Aaaaand the hits just keep on coming, even here in Minnesota. Not only has Al Franken gotten caught groping, but now one of our senator’s passionate defenders suddenly finds himself out of a job. Garrison Keillor, former host of a radio show that celebrated Midwestern values and prairie populism, told the Associated Press that he’d been fired over what he describes as “improper behavior”: 
 
 Garrison Keillor, the former host of “A Prairie Home Companion,” says he’s been fired by Minnesota Public Radio over allegations of improper behavior. Keillor told The Associated Press of his firing in an email. In a follow-up statement, he says he was fired over “a story that I think is more interesting and more complicated than the version MPR heard.” 
 
 Keillor no longer works on PHC, but until now he still has produced “The Writer’s Almanac” for MPR. What exactly was the behavior in question? Thus far, the Associated Press has not detailed it, and MPR’s statement is non-specific: 
 
 Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) is terminating its contracts with Garrison Keillor and his private media companies after recently learning of allegations of his inappropriate behavior with an individual who worked with him. Last month, MPR was notified of the allegations which relate to Mr. Keillor’s conduct while he was responsible for the production of A Prairie Home Companion (APHC). MPR President Jon McTaggart immediately informed the MPR Board Chair, and a special Board committee was appointed to provide oversight and ongoing counsel. In addition, MPR retained an outside law firm to conduct an independent investigation of the allegations. Based on what we currently know, there are no similar allegations involving other staff. The attorney leading the independent investigation has been conducting interviews and reviewing documents, and the investigation is still ongoing. We encourage anyone with additional information to call our confidential hotline 1-877-767-7781.. 
 
 Whatever it was, it was enough for MPR to completely sever the relationship. They’re cutting loose from all of Keillor’s commercial venues, and will no longer run PHC “best of” shows that Keillor hosted. He’s morphing from their most prominent celebrity into an Unperson as we speak. If that was just over a consensual affair, it would be a wild overreaction — which is not to say that it’s anything more, but it certainly seems that way. 
 
 Until now, Keillor has also been a go-to figure for progressive commentary, a status that will almost certainly come to a halt now — and not just over this. Give credit to Keillor for setting a new world’s record in Takes That Aged Badly. He has an op-ed in today’s Washington Post scolding people for demanding Al Franken’s resignation, in which he typically takes forever to get to the point. Why, what happens if we hold Franken accountable? An “atrocity” in the form of “a code of public deadliness,” that’s what: 
 
 And then there is Sen. Al Franken. He did USO tours overseas when he was in the comedy biz. He did it from deep in his heart, out of patriotism, and the show he did was broad comedy of a sort that goes back to the Middle Ages. Shakespeare used those jokes now and then, and so did Bob Hope and Joey Heatherton when they entertained the troops. If you thought that Al stood outdoors at bases in Iraq and Afghanistan and told stories about small-town life in the Midwest, you were wrong. On the flight home, in a spirit of low comedy, Al ogled Miss Tweeden and pretended to grab her and a picture was taken. Eleven years later, a talk show host in LA, she goes public, and there is talk of resignation. This is pure absurdity, and the atrocity it leads to is a code of public deadliness. No kidding. Franken should change his name to Newman and put the USO debacle behind him and then we’ll change frankincense to Febreze. Remove the slaveholder Washington from our maps, replacing him with Wampanoag, and replace Jefferson, who slept with Sally Hemings — consensual? I doubt it — with Powhatan, and what about the FDR Drive in New York, named for a man who was unfaithful to his wife? Let’s call it RFD and let it go at that. 
 
 Funny how Keillor skipped over the other allegation Tweeden lodged against Franken, which was a forced kiss complete with tongue against her expressed refusal. Keillor also skips over three other allegations of groping, but manages to offer paeans to Franken for using the same kind of “broad comedy” [broad? Oopsie!] that Shakespeare used. Even Franken’s remarkably stupid, hostile, and puerile picture just becomes “low comedy” in Keillor’s eyes, even though Tweeden makes it clear she didn’t consent to being the butt of the joke. That apparently doesn’t matter to Keillor, which speaks volumes about him — and the Washington Post editor that decided to run it. 
 
