Still, Franken’s media appearances since his ouster haven’t sat well with some who feel the ex-senator has yet to completely reckon with or apologize for his alleged misconduct.

Tina Dupuy, a former congressional staffer who claimed Franken made her uncomfortable by groping her during a photo-op, told The Washington Post last year that he was “not the victim here. And now we’re talking about a comeback without him even being fully honest about what he’s done.” New York magazine panned his initial interview with Conan, saying their jovial chat “minimizes the complaints of the women who say he mistreated them.”

“It’s as though he’s a victim of circumstance rather than someone who took actions, of his own volition, that made women feel uncomfortable and demeaned,” wrote New York’s Bridget Read. When Franken recently appeared on HBO’s Real Time, critics blasted host Bill Maher for glossing over the allegations that ended the senator’s career.

But Franken seemed undeterred. “I’m getting almost no pushback,” he told The Daily Beast. “I feel very welcome in the public debate.”