*Former CNN political analyst Chris Cillizza has a serious problem with “CNN NewsNight with Abby Phillip” — not with Phillip herself, but with a format he believes turns political disagreement into televised combat.
Writing in a Sept. 21 opinion column for The Daily Beast, Cillizza called “NewsNight” the worst show on cable television and argued that its emphasis on partisan confrontation is “actively bad for our democracy.” That’s his assessment, but the ratings introduce an interesting complication: viewers are showing up.
According to Adweek’s August cable-news ratings report, “NewsNight” averaged 725,000 viewers and 152,000 adults ages 25-54, making it CNN’s top program in both categories that month.
Cillizza’s Problem Isn’t Abby Phillip
Cillizza goes out of his way to separate Phillip from his criticism, describing her as a good journalist and gifted broadcaster who tries to keep the program from getting too far “off the rails.”
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His complaint is the show’s central conceit: assembling people with sharply opposing political views and allowing confrontation to become part of the attraction.
Cillizza singles out conservative commentator Scott Jennings as a major player in that formula, but says the problem extends beyond any individual panelist.
In his view, genuine political differences become amplified because conflict makes for compelling television.
EURweb has seen that dynamic firsthand. An October 2025 “NewsNight” exchange between Phillip and Jennings became heated enough to spill onto social media, as EURweb reported at the time.
But Viewers Apparently Like the Fight
Here’s where Cillizza’s argument gets more interesting.
Americans may complain about toxic political discourse, but television audiences continue rewarding programming built around confrontation. Adweek itself noted “NewsNight’s” “fiery political debates” while discussing the program’s strong August performance.
And the show’s younger-demo strength wasn’t a one-month fluke. In July, “NewsNight” was already CNN’s leading program among adults 25-54, averaging 125,000 viewers in that demographic.
Cillizza ultimately argues that viewers are part of the equation: people say they want less political hostility while consuming media that serves plenty of it.
Whether “NewsNight” worsens America’s political divisions is a much bigger proposition than its ratings can prove. Cillizza himself acknowledges the show is an effect of the country’s political climate rather than its cause.
But one thing the numbers do establish: whatever Cillizza thinks is wrong with “NewsNight,” plenty of viewers appear interested in watching it.
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