 Update: Give Keillor credit for consistency, too: 
 
 "A world in which there is no sexual harassment at all is a world in which there will not be any flirtation" — radio humorist Garrison Keillor at @PressClubDC April 7, 1994… at 31:05 in this video: https://t.co/9ChxtCdZqD pic.twitter.com/nTtJXar3nK — Howard Mortman (@HowardMortman) November 29, 2017 
 
 Update: Keillor says this was over an incident of accidental contact, which also sounds familiar to those following the Franken story: 
 
 In an email to the Star Tribune Wednesday, Keillor said, “I put my hand on a woman’s bare back. I meant to pat her back after she told me about her unhappiness and her shirt was open and my hand went up it about six inches. She recoiled. I apologized. I sent her an email of apology later and she replied that she had forgiven me and not to think about it. We were friends. We continued to be friendly right up until her lawyer called.” Keillor even managed a joke of sorts: “Getting fired is a real distinction in broadcasting and I’ve waited fifty years for the honor. All of my heroes got fired. I only wish it could’ve been for something more heroic.” Then he turned more serious: “Anyone who ever was around my show can tell you that I was the least physically affectionate person in the building. Actors hug, musicians hug, people were embracing every Saturday night left and right, and I stood off in the corner like a stone statue. “If I had a dollar for every woman who asked to take a selfie with me and who slipped an arm around me and let it drift down below the beltline, I’d have at least a hundred dollars. So this is poetic irony of a high order. But I’m just fine. I had a good long run and am grateful for it and for everything else.” 
 
 Keillor’s story sounds pretty tame … but also a little weird, too. How does a shirt open in the back, and how does one’s hand go “up it about six inches” by accident? Somehow, I’d bet there’s more to this story, or else MPR wouldn’t be going nearly light speed in distancing itself from its former host. ||||| Tweet with a location 
 
 You can add location information to your Tweets, such as your city or precise location, from the web and via third-party applications. You always have the option to delete your Tweet location history. Learn more ||||| Video (00:42) : Minnesota residents and fans of Garrison Keillor expressed sadness and disappointment at news that he has been accused of improper behavior. 
 
 Garrison Keillor, whose soothing voice and gentle humor helped define the world’s view of Minnesota, has been dropped by Minnesota Public Radio for “inappropriate behavior” toward a co-worker. 
 
 MPR said Wednesday it is severing all ties to the longtime host of radio’s “A Prairie Home Companion.” The show, which he handed off last year to hand-picked successor Chris Thile, will be retitled — Keillor holds the trademark — and his old broadcasts no longer will be aired. 
 
 Officials at the network would not comment beyond a statement saying they were notified last month of allegations relating to Keillor’s conduct while he was responsible for producing “PHC.” 
 
 “I put my hand on a woman’s bare back,” he told the Star Tribune by e-mail minutes after MPR’s statement. “I meant to pat her back after she told me about her unhappiness and her shirt was open and my hand went up it about six inches. She recoiled. I apologized. I sent her an email of apology later and she replied that she had forgiven me and not to think about it. We were friends. We continued to be friendly right up until her lawyer called.” 
 
 The 75-year-old humorist who helped make MPR a powerhouse seemed more hurt, resigned and defensive than apologetic. 
 
 “It’s astonishing that 50 years of hard work can be trashed in a morning by an accusation,” he said in a Facebook post Wednesday evening. “I always believed in hard work and now it feels sort of meaningless. Only a friend can hurt you this badly. I think I have to leave the country in order to walk around in public and not feel accusing glances.” 
 
 He later deleted that public comment and then, in a post to Facebook friends (including some journalists), said he had just had a good conversation “with my dear friend who I am married to, on the subject of What Do We Really Need in Life. It’s very simple. I need her and I need to have work to do and I need to live someplace where we can both be happy. I have about ten years of work to do, sitting in my computer. I want to write a couple movies, write a weekly column (preferably humorous), write a book called Gratitude. I think we should move east and leave the past behind.” 
 
 MPR details its decision 
 
 Although he stepped away from “Prairie Home,” Keillor retained a producer credit and continued to record his daily feature, “The Writer’s Almanac,” for syndication by MPR’s distribution arm, St. Paul-based American Public Media. 
 
