Congressman’s Gay Son Claims CNN, MSNBC Canceled Interviews for Refusing to Bash Father

Matt R. Salmon, the gay son of Rep. Matt Salmon, R-Ariz., claims that both MSNBC and CNN canceled interviews with him after it became clear he would not attack his father on the air, reports The Washington Times.

In an interview Sunday with KPNX-TV, Phoenix’s NBC affiliate, Salmon said his appearance on MSNBC’s “The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell” was derailed because “they had intended to be critical of (my father) and . . . I was unwilling to do so.”

Salmon also said CNN’s “Piers Morgan Live” “seemed very gung ho about” an interview at first, but when he said he was supportive of his father, “they seemed to lose interest.”

“People want controversy,” Salmon said.

Both networks contradict Salmon’s take on the incidents.

An MSNBC spokeswoman said that “a producer had initial conversations with Matt, like we do with many potential guests every day, but he was never formally booked for the show.”

Someone privy to the inner workings of Morgan’s show said: “This isn’t accurate. The show simply booked up with other guests on a different topic. Happens all the time in cable news.”