CNBC “Mad Money” host Jim Cramer has a reputation for making outlandish statements – and there might be a reason for his demeanor, according to a CNBC co-worker and a late-night comic.
CNBC “Street Signs” host Erin Burnett appeared on the January 18 “Late Night with Conan O’Brien” and confirmed what some might have suspected about “Mad Money” host Jim Cramer.
“[H]e’s crazy – certifiably,” Burnett said.
Cramer appears regularly on NBC’s “Today” and “Nightly News” as an expert on the economy. On December 19, Cramer appeared on “Today” and was very critical of Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke [1] for not cutting interest rates more than a quarter point. In another “Today” appearance on January 17, he declared the economy was in a recession [2], a 180-degree change from his comments earlier in the month when he declared “sunny skies” were ahead for the economy.
O’Brien commented on Cramer’s January 5 “Late Night” appearance, when Cramer apparently took medication while the show was taping.
“The other thing is when you saw him pull something out of his pocket when we cut away,” O’Brien said. “But, those were pills. He started taking these crazy pills that I think he wanted me to take so I would be as crazy as him on the air.”
Burnett hasn’t been free from controversy either. She spoke on her remarks about President George W. Bush – she called him “a monkey” on MSNBC’s November 30 “Morning Joe.” [3]
“I meant it as a joke, actually,” Burnett said. “Because, you know, he was walking next to the president of France, President [Nicolas] Sarkozy, who, obviously is very attractive, not just to Carla Bruni [former supermodel and Sarkozy’s significant other], but even Rudy Giuliani has talked about a man crush on Sarkozy. So, I was just talking about who I thought was better looking.”
Burnett also revealed anxiety about her “Late Night” appearance, tying it to economic woes.
“You know, I was nervous – did I say when I came here? I was so nervous that I forgot to pay for my dress. People may have seen it when I walked out,” Burnett said, referring to the security tag still on her dress. “Well, I guess that goes to show you if we are in a recession, just take the clothes.”