Disgraced former Sen. Al Franken landed a new weekly radio show with SiriusXM on its Progress channel, the station announced Wednesday.
The one-hour “Al Franken Show” will debut Saturday morning at 9 a.m. and will be broadcast from SiriusXM’s studios in Washington, D.C.
“I’m excited to be back on SiriusXM, which carried my Air America show back in the day,” Franken said in a press release. “Listeners can expect a mix of guests from my comedian friends Chris Rock, to my political pals like former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, to policy experts on the issues in play in 2020. When I’m interviewing Harry or former Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz, I’ll be the funny one. When I interview Rock or Patton Oswalt, I’ll be the one who served eight-and-a-half years in the Senate.”
Rock is expected to be Franken’s first guest on the show. In addition to hosting his own show, the station said Franken will join the “Progress team for special coverage of the 2020 elections, including presidential debates, primaries, and Election Night.” He’ll also make regular appearances on various shows in the Progress channel’s lineup.
“Al Franken is an important and influential progressive voice, whom many have missed. SiriusXM is the perfect platform for him to re-enter the public conversation,” said Megan Liberman, SiriusXM’s senior vice president of news, talk, and entertainment programming.
As The Minnesota Sun reported in July, Franken expressed regret over his decision to resign during an interview with The New Yorker.
He’s been slowly making his public comeback, launching a podcast and website. Franken will be a guest on Thursday night’s episode of Conan, and has a sold-out event planned in Portland, Oregon next week called “An Evening with Al Franken.”
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Anthony Gockowski is managing editor of Battleground State News, The Ohio Star, and The Minnesota Sun. Follow Anthony on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
[…] Franken debuted his first episode of “The Al Franken Show” on SiriusXM Saturday, and will begin a speaking tour at a sold-out show in Portland, Oregon Wednesday, The Minnesota Sun reported. […]
[…] Franken debuted his first episode of “The Al Franken Show” on SiriusXM Saturday, and will begin a speaking tour at a sold-out show in Portland, Oregon Wednesday, The Minnesota Sun reported. […]
This may be a safe place for Al so he won’t be noticed on camera acting like a drunk fraternity boy. His long time reputation – perfected by repeat appearances – as frequently out of bounds in sexual areas – is limiting his impact and moving back to radio will likely result in his previous dead end in the media. He is clever and articulate – but not suitable or attractive to the public overall. He’d do himself a favor by fading away.