New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s possible career as a sports broadcaster may not have panned out, but he might still have a shot at a television gig. Christie has had conversations with both MSNBC and CNN about possible contributor deals after his term ends, according to three sources with knowledge of the talks.
“Yes. They are talking about a possible deal,” an NBC source said. An NBC spokesperson declined to comment.
CNN declined to comment.
Christie is not in talks with Fox News, a separate source with knowledge of the situation said.
“He’s not really too far down with anything,” another source with knowledge of the talks said, adding that Christie has been on the receiving end of a lot of interest from both television networks and other places, such as law firms.
Part of the reason the talks haven’t gotten more serious are New Jersey ethics rules, which prohibit Christie from getting too far in negotiations with the networks while in office.
The governor’s spokesperson, Brian Murray, said he was “not going to discuss [Christie’s] future plans.” “He has not discussed publicly what he plans or wants to do,” Murray added.
Christie already tried his hand at another media gig — sports radio host. Christie auditioned as the replacement for afternoon WFAN host Mike Francesa. But last month the New York Daily News reported Christie was no longer under consideration by WFAN, though Christie later said that it was he who declined the job.
“After considering the other options that I have been presented with for post-gubernatorial employment, I declined their request to do additional shows,” Christie said in a statement last month. “I made station executives aware that while I would be happy to continue to fill in for (WFAN morning show co-host) Boomer Esiason when asked and when available, that they should no longer consider me as a candidate interested in any job at WFAN when I leave the Governorship. I made that clear to them prior to leaving for my family vacation two weeks ago.”
