What could have been.

In case you missed it, Michael Avenatti of creepy porn lawyer fame is headed to prison for a very long time. He was found guilty of all counts involving trying to extort Nike for $25 million dollars. This is also likely just the beginning, as more charges are likely to be adjudicated in the future stemming from further fraud.

But on this Valentine’s Day, It’s fitting to share this brand new montage of just how gaga the media were over this conman.

I present to you, a tale of love and loss:

Talk about an awkward #ValentinesDay breakup for the media and Michael Avenatti.#Basta.pic.twitter.com/jMdHuHbmX8

— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) February 14, 2020

I always cringe especially hard at Stephanie Ruhle’s calling Avenatti “brother” and praising him like he’s a rock star. The Brian Stelter presidential campaign fluffing is also a favorite moment. But really, the entire thing is just hilarious.

Remember, these are the best among us. They’ve assured us of it. The smartest, most brilliant, most in touch people in the world got snookered by a loudmouth lawyer repping a porn star, all because he promised to get the bad orange man for them. I’m not sure there’s ever been a more concise negative indictment of the media in its history.