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"Let me start with my headline tonight: I'm
retiring. This is the last 'Hardball' on MSNBC," Matthews said
as he opened his evening show on the Comcast owned channel.
The hour-long week night talk show hosted by the pugnacious
Matthews and focusing on politics was one of the staples of
left-leaning MSNBC's primetime lineup, where it has aired since
1999.
The decision by Matthews, 74, follows comments in which he
appeared to compare the success of Sanders in primary voting for
the U.S. presidential elections to the Nazi invasion of Europe
during World War Two.
Sanders, the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination, is
Jewish. Matthews last week issued an on-air apology.
Matthews was also criticized for a tough interview with
Democratic contender Elizabeth Warren last week.
In a separate incident, a female journalist last week alleged
that Matthews had made inappropriate remarks to her while she
was getting ready to appear on his show in 2016.
"Obviously, this isn't for lack of interest in politics,"
Matthews said on Monday of his decision to retire. "The younger
generations out there are ready to take the reins. We see them
in politics and the media."
"Compliments on a woman's appearance that some men including me
might have once incorrectly thought were OK, were never OK. Not
then and certainly not today. And for making such comments in
the past, I'm sorry," he added.
Matthews said he came to his decision after talks with MSNBC.
Matthews immediately handed over his show to stunned MSNBC
political reporter Steve Kornacki.
"Chris Matthews is a giant, he is a legend... I knew how much
you meant to him, and how much he meant to you. And I think
you're going to miss him, and I will too," Kornacki said.
Matthews was known for his combative approach in interviews with
politicians and commentators. He came to MSNBC after a long
career in Washington D.C., where he worked for several Democrats
and became a speech writer for President Jimmy Carter.
(Reporting by Jill Serjeant; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman
and Sandra Maler)
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