political ...
, where it remained until its end in 2020. The show took its name from Matthews' 1988 book: ''Hardball: How Politics Is Played Told by One Who Knows the Game''. The program primarily featured coverage of political issues and headlines, along with discussion from a panel of analysts and political figures.


History

''Hardball'' was originally broadcast on
CNBC CNBC (formerly Consumer News and Business Channel) is an American basic cable business news channel. It provides business news programming on weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., Eastern Time, while broadcasting talk s ...
from 1997 until 1999, after which the program was moved to
MSNBC MSNBC (originally the Microsoft National Broadcasting Company) is an American news-based pay television cable channel. It is owned by NBCUniversala subsidiary of Comcast. Headquartered in New York City, it provides news coverage and political ...
. On March 2, 2020, Matthews announced that he had left the program, effective immediately, stating that the "younger generation" was "ready to take the reins", but that he would still "continue to write and talk about politics and cheer on my producers and crew here in Washington in New York and my MSNBC colleagues." His sign-off also included an apology alluding to sexual harassment allegations he had recently faced from a female journalist, remarking that "compliments on a women's appearance that some men, including me, might have once incorrectly thought were OK, were never OK. Not then and certainly not today". The announcement aired in place of the program (which, thus, aired its final full episode the preceding Friday); Steve Kornacki hosted the rest of the hour. The time slot was filled by rotating hosts (under the '' MSNBC Live'' banner); on July 9, 2020, it was announced that
Joy Reid Joy-Ann M. Lomena-Reid (born December 8, 1968), known professionally as Joy Reid, is an American cable television host, MSNBC national correspondent, liberal political commentator, and author. She hosted the weekly MSNBC morning show, ''AM Joy' ...
would host ''The ReidOut'' in the time slot, beginning July 20. ''The Wall Street Journal'' reported that Matthews had already been considering retirement from the show, possibly after the
2020 presidential election This national electoral calendar for 2020 lists the national/ federal elections held in 2020 in all sovereign states and their dependent territories. By-elections are excluded, though national referendums are included. January *5 January: ** ...
, but that the allegations, as well other controversial remarks he had recently made on-air (such as during an interview of
Elizabeth Warren Elizabeth Ann Warren ( née Herring; born June 22, 1949) is an American politician and former law professor who is the senior United States senator from Massachusetts, serving since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party and regarded as ...
, and comments made comparing
Bernie Sanders Bernard Sanders (born September8, 1941) is an American politician who has served as the junior United States senator from Vermont since 2007. He was the U.S. representative for the state's at-large congressional district from 1991 to 20 ...
' Nevada caucus victory to the fall of France to the Nazis), had expedited his departure.


Notable moments

Matthews caused controversy with remarks made off the air at a celebration of ''Hardball''s 10-year anniversary in October 2007. He claimed that the Bush administration—specifically Vice President Cheney's office—had tried to "silence" him by pressuring MSNBC executives to put a stop to Matthews' criticism of the
Iraq War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق (Kurdish languages, Kurdish) , partof = the Iraq conflict (2003–present), I ...
. The
White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in ...
declined to comment.


Michele Bachmann

On October 17, 2008,
Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over t ...
representative Michele Bachmann gave an interview on ''Hardball'' in support of the presidential campaign of Senator
John McCain John Sidney McCain III (August 29, 1936 – August 25, 2018) was an American politician and United States Navy officer who served as a United States senator from Arizona from 1987 until his death in 2018. He previously served two te ...
. In speaking of Senator
Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, Obama was the first Af ...
, Bachmann said: "we know that he is the most liberal senator in the United States Senate and that's just after one year of being there ... ith_Nancy_Pelosi_and_Harry_Reid.html" ;"title="Nancy_Pelosi.html" ;"title="ith Nancy Pelosi">ith Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid">Nancy_Pelosi.html" ;"title="ith Nancy Pelosi">ith Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid] you have a Troika (triumvirate), Troika of the most leftist administration in the history of our country." In reference to Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin's comment about "pro-America areas of this great nation", Bachmann was asked which areas are anti-American and responded, "I don't think it's geography. I think it is people who don't like America, who detest America ... you’ll find them in all walks of life all throughout America." When asked by Matthews about Democratic Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, Speaker of the House Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Reid, Bachmann said, "I am not going to say if they are anti-American or pro-American." When asked, "How many people in the Congress of the United States do you suspect as being anti-American?", she replied, "What I would say is that the news media should do a penetrating exposé and take a look. I wish they would. I wish the American media would take a great look at the views of the people in Congress and find out, are they pro-America or anti-America? I think people would love to see an exposé like that." Bachmann's comments had an immediate impact on her re-election campaign. A campaign urging Congress to officially censure Bachmann was launched with over 35,000 signatures in the first 24 hours after her ''Hardball'' appearance. In less than 72 hours, her congressional election opponent Elwyn Tinklenberg received $740,000 in donations. Tinklenberg said that he heard "in that kind of a call echoes of the
House Un-American Activities Committee The House Committee on Un-American Activities (HCUA), popularly dubbed the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), was an investigative United States Congressional committee, committee of the United States House of Representatives, create ...
." However, Bachmann defeated Tinklenberg 46.4% to 43.4% in the November 4, 2008 election.


