Glenn Beck appeared on the "Today" show Wednesday to promote his new self-help book, "The 7," and he wound up clashing with Meredith Vieira about his political views and saying that he used to be "a very bad man."
Beck appeared with his co-author, Keith Ablow. Vieira told Beck that, from his own account in the book, it seemed like he had been a "nasty guy" in the past.
"I was a guy that I would've hated," Beck said. "I was a very bad man."
That's when Vieira turned to Beck's professional life. She noted that one of the things he advocates in the book is letting go of anger, and that, especially in the wake of the Arizona shooting, critics have accused him of "adding to this dialogue with hatred." She tried to run through a list of some of his more controversial statements, and they talked over each other as each tried to make their points. At one point, Ablow jumped in, defending Beck.
"If you're the therapist for the country, you have to tell the truth," he said. "He says to the country...'you're drunk.'"
"Do you really think that people don't know the things that I say?" Beck said, as Vieira started to highlight some of his statements. She asked him if he regretted any of them. He said that he didn't regret any "jokes" he had made about people.
"You don't think that that contributes at all to a climate of anger or hate?" Vieira said. "Ask Jon Stewart that," Beck said. "Ask The Simpsons that question."
"I'm asking you that question," she replied.
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