Celebrity lawyer Michael Avenatti appeared on CNN and MSNBC over 100 times during a 10-week period in spring 2018.
Avenatti faced multiple indictments Wednesday, including being accused of fraud and aggravated identity theft charges related to adult film star Stephanie Clifford, professionally known as Stormy Daniels. He allegedly forged Daniels’ signature and used fake documents to persuade an agent to divert over a quarter-of-a-million dollars in payment from the porn star’s book advance.
He became a regular guest on CNN and MSNBC last spring. During 10 weeks in 2018 from March to May, Avenatti appeared on cable news 147 times, according to Newsbusters. Of those appearances, 131 of them came on either CNN or MSNBC, with CNN topping MSNBC 74-57.
Avenatti most frequently appeared on CNN, making 20 appearances on “Anderson Cooper 360.” He also made 16 appearances on MSNBC’s “The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell.” (RELATED: CNN Hosts Avenatti 59 Times In Two Months)
Adult film actress Stormy Daniels and attorney Michael Avenatti attend the 2019 Adult Video News Awards … (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York handed down the indictment against Avenatti for allegations that he demanded Nike pay him and a colleague $20 million, or else he would release damaging information about the company, back in March.
A second set of charges against Avenatti were filed in a California federal court accusing the lawyer of embezzling client funds to finance his own expenses. (RELATED: Donald Trump Jr. Gets Last Laugh On Avenatti Indictment: ‘#Basta’)
Avenatti tweeted about a planned press conference in which he would detail “a major high school/college basketball scandal” involving Nike less than an hour before the news of the indictment was announced.
According to an analysis by The Washington Free Beacon, his interviews on the two networks alone have earned him nearly $175 million in free media.
Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to reflect the May 22 indictments against Avenatti.