CNN’s NewsNight turned into something closer to reality television Tuesday evening, and not the polished kind. The segment was supposed to be a serious discussion about the 2020 election and broader concerns about federal conduct. Instead, it spiraled into a shouting match that ended with “Shark Tank” investor Kevin O’Leary throwing up his hands and declaring that his fellow panelists were “all nuts!”
🌰It took just one word for @kevinolearytv to send a CNN panel into a hissy fit. @DailyCaller 🌰 pic.twitter.com/4vO6KefXxW
— Harold Hutchison (@HaroldHutchison) February 18, 2026
The fireworks started when CNN contributor Ana Navarro shifted the conversation away from ballots and election mechanics to what she described as recent instances of federal misconduct. She referenced a case involving federal agents and a Venezuelan national in Minneapolis, arguing that the government had fabricated aspects of the incident. According to Navarro, “We are seeing this happen over and over again where the federal government is fabricating things, lying.”
That was the moment O’Leary had clearly had enough.
“What does that have to do with the ballot?!” he shot back, visibly exasperated. It was not a subtle objection. Host Abby Phillip immediately jumped in with “Stop, stop, stop,” sensing that the temperature in the studio had just spiked.
Navarro tried to land her point, insisting that the broader issue was government credibility. “The point is that they charged them criminally and when they went to court, evidence proved that what they had said was a lie, that this government lies. That’s the point.”
Phillip attempted to restore order by offering O’Leary what she described as “a quick last word.” That invitation did not calm anything down. Quite the opposite.
“Oh, wow. My last word is you’re all nuts!” O’Leary shouted, tossing gasoline on an already blazing segment.
Phillip, clearly frustrated, pleaded with the panel. “Guys, please. Look, we got to keep it together here, okay? Honestly, I mean, there’s a way to talk about these things. If you don’t have anything to say, just say that and I won’t come to you next time.” That warning did little to cool tempers. O’Leary and Navarro continued talking over one another until Phillip finally cut to commercial with an exasperated “Excuse me! Excuse me! Stop! Kevin, stop!”
This was not the first clash of the night. Earlier in the broadcast, O’Leary and Navarro had sparred over Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and her performance at the Munich Security Conference, where she faced criticism after struggling to answer whether the United States would defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese invasion. That exchange set the tone for what would become a combustible hour of television.
What viewers got was less thoughtful policy discussion and more prime time spectacle. Cross talk, raised voices, and personal jabs have become standard fare on cable panels, but this segment felt like a case study in how quickly things can unravel.
If the goal was to illuminate issues around election integrity or federal accountability, that mission got lost somewhere between “Stop!” and “You’re all nuts!” For a network that prides itself on serious journalism, the scene looked less like informed debate and more like a food fight with better lighting.
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