The Rise and Fall of Michael Avenatti

Any time Tucker Carlson labels you as the Creepy Porn Lawyer (CPL) right to your face on the Fox News Channel, it is safe to say that for a large chunk of people in the court of public opinion, your reputation has gone down the drain. 

Unfortunately for disgraced attorney Michael Avenatti — who is the CPL in question — not only is he persona non grata in the public eye but he was just sentenced by an actual court to four years in jail for taking advantage (ie. stealing) of his client Stephanie Cliffords, whose adult film star name is Stormy Daniels.

Avenatti was once praised — scratch that —  practically heralded as the second coming of Jesus Christ by much of the mainstream media for his defense of Daniels in three different lawsuits as she alleged that former President Donald J. Trump had an affair with her and that his attorney, Michael Cohen, paid her $130,000 in hush money to keep her quiet just prior to his 2016 presidential campaign. 

Many thought the lawsuits would wind up bringing down the president, but like much of the Trump era, Avenatti’s prominence backfired brilliantly on the Left almost as quickly as he rose to fame. 

In March 2018, Avenatti and Daniels first sued Trump in an attempt to nullify a non-disclosure agreement that Daniels claimed she was pressured into signing to keep the alleged affair silent. After that, Avenatti was — in the words of ABC’s The View’s Ana Navarro — “like the Holy Spirit” because he was everywhere at once, she explained.

Remember when Ana Navarro fawned over Michael Avenatti so much that she offered him a spot on The View? pic.twitter.com/M4jVmCwwiz

— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) July 8, 2021

He was constantly seen on cable television blasting Trump on a range of subjects.

The Media Research Center found that he appeared on television between March 7, 2018 and April 2019, 254 times, including 122 appearances on CNN and 108 interviews on MSNBC.

His presence was so well-felt that resident expert Brian Stelter even thought he would make a great presidential candidate in 2020. 

In September, Stelter told Avenatti, “I don’t know if it’s a good thing that star power and TV savvy is required for the job. But I think it is.”

“And by the way, I think President Obama also had a lot of TV star power and that helped him, pre-Trump,” he continued. “But Trump is more evidence of this, and looking ahead to 2020, one reason why I’m taking you seriously as a contender is because of your presence on cable news.” 

CNN’s Brian Stelter last year on Michael Avenatti running for president: “And looking ahead to 2020, one reason I’m taking you seriously as a contender is because of your presence on cable news.” pic.twitter.com/2Wn2bX17kx

— Ryan Saavedra (@RealSaavedra) May 22, 2019

And that’s just around the time when Avenatti started becoming undone.

Shortly before that appearance, Avenatti appeared on Carlson. The most popular host in cable TV did not even reference his name directly once. Carlson simply called him “Creepy Porn Lawyer” or “Stormy Daniels’ lawyer” the entire interview. 

At one point, Carlson accused Avenatti of taking advantage of her and financially profiting off her name, without giving her any financial resources. 

“You’ve profited from Stormy Daniels,” Carlson said. “You’ve done tens of millions dollars’ worth of free media on the basis of your relationship with her and she’s working in strip clubs. You’re exploiting her, and you know that. Why aren’t you paying her some of what you’re making?” 

“Sir, this is absurd,” Creepy Porn Lawyer responded. “I have not exploited.”

But, indeed it appears he was exploiting her.

That same year, Avenatti had filed a defamation suit against Trump against Daniels wishes, she claimed. That suit was thrown out by a federal judge, and Daniels was ultimately on the hook to pay some of Trump’s legal bills. She maintains she never wanted to file the suit in the first place.

In the fall of 2018, Avenatti took his exploitation a step further. Daniels was the author of a new autobiography, “Full Disclosure.” Avenatti, still representing her at the time, “helped negotiate an $800,000 book advance for Daniels,” The Daily Wire reported. Then, he instructed the porn star’s literary agent to wire the first two installments of the advance to an account Avenatti controlled, without Daniels’ knowledge. Avenatti pocketed the payments, which totaled just under $300,000. That is also known as fraud. 

Avenatti was convicted of that crime in February 2022. He reportedly cried during his hearing. Avenatti had attempted to apologize for his behavior to Daniels in a written letter, but the judge told him it was too little, too late and he was sentenced to four years in prison on June 2. 

So, is Avenatti a guy forever branded as a “disgraced lawyer” like he lamented in court on Thursday simply for getting involved with an adult