Former CBC radio host Jian Ghomeshi announced his new podcast over Twitter on Monday after disappearing from the public eye for nearly three years. (The Canadian Press via CBC.)
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by Amara McLaughlin, CP24.com
Last Updated Wednesday, April 12, 2017 10:32AM EDT
Last Updated Wednesday, April 12, 2017 10:32AM EDT
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Jian Ghomeshi, the former CBC Radio broadcaster slipped back into the public spotlight with an announcement about his new music and podcast series, but this creative adventure is already facing problems.
A day after the ex-CBC personality revealed The Ideation Project, a new podcast which tackles world citizenship and the loss of homelands, his quiet comeback attempt received an onslaught of backlash on social media.
This reaction comes a year after Ghomeshi was acquitted of sexual assault charges involving multiple female complainants in a high-profile criminal case.
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Acquitted means nothing these days. Feel for the guy.
I feel for the people he treated badly.
It’s going to be a tricky path for Jian to re-enter the biz. But it’s not impossible.
First, he really has to open up about his BDSD lifestyle, issue some sincere but carefully-worded apologies (after all, there’s probably still civil lawsuits from the “battered” women whose allegations unravelled in criminal court). You’d think Peter Mansbridge would jump at the chance to land such an interview. Then again, CBC also is likely still in the legal mix. To date, the Mother Corp. has tended to treat Ghomeshi like the Harry Potter villain Voldemort (he whose name we don’t speak).
One thing is clear, whether it’s upper case or lower case, Q without Jian is no longer destination radio. I had initially welcomed Tom Power replacing Shad. But calibre of guests and topics continues to underwhelm. Tom’s a better interviewer than Shad, but neither can hold a candle to Jian. In the general Ghomeshi pile on after his firing, it became fashionable to critique him for phoniness, including passing off ghost-written editorials as his own heartfelt paens.
But you can’t fake an interview. He was fast on his feet and had the cred to draw an amazing number of A list music, movie and other artistic stars to the show. Whether some or any of them would ever sit down with him again is an open question. Prior to her debilitating stroke, Joni Mitchell reacted to the BDSD allegations by saying there’d been something creepy about Jian and that she spirtually “cleansed” her house after he and his CBC crew did an interview for Q and The National.
Still, given his acquittals, he deserves a chance. But, Jian, get a better name for a show than The Ideation Project. Ouch!!!
Agreed with Rocker, he deserves a chance; no one is angel here.
Sorry. What’s the roadblock? Negative comments?
Oh well, let of all the sexual perverts become podcasters.. Bill O’Reilly, Ghomeshi…who’s next ? A Bill Cosby podcast ? The difference is that Ghomeshi is a better interviewer and journalist than the lesbians at CBC admit, and it’s true, Powers and Shad can’t hold a candle to Jian when it comes to “A” list interviews subjects. The real question is, has Ghomeshi come clean with his own deviant background. The answer is no, so, too much baggage may spoil the soup for him.