Confrontations


Michelle Malkin

On August 19, 2004, conservative commentator Michelle Malkin appeared on the show and raised the question of whether Democratic candidate
John Kerry John Forbes Kerry (born December 11, 1943) is an American attorney, politician and diplomat who currently serves as the first United States special presidential envoy for climate. A member of the Forbes family and the Democratic Party, he ...
's
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...
wounds could have been "self-inflicted", saying that such questions were "legitimate". Matthews repeatedly asked Malkin if she thought that Kerry "shot himself on purpose" in order to avoid combat or to gain accolades, noting that such an act would constitute a criminal offense. Matthews challenged Malkin to "say to me right now that you believe he shot himself to get credit for a
Purple Heart The Purple Heart (PH) is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those wounded or killed while serving, on or after 5 April 1917, with the U.S. military. With its forerunner, the Badge of Military Merit, ...
—on purpose." Malkin refused to answer, instead referring to allegations made by some of Kerry's former fellow soldiers. Matthews told Malkin that ''Hardball'' "is not a show for this kind of talk." Malkin asked if Matthews didn't wonder whether Kerry's wounds may have been self-inflicted, to which the host responded, "No! I don't, it's never occurred to me."


Zell Miller

Days later, then-U.S. Senator Zell Miller, ( D
Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...
), a Democrat who supported then-Republican President George W. Bush, appeared on ''Hardball''. Miller had just given the keynote address at the Republican convention. Matthews took Miller to task for his statement that soldiers, not reporters, are responsible for freedom of the press, accusing the senator of making the comment only "to get an applause line against the media at a conservative convention." Miller had also criticized Kerry's record on national defense issues during his speech, prompting Matthews to ask if the senator believed that Kerry did not want to "defend the country." During a heated exchange in which each man interrupted the other several times, Miller shouted at Matthews to "get out of my face" and angrily stated that he wished "we lived in the day where you could challenge a person to a duel." He also made reference to the Malkin interview, telling Matthews not to "pull that stuff on me like you did that young lady, when you had her there browbeating her to death. I'm not her."


Ann Coulter and Elizabeth Edwards

On June 26, 2007, conservative commentator
Ann Coulter Ann Hart Coulter (; born December 8, 1961) is an American conservative media pundit, author, syndicated columnist, and lawyer. She became known as a media pundit in the late 1990s, appearing in print and on cable news as an outspoken critic of ...
was the guest when Elizabeth Edwards, wife of then-Democratic Presidential candidate John Edwards, made a surprise (per Coulter, afterwards) call to the program. Coulter had made a speech days earlier in which she said, "I was going to have a few comments on the other Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards, but it turns out you have to go into rehab if you use the word 'faggot'." Elizabeth Edwards confronted Coulter about the comment, as well as other comments Coulter had made accusing John Edwards of exploiting his son's death for political gain. Edwards asked Coulter to "stop the personal attacks" and accused her of "lowering the political dialogue" in America. Coulter responded that Edwards' complaints were an attempt to raise money for the presidential campaign, and questioned why the candidate himself was not making the call.


Kevin James

On May 15, 2008, Matthews had a confrontation with radio broadcaster Kevin James when he appeared on the show. At issue was a controversial speech made by President George W. Bush in Israel, where he appeared to claim that statements made by United States presidential candidate Barack Obama were tantamount to
Neville Chamberlain Arthur Neville Chamberlain (; 18 March 18699 November 1940) was a British politician of the Conservative Party who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from May 1937 to May 1940. He is best known for his foreign policy of appeaseme ...
's actions of "Nazi
appeasement Appeasement in an international context is a diplomatic policy of making political, material, or territorial concessions to an aggressive power in order to avoid conflict. The term is most often applied to the foreign policy of the UK governme ...
" in 1938. James agreed with the notion that Obama's positions were like Chamberlain's policy of appeasement but was unable to elaborate on what exactly Chamberlain did.


