Jeffrey Toobin, CNN’s chief legal correspondent and a reporter at The New Yorker, has been suspended by the magazine and sidelined by CNN after he allegedly exposed himself on a Zoom call.
The incident happened last week during an election meeting between staffers at The New Yorker and WNYC radio, according to Vice, which first reported the story.
Toobin told the outlet he didn’t realize his camera was on at the time.
“I made an embarrassingly stupid mistake, believing I was off-camera. I apologize to my wife, family, friends and co-workers,” he said. “I believed I was not visible on Zoom. I thought no one on the Zoom call could see me. I thought I had muted the Zoom video.”
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A spokesperson for The New Yorker told Vice an investigation is underway. “Jeffrey Toobin has been suspended while we investigate the matter,” the spokesperson said.
Toobin’s email at The New Yorker has been disabled, but he appeared on CNN Saturday.
CNN now says Toobin is taking time off from the network.
“Jeff Toobin has asked for some time off while he deals with a personal issue, which we have granted,” CNN said in a statement to the media.
The incident happened during an election simulation and strategy session. Two people who were on the call told Vice they saw Toobin masturbating.
“The people on the call said they could see Toobin touching his penis. Toobin then left the call. Moments later, he called back in, seemingly unaware of what his colleagues had been able to see, and the simulation continued,” the outlet reported.
Toobin, 60, gained prominence during O.J. Simpson’s criminal trial in 1995. He’s also written several books.
