Conservative CNN pundit Scott Jennings offered to apologize to actress Catherine Zeta-Jones after he humiliated her son on air.
The commentator appeared on Meghan McCain’s ‘Citizen McCain’ podcast when he addressed the fiery debate he had with Dylan Douglas, 25, last month, which left the nepo baby stumbling over his words.
Zeta-Jones and Dylan’s father, Michael Douglas, were reportedly left outraged by the debate, and were even considering blacklisting the entire network, according to gossip columnist Rob Shuter.
The actress had blasted the segment as ‘unfair and exploitative’ while Michael told people that CNN had ‘crossed a line,’ according to Shuter.
‘Dylan’s never been spoken to like that in his entire life. He’s always been the golden boy – adored, protected,’ an unidentified source said.
‘CNN gave him a taste of the real world, and his parents hated every second of it.’
They have now even decided they will no longer give interviews to CNN or appear on the network, reportedly calling the debate a ‘total betrayal.’
In his interview with McCain on Monday, Jennings said he was surprised that Zeta-Jones and her husband were reportedly left infuriated by the debate.
‘I’m more than willing to apologize personally to Catherine Zeta-Jones over a nice seafood dinner if she wants to do it,’ he cheekily remarked.
‘Actually, I have to say Dylan was really nice off the air,’ he continued. ‘I think he was honored to be there.’
‘We had what is relatively a normal exchange,’ Jennings then insisted. ‘He made his Democratic talking points. I dismantled him. Not an uncommon thing to happen on CNN.’
When he then saw that Zeta-Jones and Michael were livid about the segment, Jennings reiterated that he was ‘surprised.’
‘But I think that what happens with some of these folks is that they exist in a very tight little bubble. They never really talk to Republicans or conservatives. They don’t really get outside of their bubbles, where people tell them how smart and good-looking they are.
‘And then they wind up on television with someone of a different persuasion, and it’s surprising to them.’
‘I hope Dylan comes back,’ Jennings added. ‘I’m sure he’ll get better at it.’
Earlier in the interview, McCain said she thought Dylan ‘should not have been booked on a show with you because it’s like bringing a knife to a gun fight, quite frankly.’
She then went on to say that the entire segment on November 10 made her feel ‘so uncomfortable,’ as she referred to herself as the ‘queen of nepo babies’ thanks to her father, the late Senator John McCain.
‘I have been put on TV way too early as a nepo baby,’ she said. ‘And of all people, Paul Begala schooled the living s**t out of me the one and only time I went on Bill Maher,’ McCain said of a former adviser to then-president Bill Clinton.
‘I have been Dylan Douglas,’ McCain continued. ‘But what didn’t happen is my parents didn’t have a meltdown. My dad was like, “Buck up and move on.”‘
Dylan had appeared on CNN to discuss the Senate passing a funding bill to reopen the government.
During the discussion, the 25-year-old – who is following in his parents’ footsteps as an aspiring actor – blamed Republicans for the record-long shutdown.
‘Scott, with all respect, you cannot put on the American people that Democrats were the one [sic] that were hurting people, making this plight,’ Dylan said.
Jennings responded by asking: ‘Who was casting the votes against opening the government, Democrats or Republicans?’
The two then spoke over each other for a few seconds before Dylan countered Jennings’s question with one of his own, asking: ‘Who was wanting to cut SNAP benefits?’
Jennings said Republicans voted to fund the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) 15 times, while Democrats voted against it in each instance – referencing the number of times the Senate voted on the shutdown, with each proposed bill including the food benefits.
Jennings also mentioned that eight Democratic senators broke rank and voted in favor of the bill to reopen the government.
As he spoke, Dylan started stuttering incomprehensibly about the expiring Affordable Care Act tax credits that Democrats said were the reason they would not pass the funding bill.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune has said he would hold a mid-December vote to extend those credits, which was among the small concessions Republicans made that got the eight senators to flip their positions.
Dylan’s parents worked together on the films The Mask of Zorro (1998) and Traffic (2000). Douglas is particularly well-known for his roles in Basic Instinct and Wall Street.
Like his father, Dylan has worked as an actor and producer, but he is also a progressive political commentator. He hosts a political talk show on SiriusXM called Young American with Dylan Douglas.
He is also a co-founder of the political action committee, Make Room, which supports young and progressive candidates and he has worked on political campaigns.
This was Dylan’s second appearance on a TV network news program. The first was on MSNBC’s Morning Joe in September.
