New Yorker fires Jeffrey Toobin following investigation into Zoom masturbation allegations

Longtime New Yorker staff writer Jeffrey Toobin has been fired from the magazine, following the completion of an investigation into accusations that he exposed himself while allegedly masturbating during a Zoom call with colleagues last month.

But CNN, where Toobin remains chief legal analyst, remains mum on the issue.

What are the details?

Condé Nast, which owns the New Yorker, reportedly announced Toobin's departure Wednesday in an internal memo obtained by The Daily Beast.

"I am writing to share with you that our investigation regarding Jeffrey Toobin is complete, and as a result, he is no longer affiliated with our company," Condé Nast human resources chief Stand Duncan wrote to staff, adding, "I want to assure everyone that we take workplace matters seriously. We are committed to fostering an environment where everyone feels respected and upholds our standards of conduct."

Toobin himself confirmed his departure from the New Yorker, tweeting, "I was fired today by @NewYorker after 27 years as a Staff Writer. I will always love the magazine, will miss my colleagues, and will look forward to reading their work."

In mid-October, Vice reported that Toobin had been suspended by the New Yorker for exposing himself during a Zoom call involving his colleagues at the magazine along with some employees from WNYC radio. The piece was updated later to clarify that Toobin was allegedly seen masturbating by the other participants on the virtual meeting.

According to Vice:

Both people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity in order to speak freely, noted that it was unclear how much each person saw, but both said that they saw Toobin jerking off. The two sources described a juncture in the election simulation when there was a strategy session, and the Democrats and Republicans went into their respective break out rooms for about 10 minutes. At this point, they said, it seemed like Toobin was on a second video call. The sources said that when the groups returned from their break out rooms, Toobin lowered the camera. The people on the call said they could see Toobin touching his penis. Toobin then left the call. Moments later, he called back in, seemingly unaware of what his colleagues had been able to see, and the simulation continued.

Toobin told the outlet at the time, "I made an embarrassingly stupid mistake, believing I was off-camera. I apologize to my wife, family, friends and co-workers."

"I believed I was not visible on Zoom," he added. "I thought no one on the Zoom call could see me. I thought I had muted the Zoom video."

What about CNN?

When news of Toobin's suspension by the New Yorker broke, CNN released a statement saying, "Jeff Toobin has asked for some time off while he deals with a personal issue, which we have granted."

CNN, as of this writing, has not weighed in on whether Toobin will remain at the network, and has not yet responded to a request for comment from Fox News. Toobin has not appeared on CNN since before the scandal broke.