Dylan Ratigan made a dramatic change when he decided to leave cable news to help build a hydroponic farm in California, and "Daily Show" correspondent Al Madrigal was completely bewildered as to why.
Madrigal visited Ratigan on his farm for an interview that aired Tuesday night, and mocked "just how far" the former MSNBC host has "fallen."
"Wait a second, are those f-cking Crocs?" Madrigal asked, looking at Ratigan's feet.
"Yes, they are. What's wrong with Crocs?" Ratigan said.
"Nothing if you're three. You're a grown man!"
Madrigal brought some elements of cable television to Ratigan's farm, bringing in a plumber to debate Ratigan (or "Old MacDonald," as Madrigal called him) in a mock cable news segment, asking a panel of viewers for their opinion about panels, and listening to an "expert" analyze Ratigan's body language.
None of these things made Ratigan too nostalgic for his days on MSNBC. "It became apparent that there was more value in work with veterans to deploy a high technology hydronic farming system than there was in participating in a hollow political debate," he said.
Cable news is "too focused on feelings and not focused enough on facts," the former host added.
Ratigan announced his post-cable news venture Archi's Acres in March, telling fans that his new work has "restored meaning and purpose" in his life. In addition to running a hydroponic farm, the organization hires and trains veterans to open their own farms. Ratigan talked to HuffPost Live about his new venture, adding that his main regret about his time at MSNBC was being too aggressive on air.
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