Alec Baldwin, MSNBC Have 'Mutual Parting'
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Well, that was quick.
Alec Baldwin's run as a political talk show host has ended after just five episodes. He and MSNBC announced Tuesday they were ending his Friday night show after the actor had been suspended for two weeks for using an anti-gay slur in a Manhattan street encounter.
MSNBC said it was a "mutual parting and we wish Alec all the best."
"Up Late with Alec Baldwin" had aired only five episodes. The first three attracted a little more than a half million viewers, but the last two dipped under 400,000 viewers.
The Emmy-winning former star of "30 Rock" had lost his cool in the street encounter. He later tweeted that he did not realize the profane phrase he used was offensive to gays, but then apologized.
Baldwin later said that the incident took place as he tried to protect his family.
MSNBC suspended Baldwin for two weeks, a punishment that was due to end this Friday.
The encounter came during the same week a Canadian actress was convicted of stalking Baldwin with calls, emails and visits over a two-year period. Genevieve Sabourin was sentenced to six months in jail in addition to a month she's already serving for her courtroom outbursts.
On the same day Baldwin was suspended, another MSNBC personality, Martin Bashir, made a graphic suggestion for how Sarah Palin should be punished for comments on slavery. Bashir apologized and MSNBC said it is handling the problems internally.
The end of Baldwin's show came on the same day CBS ordered "60 Minutes" correspondent Lara Logan and her producer to take a leave of absence following a critical internal review of their handling of a report about the fatal attack on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya.
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