PAT O'BRIEN LEAVING THE INSIDER

Pat O'Brien is leaving his job as correspondent for The Insider after four years at the syndicated entertainment news program, the show announced Thursday.
"Pat O'Brien is a talented broadcaster who has been a part of The Insider family from the very beginning," a rep for the show said in a statement.
"Although we have decided to part ways, everyone at CBS Television Distribution and The Insider greatly appreciate and respect all his contributions to our show," the rep added. "We wish Pat much success in his future endeavors."
The switch comes after the 60-year-old broadcaster sent an email to colleagues that parts of The Insider were out of touch with the viewers.
"I just spent a couple of days in Iowa - I'm a little bit of a favorite son there - and I spoke with maybe a thousand people and was very hands-on," he wrote, according to the New York Post. "Even Joe Biden said, 'You should be running [for president]!' But what I came away with was, these people can't afford gas, books, food or schools or movies!
"I was approached a hundred times by people asking, 'Can you help us?' I tried to tell them we care, but they didn't buy it," he continued. "They wanted to, but watching Anya [Sarre] and Lara [Spencer] pick out accessories makes the viewers want to vomit. I'll get killed for this, but I'm actually the one not afraid for my job. I want people to be happy."
Of the e-mails, O'Brien told the Post: "I'm trying to create a discourse. The American people want honesty. I just raged against the machine. We can change the world."
O'Brien hosted the show until he went to rehab in 2005 after raunchy voicemails surfaced. That year he appeared with Dr. Phil McGraw and apologized to his family for his substance abuse.
Previously, O'Brien worked for Access Hollywood as well as NBC and CBS Sports.

Usmagazine