Stephanie Cutter (AP)
Van Jones (AP)
S.E. Cupp
THE VOICE: Newt Gingrich (above) will be joined by (from top right) Stephanie Cutter, Van Jones and S.E. Cupp. (
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Former Republican presidential candidate and Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich will host the revived political debate show “Crossfire” on CNN. In representing the political right, Gingrich will be joined by conservative columnist S.E. Cupp, who most recently appeared on an afternoon MSNBC program called “The Cycle.” Former Obama deputy campaign manager Stephanie Cutter and best-selling author Van Jones will represent the left. Like NBC’s “Meet the Press,” “Crossfire” will be broadcast from the network’s Washington, DC, bureau.
Jeff Zucker, president of CNN Worldwide, said in a statement, “Few programs have had the kind of impact on political discourse that ‘Crossfire’ did — it was a terrific program then, and we believe the time is right to bring it back and do it again. We look forward to the opportunity to host passionate conversation from all sides of the political spectrum.”
“Crossfire” originally aired on CNN from 1982 to 2005, with conservative firebrand Pat Buchanan hosting opposite liberal Tom Braden. The guest list was fairly diverse: Charlton Heston, Bob Hope, Kareem Abdul Jabbar and Jack Kevorkian all appeared.
The show’s reinvention is in keeping with Zucker’s ambitious programming initiative, which includes “New Day,” a morning talk show co-hosted by Chris Cuomo; “Around the World”; and “The Lead with Jake Tapper.”