I thought only the hosts could do this! Ed Schultz took his ball and went home yesterday on Fox & Friends after getting challenged by a question from another guest on the show. Watch Schultz get so upset that he forgets to take off his mike and earpiece, leaving himself tethered to the show (via Johnny Dollar’s Place and the Headlines):

In broadcast media, one of the principles professionals know is never to leave dead air, especially not on purpose. Stomping off a show is usually considered terribly unprofessional, and especially in this particular circumstance. Steve Malzberg talked over him, yes, but to ask him a pertinent question before Schultz got wound up in his own personal anecdote. A real professional would have remained on the set and argued back.

What makes this so ridiculous is the almost-nonexistent pretense involved here. If Schultz wants to see how a real professional handles himself, he should look through the CNBC archives and find the ambush that Donny Deutsch sprang on Bernard Goldberg in July 2005.  Goldberg stuck it out even after Deutsch wheedled Goldberg into staying an extra segment and then had three guests yelling over Goldberg, attacking him the entire time.  That’s because Goldberg is a professional, and Schultz is a poseur.

The hosts of F&F have a pretty good time with this, but if I recall, they have little room to talk.  More than one of them have done the same thing as Schultz on occasion.

Update: Commenters say the “walking off” bit among F&F hosts is a running gag.  Well, now they have an even better joke.