Ex-SNL star Rob Schneider pitched LA Times billionaire owner to fund conservative version of The View: report
Actor Rob Schneider, the former “Saturday Night Live” star and outspoken supporter of President-elect Donald Trump, wants the billionaire owner of the Los Angeles Times to fund a talk show to rival “The View” that would appeal to conservatives, according to a report.The “Deuce Bigelow, Male Gigolo” star pitched the idea last month while meeting with Dr.Patrick Soon-Shiong at the newspaper’s El Segundo offices, Oliver Darcy reported in his Status newsletter.Schneider was joined by Cheryl Hines, the “Curb Your Enthusiasm” star who is married to Robert F.
Kennedy Jr, Trump’s nominee to run the Department of Health and Human Services, the report added.Soon-Shiong — who blocked the paper from endorsing Kamala Harris — invited the pair because he wanted to give them a tour of the newsroom as well as to highlight the newspaper’s video capabilities, Status reported.It was during the tour that Schneider reportedly pitched Soon-Shiong on creating a conservative alternative to ABC’s lefty gabfest featuring Joy Behar, Whoopi Goldberg and Sunny Hostin.A spokesperson for Schneider confirmed that the comedian met with Soon-Shiong.“Rob did have a wonderful meeting with Mr.
Soon-Shiong and liked the new direction the LA Times is taking,” the rep said.The spokesperson declined to say whether the two discussed teaming up on a show.The Post has sought comment from the LA Times and Hines.According to Status, the sight of Schneider, Hines — an avowed liberal — and Soon-Shiong walking through the Times offices had staffers “bewildered.”When rumors spread inside the newsroom that the Times could be involved in partnering with Schneider, some journalists grew “understandably alarmed by the notion,” Darcy wrote in Status.Schneider’s purported pitch comes after The Post reported exclusively that executives at ABC parent company Disney were in “panic mode” to find conservative voices to balance the mostly anti-Trump opinions expressed on th...