 Gallery Grid Prev 1 /25 Next Leila Navidi – Star Tribune Gallery: Garrison Keillor rehearsed before his last show at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville in 2016. Leila Navidi – Star Tribune Gallery: Garrison Keillor rehearses a song with Aoife O'Donovan, left, and Heather Masse, right, during rehearsal at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. Leila Navidi – Star Tribune Gallery: Garrison Keillor rehearses a song with Aoife O'Donovan, center, and Heather Masse, right, during rehearsal at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. Leila Navidi – Star Tribune Gallery: Garrison Keillor performs with singer Aoife O�Donovan during the live broadcast at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. Leila Navidi – Star Tribune Gallery: Garrison Keillor jokes around with Sara Watkins during rehearsal at the State Theatre. Leila Navidi – Star Tribune Gallery: Garrison Keillor thanks the audience after the show at the State Theatre. Leila Navidi – Star Tribune Gallery: Garrison Keillor performs a few more songs for the audience after the live broadcast has ended at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. Leila Navidi – Star Tribune Gallery: Garrison Keillor reads the "News from Lake Wobegon" during the live broadcast at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. Leila Navidi – Star Tribune Gallery: Garrison Keillor reads the "News from Lake Wobegon" during the live broadcast at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. Leila Navidi – Star Tribune Gallery: Garrison Keillor gets ready for the live broadcast in his dressing room at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. Leila Navidi – Star Tribune Gallery: Garrison Keillor sings with the audience during the encore. Leila Navidi – Star Tribune Gallery: Garrison Keillor takes a bow with the performers after the show at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. Leila Navidi – Star Tribune Gallery: Garrison Keillor talks with singer Heather Masse outside his dressing room after the show. Leila Navidi – Star Tribune Gallery: Garrison Keillor greets fans at the State Theatre after the show. Leila Navidi – Star Tribune Gallery: Garrison Keillor poses for a selfie with sisters Janna Graham, left, of Plymouth, and Julie Berninghaus of Eagan after the show at the State Theatre. Leila Navidi – Star Tribune Gallery: Garrison Keillor signs a poster for fan Carol Montgomerie of Franklin, Tenn. after the show. Jerry Holt – Star Tribune Gallery: Garrison Keillor talks about the early days of "Prairie Home Companion" when it originated at Macalester College. Mike Zerby – RPA - Minneapolis Star Tribune Gallery: Garrison Keillor outside the World Theater in downtown St. Paul in 1993, where he welcomed himself back home to the gathered crowd. He narrated a big-screen slide show on the history of "A Prairie Home Companion" at the welcome back street party given by Minnesota Public Radio. About 1,000 folks were treated to free entertainment and free corn on the cob. For $5, one could get meatloaf and mashed potatoes. Stormi Greener – RPA - Minneapolis Star Tribune Gallery: Garrison Keillor signed autographs in 1990 during a benefit luncheon at the Greenhaven Country Club. Proceeds went to the Anoka County Community Action Program and to the Anoka-Ramsey Community College Foundation. Duane Braley – RPA - Minneapolis Star Tribune Gallery: Fans of Garrison Keillor got conversation as well as his autograph Tuesday in Minneapolis in 1987. Donald Black – RPA - Minneapolis Star Tribune Gallery: Garrison Keillor in 1969. Stormi Greener – RPA - Minneapolis Star Tribune Gallery: Garrison Keillor in 1987. Rpa - Gallery: Garrison Keillor in 1984. Handout Gallery: Garrison Keillor in the late 1970s. Mike Zerby – RPA - Minneapolis Star Tribune Gallery: Garrison Keillor in 1974. 
 
 MPR said it would halt that feature. It also will separate itself from the Pretty Good Goods online catalog, which sells Keillor merchandise, and the website PrairieHome.org. 
 
 “I’m in shock,” new host Thile wrote on Twitter. “I know nothing beyond what’s contained in the MPR statement but I trust that the proper steps are being taken.” 
 
 The “Prairie Home” team is in New York City for three weekends of live shows beginning Saturday. Representatives refused to comment, but a Hawaii Public Radio e-mail said the working title is now “The Chris Thile Show” and its host will address the situation in his monologue Saturday. 
 
 MPR said it was aware of no similar allegations involving other staff, but “the investigation is still ongoing.” 
 
 “While we appreciate the contributions Garrison has made to MPR and to all of public radio, we believe this decision is the right thing to do and is necessary to continue to earn your trust and that of our employees,” MPR President Jon McTaggart told members in an e-mail. 
 
 Keillor later posted a statement on his website. 
 
 “I’ve been fired over a story that I think is more interesting and more complicated than the version MPR heard,” he said. “Most stories are. It’s some sort of poetic irony to be knocked off the air by a story, having told so many of them myself, but I’m 75 and don’t have any interest in arguing about this. And I cannot in conscience bring danger to a great organization I’ve worked hard for since 1969. 
 
 “I am sorry for all the poets whose work I won’t be reading on the radio and sorry for the people who will lose work on account of this. But my profound feeling is that of gratitude, especially to my wife Jenny, and for this painful experience that has brought us even closer together.” 
 
