Jesse Ventura

At the end of January, 2003, the cable network MSNBC announced that Ventura would host would host his own talk show. At the time, MSNBC was struggling, and network officials hoped Ventura would lift the network's ratings. "I'm going to educate 'em, entertain 'em and tell people the truth," Ventura said on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" on February 5. "I don't know if they're ready for me," he growled to Leno. "If there's one person that can get MSNBC off the air, you're looking at it."