Journalist Abby Phillip admits she wanted CNN to cut to commercial during her viral 2024 interview with Cam’ron.
The respected news anchor appeared on The Breakfast Club on Tuesday (Oct. 28), where she addressed the now-infamous exchange. During the interview, Phillip questioned Cam about allegations involving Sean “Diddy” Combs, who was recently sentenced to 50 months in prison.
Instead of responding, the rapper and podcast host took the opportunity to promote his Pink Horsepower sexual enhancement supplement — taking a sip on camera before saying he was about to get some “cheeks” after the interview.
“I knew that we needed to end the interview,” Phillip said around the one-hour mark of the episode. “We were up against the end of the show, and we had to get to a certain time. I had to land that plane, and I did. And look, I mean, it was ridiculous, but as we know, that was the point.”
Phillip laughed when Charlamagne joked about the CNN transcriber struggling with Cam’s “cheeks” comment, admitting that everyone on set was left wondering, “What just happened?”
The anchor made it clear she didn’t plan to give the moment “much more oxygen,” but she did reveal that Cam’s team had actually requested the Diddy topic.
“All I will say is that we were told by his team that he wanted to talk about this, not the other way around,” Phillip explained.
She added that her crew sensed early on that the interview wouldn’t last long. “It was from the get-go,” she said. “I’m not new to this. Like, I know from the beginning when somebody is not interested in being interviewed.”
Phillip also mentioned that Cam arrived late to the taping — though ironically, his CNN appearance has now become one of his most viral interviews, rivaling his unforgettable face-off with Bill O’Reilly years ago. In a recent Breakfast Club interview, around the 15-minute mark, Cam revealed he didn’t even know who O’Reilly was at the time.
Cam also admitted that he knew CNN wanted to ask about Diddy but claimed the network “kept forcing the issue.” On the bright side, he said the viral moment led to a 400 percent spike in sales for his Pink Horsepower supplement.
