Porn star Stormy Daniels’ disgraced former lawyer and convicted fraudster Michael Avenatti found out today that he’ll be behind bars for 2.5 years for his attempted extortion of Nike.
During the sentencing, Manhattan federal court Judge Paul Gardephe correctly pointed out that “Mr. Avenatti had become drunk on the power of his platform, or what he perceived the power of his platform to be,” though he gave him a much lighter sentence than what federal guidelines advise (according to CNBC, the recommendation is between 9 years and 11.3 years).
Considering his dramatic fall from grace, and how a couple of years ago, Avenatti could do no wrong in the eyes of his adoring fans in the mainstream media, now is as good a time as any to look back at some classic Avenatti interview moments over the years, including two where Fox News host Tucker Carlson owned him.
In this first clip, as Avenatti whines about being called a “creepy porn lawyer,” the chyron that reads “creepy porn lawyer” remains unchanged. And when Avenatti asks Carlson when the last time it was he watched porn, Carlson slapped back with a slam dunk:
“maybe humiliation porn, that’s why i watch you on cnn” LMAOOO pic.twitter.com/bXRsTWBnjH
— Jordan Lancaster (@jordylancaster) July 8, 2021
Then there was this glorious moment during the same interview where Carlson dunked Avenatti by pointing out that he was shamelessly exploiting Daniels for his own purposes and should be paying her instead of the other way around:
Tucker called it.
"Stormy Daniels is working at strip clubs.. people are throwing things at her.. you're wearing a thousand dollar suit, why are you not paying her?.. You're exploiting her and you know that!"
–@TuckerCarlsonWHEN YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW!#Avenatti pic.twitter.com/C0CC1yxKSh
— Essential Fleccas 🇺🇸 (@fleccas) May 22, 2019
Here’s Avenatti telling the gushing hosts on “The View” that “all of my sexual fantasies involve handcuffs” (I suspect he might have a different view now that he’ll be wearing them when he gets carted off to the slammer):
Congratulations to Michael Avenatti – today he gets to live out his fantasies! pic.twitter.com/XlNgzYctyZ
— Mike Hahn (@mikehahn_) July 8, 2021
Here’s Avenatti smiling smugly as “View” co-host Ana Navarro compared him to the Holy Spirit:
May we always remember and cherish the time Ana Navarro compared Michael Avenatti to the Holy Spirit
pic.twitter.com/y63JoX4leq— Greg Price (@greg_price11) July 8, 2021
In another classic clip, Avenatti assured MSNBC viewers and fangirl Nicolle Wallace that Trump would not finish out his term in office:
AVENATTI's last word on Trump's new financial disclosure: "I've said it before and I'll say it again — Michael Cohen will lead to the downfall of this president. He will not serve out his term." pic.twitter.com/98ISRqLh0R
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) May 16, 2018
And in a clip that will live on forever in cable news network infamy, here’s CNN’s resident media hall monitor Brian Stelter enthusiastically propping up Avenatti as a potential challenger to then-President Trump as a supremely confident Avenatti looked on:
CNN's Brian Stelter last year on Michael Avenatti running for president: "And looking ahead to 2020, one reason I’m taking you seriously as a contender is because of your presence on cable news.” pic.twitter.com/2Wn2bX17kx
— Ryan Saavedra (@RealSaavedra) May 22, 2019
My, how times have changed.
On a related note, according to a Newsbusters analysis done in April 2019, Michael Avenatti made 254 media appearances in one year alone on networks like CNN and MSNBC before he was hit with the fraud charges.
Unfortunately for him, his days of facing a judge and jury are not even close to over. As RedState managing editor Jennifer Van Laar previously reported, “he’s set to go to trial on 10 counts (out of a 36-count indictment) of tax fraud starting July 13 in Orange County, California.”
Bless his heart.
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