Melber is really an embarrassment...

[Trueblue Texan]

I guess he wants to be a rapper or something. The closes his segment with some kind of faux rap for Lanny Davis to finish...Jesus. I had to turn it off.

[hlthe2b]

1. Ahh, Melber is quite worthy....

... CRINGE-worthy.

[OnDoutside]

2. Tis a fairly lame schtick at this stage, but he's well in ..

[lastlib]

3. I have basically stopped watching him.

I get the news/analysis I need from Nicolle and Joy and Lawrence.

When Ari's good, he's alright. When he's bad, he sucks galaxies. Mostly, he sucks galaxies.

[tavernier]

4. His ego has grown

leaps and bounds.

[Rebl2]

5. Hopefully

he loses so many viewers he gets fired and they give Nicole or Lawrence another hour. Doubtful though.

[PuraVidaDreamin]

37. Katy Phang Please!

She should be prime time

[Celerity]

6. I like his show. nt

[Ocelot II]

7. The rap shtick is irritating, but what really sets my teeth on edge

is his pompous, condescending manner - he often tries to lawsplain legal matters to the unwashed masses while subtly (or not so subtly) reminding them that he knows everything about legal matters and they don't. I agree that legal stuff often does need to be explained because it can be pretty arcane and technical, but those explanations can be made without so obviously talking down to the audience. He prefaces a lot of his remarks with comments like, "I want to make this clear," and regular reminders that "Of course Trump is entitled to the presumption of innocence" - a principle everybody knows and doesn't have to be reminded of. Most of the other legal talking heads (Vance, Weissman, et al.) are able to explain legal concepts and procedures without coming across as superior smartasses.

[TSExile]

8. This, this, this.

I am always thrilled when Katie Phang or Jason Johnson is there instead of Ari during Nicolle's hand off.

[Trueblue Texan]

13. Yes I love both Katie Phang and Jason Johnson! nt

[SocialDemocrat61]

18. Phang is excellent

Would love to see her get the show full time.

[Deminpenn]

19. He is trying sooo hard to have his Perry Mason moment

on TV.

[we can do it]

24. Peter Navarro

[Paladin]

20. +1000. You absolutely nailed it.

MSNBC needs to replace Melber---preferably before this afternoon's scheduled episode.

[SunSeeker]

9. Total cringe.

Dude is trying to be funny and he's not.

[rsdsharp]

30. Exactly. There is nothing worse than someone who isn't funny, and thinks he is.

[BigmanPigman]

10. I had it on while cooking

and I felt like I was held hostage since I couldn't wash my hands to change the channel. I always hate him and have given him a zillion "second chances" to redeem himself as a journalist with integrity. He sucks! Always has and always will, even without his BS song references. Why won't MSNBC put someone competent in that time slot? Ali Velshi, Nicole Wallace and Lawrence O'Donnell are much, much better than his lame show.

[kairos12]

11. This routine of his is

total cringe.

As my granddaughter would say.

[jcgoldie]

12. I dont understand why this triggers people on DU so much

We get it. Most of DU is old and doesn't like rap. I am also old and I do not listen to rap. But Ari Melber is just trying to change it up and do something fun sometimes and perhaps in the process make cable news interesting to some younger people on some passing level. Maybe some find it cringeworthy, whatever. It takes almost no time away from his interviews and analysis. The obsession with it in these parts is reminiscent of "you kids get off my lawn!"

[Trueblue Texan]

15. It's not because I don't like rap...

True, it's not my first choice, but I do like some of it. But Melber's references often involve guests who don't know what the f--- he's talking about. It makes for very awkward moments and he shouldn't make his guests OR his viewers feel awkward. It's almost like he's stroking himself in the most inappropriate way and it's embarrassing. I'm embarrassed for his guests and it makes me uncomfortable. Totally unnecessary.

[SocialDemocrat61]

17. Has nothing to do with rap

It just doesn’t belong in a news program. It’s unprofessional. It’s like if Joy Reid constantly made Star Trek references during her show.

[chillfactor]

27. and I am just the opposite...

love Ari, can't stand Joy.

[SocialDemocrat61]

29. Never said I love Reid

Just used her as an example. The point is that bringing in obscure references of something the host is a fan of is not appropriate for a news program.

[uponit7771]

39. Rap NO DOUBT belongs on news programs, looks at it's history

[SocialDemocrat61]

42. If it relates to a story in some insightful way, sure.

But random lines and references are out of place.

