Jeffrey Toobin suspended from New Yorker, on leave from CNN, after exposing himself on Zoom call

NEW YORK, NY — Author-commentator Jeffrey Toobin has been sidelined by The New Yorker magazine and is stepping away from his job as CNN’s senior legal analyst at a pivotal moment in the run-up to the presidential election.

The reason: He exposed himself during a Zoom call with colleagues in what he says was an accident.

The New Yorker said that it had suspended Toobin following the incident, and said it was investigating the matter. The suspension was first reported by Vice on Monday, which described Toobin as "masturbating" during the video call.

A spokesperson for CNN said "Jeff Toobin has asked for some time off while he deals with a personal issue, which we have granted."

Neither news outlet said how long Toobin would be out.

Ordinarily, Toobin would be busy covering a controversial Supreme Court confirmation and an election that could end up being challenged on legal grounds.

An upcoming event relating to Toobin's recent book, “True Crimes and Misdemeanors: The Investigation of Donald Trump,” was also postponed on Monday.

Toobin declined to comment, instead pointing to his statement to Vice, which indicated that the incident was an accident.

"I made an embarrassingly stupid mistake, believing I was off-camera," Toobin said. "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."

The 60-year-old Toobin has been a New Yorker writer for more than 20 years and joined CNN in 2002. He is the author of several books, including “The Run of His Life: The People v. O. J. Simpson” and “The Nine: Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court.”