In popular culture

The show has been spoofed by ''
Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves ...
'', with
Darrell Hammond Darrell Clayton Hammond (born October 8, 1955) is an American actor, stand-up comedian and impressionist. He was a regular cast member on ''Saturday Night Live'' from 1995 to 2009, and has been its announcer since 2014. Upon his departure, Hammo ...
portraying Chris Matthews. One of the first instances was during the Florida election recount, following the unclear results of the
2000 United States presidential election The 2000 United States presidential election was the 54th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 7, 2000. Republican candidate George W. Bush, the governor of Texas and eldest son of the 41st president, George H. W. Bush ...
. ''Hardball'' appeared on the October 9, 2005 episode of ''
The West Wing ''The West Wing'' is an American serial political drama television series created by Aaron Sorkin that was originally broadcast on NBC from September 22, 1999, to May 14, 2006. The series is set primarily in the West Wing of the White Hous ...
'', " Message of the Week" (which was written by frequent ''Hardball'' guest Lawrence O'Donnell), with Chris Matthews playing himself. He interviews fictional Republican presidential candidate Arnold Vinick (played by
Alan Alda Alan Alda (; born Alphonso Joseph D'Abruzzo; January 28, 1936) is an American actor, screenwriter, and director. A six-time Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award winner, he is best known for playing Captain Benjamin "Hawkeye" Pierce in the war come ...
) and pressures him about his views on immigration. The tough nature of Matthews' questions prompts the character of
Josh Lyman Joshua Lyman is a fictional character played by Bradley Whitford on the television drama series ''The West Wing''. The role earned Whitford the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series in 2001. For most of the ser ...
, a strategist for Vinick's opponent, to shout: "Yeah! Welcome to ''Hardball'', Arnie!" The show was featured in the February 22, 2007 ''
30 Rock ''30 Rock'' is an American satirical sitcom television series created by Tina Fey that originally aired on NBC from October 11, 2006, to January 31, 2013. The series, based on Fey's experiences as head writer for ''Saturday Night Live'', tak ...
'' episode "
Hard Ball "Hard Ball" (also known as "Negotiation") is the fifteenth episode of NBC's first season of ''30 Rock''. It was written by one of the season's co-producers, Matt Hubbard, and directed by one of the season's supervising producers, Don Scardino. ...
", in which series character Jenna Maroney came on the show to explain about how she was misquoted in ''Maxim'' magazine about US military troops. She humiliated herself even further when she confused Barack Obama with
Osama bin Laden Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden (10 March 1957 – 2 May 2011) was a Saudi-born extremist militant who founded al-Qaeda and served as its leader from 1988 until his death in 2011. Ideologically a pan-Islamist, his group is designated ...
, after she mentioned whom she would support for U.S. president in 2008. The 2008 film ''
Swing Vote A swing vote is a vote that is seen as potentially going to any of a number of candidates in an election, or, in a two-party system, may go to either of the two dominant political parties. Such votes are usually sought after in election campaign ...
'' contains several segments of Chris Matthews delivering commentary on ''Hardball'' that relates to the film's plot line. Matthews received a credited cameo for recording the segments.


The ''Hardball'' Award

The ''Hardball'' Award is an award created in 2009 that recognizes an individual "who displays a combination of guts and political moxie to win not just the day but our fondest admiration." The award is not given on a regular basis; instead, it is given when someone displays character consistent with the award. Recipients: * Roland Burris: Given on January 9, 2009, for his efforts to retain his seat, which was appointed controversially by
Rod Blagojevich Rod Blagojevich ( , born December 10, 1956), often referred to by his nicknames "Blago" or "B-Rod", is an American former politician, political commentator, and convicted felon who served as the 40th governor of Illinois from 2003 to 2009, when ...
. * Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger: Given on January 16, 2009, for his courage in his successful emergency water landing of
US Airways Flight 1549 US Airways Flight 1549 was a regularly scheduled US Airways flight from New York City (LaGuardia Airport), to Charlotte and Seattle, in the United States. On January 15, 2009, the Airbus A320 serving the flight struck a flock of birds short ...
on the Hudson River. * Rep. Gary Ackerman: Given on February 6, 2009, for speaking out against the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for their failure in regulating and catching
Bernard Madoff Bernard Lawrence Madoff ( ; April 29, 1938April 14, 2021) was an American fraudster and financier who was the admitted mastermind of the largest Ponzi scheme in history, worth about $64.8 billion. He was at one time chairman of the NASDAQ ...
's ponzi scheme. *
Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States sen ...
: Given on February 18, 2009, for her service to her country and her historic run at the presidency. *
Rush Limbaugh Rush Hudson Limbaugh III ( ; January 12, 1951 – February 17, 2021) was an American conservative political commentator who was the host of '' The Rush Limbaugh Show'', which first aired in 1984 and was nationally syndicated on AM and FM r ...
: Given on March 5, 2009, for taking a modest mention by the president and turning it into media gold. * Debbie Wasserman Schultz: Given on March 24, 2009, for balancing motherhood, a successful House campaign, continuous voting, and presidential support for both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama while undergoing seven surgeries for breast cancer. *
Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, Obama was the first Af ...
: Given on April 2, 2009 for "firing" General Motors CEO
Rick Wagoner George Richard "Rick" Wagoner Jr. (born February 9, 1953) is an American businessman and former chair and chief executive officer of General Motors. Wagoner resigned as chairman and CEO at General Motors on March 29, 2009, at the request of the W ...
, when Wagoner proved ineffective at reorganizing the company.


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hardball With Chris Matthews 1990s American political television series 1997 American television series debuts 2000s American political television series 2010s American political television series 2020 American television series endings 2020s American political television series American television talk shows CNBC original programming English-language television shows MSNBC original programming