Keith Olbermann

Keith Olbermann, the controversial, progressive commentator who abruptly left MSNBC in January, will return June 20 at his next home, Current TV.

The new Countdown with Keith Olbermann will air weeknights at 8 p.m. on the relatively new Current channel, co-founded by former V.P. Al Gore.

“The show will combine familiar and popular features with some new elements we can’t wait to unveil,” says Mark Rosenthal, Current TV CEO.

MSNBC fired Keith Olbermann unexpectedly early this year, sparking outcry from fans (and some chuckles from critics) and questions of where he would land.

As part of his new deal, he also becomes Current’s chief news officer, a position he said was still defined when his Current deal was announced in February.

Love him or hate him, Olbermann earned big ratings for MSNBC and was credited with helping create a progressive alternative to conservative talk shows.

The precise events that led to his sudden exit in January remain somewhat unclear, but it'll be interesting to see what following he develops on Current.

Just weeks after his firing by MSNBC, lightning rod anchor Keith Olbermann has announced his return to television, taking a leadership position at Current TV.

Al Gore's public affairs channel, which the former V.P. launched in 2005, also offered Olbermann an equity stake, the unabashed liberal personality said Tuesday.

He will not appear on the air until later this year.

Olbermann will serve as Current TV's Chief News Officer and will host a one-hour prime time show airing each weeknight from a New York City-based studio.

"It is truly the most exciting venture in my career," Olbermann told reporters during a conference call on Tuesday. Will it be among his most successful?

What do you think of Keith's move to Current TV?

Amid the shocking news that MSNBC fired Keith Olbermann late last week, the network is already looking to find a new marquee star for its growing brand.

Their ultimate wish list is topped by none other than Alec Baldwin.

"He's already part of the NBC family, has a huge fan base and is very respected for his long term passions for politics," a network source says of the actor.

FUNNIEST HOST EVER: Could Alec Baldwin be the new Keith Olbermann?

Alec, whose right-leaning media exec delivers epic 30 Rock quotes on a weekly basis, has expressed political aspirations before, especially lately.

"Yes, it's something that I'm very, very interested in," Alec told CNN's Parker Spitzer when asked if politics was a "game" he wanted to enter.

But could Baldwin really replace Olbermann after his tumultuous exit?

In the 72 hours since MSNBC fired Keith Olbermann, speculation over the pundit's future has spread widely. One rumor? A TV collaboration with Aaron Sorkin.

The award-winning scribe of A Few Good Men, The West Wing, The Social Network and Moneyball fame has a new pilot in the works about a cable news show.

Sorkin spent time on Olbermann’s Countdown set while penning scripts (he also shadowed Chris Matthews and several Fox News shows) over the past year.

NATURAL TANDEM: A collaboration among left-leaning favorites Olbermann and Sorkin almost seems overdue. The former has plenty of time on his hands ...

EW reports that Olbermann may serve as a consultant to the show, if it gets picked up, and perhaps even deliver some of his signature rants on camera.

Sorkin's failed series Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip was panned a few years back for the simple fact that its SNL-style comedy sketches were unfunny.

Olbermann going off on long-winded tirades would certainly give a show (which HBO is reportedly considering) about cable news an air of authenticity.

Keith's next step is unclear, but reports say he may be on the shelf less than six months under the terms of his buyout deal with MSNBC. Stay tuned.

In the 36 hours since the surprise announcement that MSNBC fired Keith Olbermann, his abrupt exit from a network he helped transform has raised questions.

Why fire a guy with such undisputed value to the network, a figure who - love him or hate him - became one of the best-known figures of the cable news era?

Insiders say no single event got him axed, but for all his eloquence, on-air presence and broadcasting skill, Olbermann was just too difficult to work with.

According to the Washington Post, Olbermann often clashed with his employers, condemning - often publicly - directives with which he has disagreed.

Comcast's recent takeover of NBC merely marked the final straw in a long-brewing deterioration between the top brass and the iconoclastic, mercurial pundit.

Neither side was talking about the events that led Olbermann to announce his exit on his show Friday, but a divorce appeared to be long in the making.

His short-lived and bizarre suspension in November for campaign contributions that violated company policy was perhaps a harbinger of things to come.

So what's next for him now?

Keith Olbermann, one of the best known cable news personalities on either side of the political spectrum, was abruptly fired yesterday by MSNBC.

Olbermann, in the middle of a four-year $30 million deal set to last until 2012, announced on last night's edition of Countdown that it was his last.

The dismissal is said to be at least indirectly related to Comcast's acquiring of NBC and the parent company's distaste for his defiance and attitude.

Here's Olberman signing off for the final time last night ...

Keith Olbermann Resigns From Countdown

Sources said network brass basically paid the pundit to scram by working out an agreement in which he would get lost and continue to be paid.

He will have to stay off the air at least until fall as a result.

MSNBC issued a vague, unemotional statement saying it ended its contract with Olbermann, who hosted the top rated show on the network.

The statement read in part, "MSNBC thanks Keith for his integral role in MSNBC's success and we wish him well in his future endeavors." Nice.

Bristol Palin is not really the Worst Person in the World, but she did earn the top spot in Keith Olbermann's nightly Countdown segment by that name.

The MSNBC host called out the DWTS finalist and daughter of Sarah Palin for her recent PSA with The Situation promoting safe sex and abstinence.

Olberman likened it to someone saying George W. Bush “kept us safe, ‘cept for that 9/11 thing, which doesn’t count.” Ouch. Here's the segment ...

Bristol: The Worst Person in the World!

Bristol responded on Facebook that calling her a hypocrite is an “old canard” and ripped Olbermann for being unoriginal in his “insincere incredulity.”

Think Sarah knows what those words mean? Nice refudiation in any case, B.

Not sure if he needed to go there with the 9/11 line, because all things Bristol are hilariously absurd on its their own merit, but that's Keith for you.

On a side note, Fox News really cited an Onion article as actual news? That's the journalistic equivalent of a Bristol Palin abstinence PSA for you.

Well, that didn't last long.

Just days after he was suspended by MSNBC for contributing to a trio of political campaigns without first seeking permission, Keith Olbermann has been re-instated by Phil Griffin, the network president who has feuded with the anchor for years.

"I have determined that suspending Keith through and including Monday night's program is an appropriate punishment for his violation of our policy," Griffin said. "We look forward to having him back on the air Tuesday night."

Who would have ever thought that Keith Olbermann would be the man to bring liberals and conservatives together?!?

But in the hours following MSNBC President Phil Griffin's bizarre decision to suspend Olbermann for donating money to democratic candidates, anchors and pundits from across the political spectrum have expressed outrage over the action.

Take it away, William Kristol, editor of The Weekly Standard one of the most conservative commentators on the planet:

"[It's] ludicrous. First, he donated money to candidates he liked. He didn’t take money, or favors, in a way that influenced his reporting. Second, he’s not a reporter. It’s an opinion show. If Olbermann wants to put his money where his mouth is, more power to him."

Aiming to tone down the rancor in his commentary, Keith Olbermann suspended his Worst Persons in the World segment earlier this week.

Now, MSNBC has done the same to the face of its network. But for a different reason.

According to a report in Politico, the Countdown host donated the maximum legal contribution ($2,400) to Arizona congressman Raul Grijalva, Arizona congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, and Kentucky attorney general Jack Conway during this election cycle.

As a result, MSNBC President Phil Griffin said, “I became aware of Keith’s political contributions late last night. Mindful of NBC News policy and standards, I have suspended him indefinitely without pay."

And for good reason, too. With this information public, viewers might think Olbermann was biased toward liberals in his commentary!