[uponit7771]

43. Bars Ari repeats aren't in anyway random, they EXTREMELY well placed in context. I can see where people who didn't grow

.. up on rap could see it as a distraction but Aris and MSNBCs audience is relatively urban and diverse

[SocialDemocrat61]

44. Pandering to the audience are not justification

And a lot of his references are awkward and out of place. If he wants to talk about rap, do a show on a music channel, but they don’t belong on a news show. No other host inserts their own personal interests into their shows the way Melber does.

[Ocelot II]

22. Liking or not liking rap isn't the issue. It's that he so often makes rap references to guests

who clearly don't know what he's talking about, and it's really awkward and makes them look out of it. Maybe he wants them to look old and out of it. I like opera, which is probably not the musical preference of most people, but if I were a cable tv host I certainly would not be throwing out references to La Boheme or Don Giovanni in discussions with guests who have nothing to do with opera and probably don't know anything about it, because it would embarrass them.

[OAITW r.2.0]

26. I'm old, don't know crap about rap, but like his show.

It may be that Ari brings in an audience that likes rap that might not otherwise tune in. Usually, that's the last segment of his show, so you can always shut the TV off or turn to your local news.

[uponit7771]

41. +1, I tune in because he speaks the language of urbn America

[Trueblue Texan]

45. People who like rap will NOT like what he does with it on his show. Please. nt

[rsdsharp]

33. It takes almost no time? He has 15 minute segments on subject. That a quarter of the air time of that show.

[Trueblue Texan]

46. Even a little bit of time devoted to showcasing his stupidity is way too much. nt

[LetMyPeopleVote]

14. I am tired of the rap lyrics and have stopped watching him

[malaise]

16. I like Ari and his wide ranging knowledge of music

That is all

[Ocelot II]

23. His knowledge of music actually seems pretty narrow.

There's a lot more to music than rap and hip-hop, and I've never heard him talk about any other styles.

[malaise]

31. I've heard him discuss Tosh, Marley and more importantly

Jimi Hendrix and Quincy Jones who both attended Garfield High School in Seattle as did Ari - years later.

[Ocelot II]

35. OK, then; how about country, new age, folk, classical,

jazz, easy listening, K-pop, gospel, ars nova, grunge, blues, opera, Broadway, death metal, raga, joik, gamelan, Gregorian chant, disco, punk, mariachi, bluegrass, zydeco, bagpipe.... The music world is vast and broad.

[malaise]

40. We agree that the music world is vast

[Trueblue Texan]

47. No matter the genre, it is out of place in a news show. nt

[Ocelot II]

48. Yup.

[PCIntern]

21. I had an idea:

Takeoff on Ari and instead of quoting rap lyrics, he’s a compulsive stamp collector and related subjects to various commemorative stamps issued.

For example: “I want to make it clear that that is as irrelevant as the 1960 SEATO 4 cent stamp.”

[elocs]

25. Well his mother is proud of him. n/t

[nolabear]

28. I like him, and he's respected by influential people who pay no attention to others.

He makes no bones about being a nerdy Jewish guy who’s into rap and I’ve seen many musicians on his show who are seen by an audience that will never be political geeks but will listen. He’s smart. He shows they’re smart. I watched a full length interview with Jon Batiste on his other show and they were going quite deep into the meaning of creativity and what sparks love of art of all kinds. It was rich.

I like MSNBC but it really just repeats the same stories over and over and he’s unique.

[rickford66]

32. I do the crossword while he is on and half listen.

I do the same with Chris who is a loud, obnoxious, know-it-all. He either repeats everything a guest just said or introduces them by telling us in detail what the guest is going to say. He also rephrases each question two or three times ending with what doesn't sound like a question. most guests stare for a while before they realize it's a question. One guest even replied, "Is there a question in there?"

[quickesst]

34. This...

...is petty. A repeat of posts that could have been cut and pasted. Just insert the journalist's name. Katy Tur yesterday, now Ari Melber. Who's next? Rachel Maddow? I'm sure if one listens carefully enough, one can find a line or two they won't agree with, or more commonly, take out of context.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

36. Why is that Chae idiot on the show?

That Chae person is an idiot whose main job is to make Melber happy

[uponit7771]

38. This OP has a stay off lawn feel to it