Greta Van Susteren Says MSNBC Was Only Network That Tried Controlling Her

Greta Van Susteren recently spoke out about her departure from MSNBC and shared some insights into the network's operations.

During an interview with Tara Palmeri for "The Red Letter," Van Susteren stated that in her extensive media career spanning over 30 years, MSNBC was the only network that attempted "controlling" her.

As the conversation turned to their work with Voice of America—a media outlet that faced potential budget cuts under President Donald Trump—Palmeri asked Van Susteren if she believed there was a "leftist bias" in its newsroom. Van Susteren denied any such bias and instead pointed to MSNBC as the network that had tried to exert influence over her.

Van Susteren, who spent more than a decade at Fox News, had a short tenure at MSNBC in 2017, lasting less than a year.

“After I had been at CNN and Fox and then MSNBC tried to tell me what to do. I almost thought they were joking because I had like a 15- or 18-year career in the news business and nobody ever told me and so it never occurred to me,” Van Susteren said.

The full exchange is as follows:

TARA PALMERI: From your experience being inside, do you feel there was a leftist bias inside the newsroom?

GRETA VAN SUSTEREN: Well, first of all, I only knew the one narrow niche which was English. I have no idea what anyone else was saying. Nobody told me what to say or do while I was there. Nobody told me what to do or say at CNN, Fox—

PALMERI: They wouldn’t dare! Come on, Greta [laughs] They wouldn’t dare with you.

SUSTEREN: Well, no, that’s why I got fired at MSNBC.

PALMERI: I forgot to mention MSNBC [laughs].

SUSTEREN: After I had been at CNN and Fox and then MSNBC tried to tell me what to do. I almost thought they were joking because I had like a 15 or 18 year career in the news business and nobody ever told me and so it never occurred to me. So that’s why I got fired at MSNBC because they said I needed to play ball, and I thought that didn’t work.

WATCH:

Van Susteren’s time at MSNBC ended abruptly just five and a half months after she joined in late 2016 as the host of "For the Record with Greta," airing at 6 p.m. Eastern Time. This marked her second unexpected departure from a cable news network within a year.

John Coale, her agent and husband, revealed that the decision came as a shock to them.

Her show struggled with ratings, averaging one million viewers in June, reflecting an 18% drop from the previous hour’s numbers.

Following her departure, MSNBC filled her slot with Ari Melber, who continues to host "The Beat with Ari Melber" to this day.

Van Susteren first gained nationwide recognition in the 1990s while providing legal analysis for CNN during the O.J. Simpson trial. She later co-hosted the network’s legal program, "Burden of Proof."

In 2002, she joined Fox News as the host of "On the Record with Greta Van Susteren," a role she maintained for about 14 years. The show became known for its in-depth discussions on legal and political topics.

Following her time at Fox, she worked with Voice of America and eventually joined Newsmax, where she currently hosts a news program.