 He and Jenny Lind Nilsson, a violist for the Minnesota Opera, have been married since 1995. It is his third marriage. 
 
 Garrison Keillor speaking in 1994 about sexual harassment. 
 
 ‘Prairie Home’ history 
 
 MPR was just two years old in 1969 when its founder, Bill Kling, hired Keillor as an announcer. Together they launched “Prairie Home” on July 6, 1974, with a live broadcast from Macalester College witnessed by a handful of people. 
 
 The show began airing nationwide in 1980 and grew into a hit that fueled MPR’s growth into one of the nation’s largest public radio operations. At its peak, Keillor drew 4 million listeners every week while serving as Minnesota’s cultural ambassador, with tales of the mythical Lake Wobegon that skewered the state’s work ethic, good-hearted earthiness and humble nature. He appeared on the cover of Time magazine. His book “Lake Wobegon Days” sold more than 1 million copies in 1985. Playgirl named him one of the sexiest men in America. 
 
 In his e-mail to the Star Tribune, he said “anyone who ever was around my show can tell you that I was the least physically affectionate person in the building. Actors hug, musicians hug, people were embracing every Saturday night left and right, and I stood off in the corner like a stone statue. If I had a dollar for every woman who asked to take a selfie with me and who slipped an arm around me and let it drift down below the belt line, I’d have at least a hundred dollars. So this is poetic irony of a high order.” 
 
 A tireless writer, Keillor authored more than two dozen books, hosted cruises, contributed to major magazines and scripted a 2006 film, “A Prairie Home Companion,” a fictionalized story about the show with an all-star cast including Meryl Streep, Woody Harrelson and Lindsay Lohan. 
 
 He continued a busy schedule after leaving “Prairie Home,” touring the country with a similar live show — a performance Wednesday night in Pittsfield, Mass., was canceled — and writing occasional columns for the Washington Post News Service & Syndicate. The service said it was taking the allegations “seriously and is seeking more information about them.” 
 
 Column defending Franken 
 
 Coincidentally, Keillor defended Minnesota Sen. Al Franken in a syndicated column this week after Los Angeles radio news anchor Leeann Tweeden reported that Franken kissed and groped her without her consent during a 2006 USO tour. 
 
 “He did USO tours overseas when he was in the comedy biz,” Keillor wrote. “He did it from deep in his heart, out of patriotism, and the show he did was broad comedy of a sort that goes back to the Middle Ages. … Miss Tweeden knew what the game was and played her role and on the flight home, in a spirit of low comedy, Al ogled her and pretended to grab her and a picture was taken. Eleven years later, a talk show host in L.A., she goes public with her embarrassment, and there is talk of resignation. This is pure absurdity and the atrocity it leads to is a code of public deadliness. No kidding.” 
 
 Keillor mentioned the Franken controversy in an e-mail to MPR News on Wednesday. 
 
 “I think the country is in the grip of a mania — the whole Franken business is an absurdity — and I wish someone [would] resist it,” he wrote, “but I expect MPR to look out for itself, and meanwhile I feel awfully lucky to have hung on for so long.” 
 
 Mark Vancleave Video (03:31): July, 2016: Garrison Keillor reflects on the art of the performance as "Prairie Home" celebrated 40 years with a live show at Macalester College in St. Paul. Video (03:31): July, 2016: Garrison Keillor reflects on the art of the performance as "Prairie Home" celebrated 40 years with a live show at Macalester College in St. Paul.
– Garrison Keillor is explaining his side of the story after Minnesota Public Radio severed ties with him. In an email to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, the former host of A Prairie Home Companion says the incident in question was a case of accidental contact: "I put my hand on a woman's bare back," he writes. "I meant to pat her back after she told me about her unhappiness and her shirt was open and my hand went up it about six inches. She recoiled. I apologized. I sent her an email of apology later and she replied that she had forgiven me and not to think about it. We were friends. We continued to be friendly right up until her lawyer called." Keillor went on to say that he was "the least physically affectionate person in the building" and suggested that he had himself been the recipient of inappropriate behavior over the years. "If I had a dollar for every woman who asked to take a selfie with me and who slipped an arm around me and let it drift down below the beltline, I’d have at least a hundred dollars," he writes, calling the allegations against him "poetic irony of a high order." He added, however, that "I had a good long run and am grateful for it and for everything else.” Meanwhile, a 1994 quote from Keillor is making the rounds, as noted by a post at Hot Air: "A world in which there is no sexual harassment at all is a world in which there will not be any flirtation," he said during a speech.