Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones' Liberal Nepo Baby Son 'Too Spooked' for CNN Return After On-Air Spat With Scott Jennings — 'He's Done with Tough Interviews'

Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones' liberal son is too "spooked" for a return to CNN following an on-air spat with Scott Jennings.

RadarOnline.com can reveal nepo baby Dylan, 25, has yet to recover from a disastrous outing on the network in November when he stumbled over his words under the intensity of the GOP commentator's questioning.

During an episode of Newsnight, the pair got into a fiery discussion over the government shutdown before the right-leaning expert smacked down the politically active aspiring actor.

Dylan is now said to have sworn off CNN, as well as any other outlets likely to challenge him, opting instead for platforms where he is more warmly received.

"He's done with tough interviews. Done. Finished," a source told Rob Shuter's #ShuterScoop about Dylan. "If there's even a chance of pushback, he won't take the call."

During the CNN outing, Dylan was eviscerated by commentator Jennings amid a discussion about the Senate passing a funding bill to reopen the government.

The heated debate between Dylan and Jennings, according to another source, left the young actor "spooked" and is reportedly influencing his decision not to return.

"CNN really spooked him," said the insider. "He felt exposed. He doesn't want to feel that again."

In addition to ruling out CNN, Dylan reportedly doesn't intend to sit down with any other news outlets that are known for their hard approach.

"Mainstream cable is a hard no," one more source added. "Anyone who might ask a follow-up question? Forget it."

Dylan is now only keen on "doing shows where they adore him," as he "wants total control."

As such, he has on his agenda a number of friendly podcasts, SiriusXM chats, and soft-focus platforms that buy into his narrative and would let him speak without pushback.

While such appearances are likely to give the young politician good visibility, one source believes that Dylan has not worked hard enough to earn the unchallenged engagement he is seeking.

"He thinks he's the next Rachel Maddow," the insider said, "just without the homework."

Still, it appears that nothing would change his decision, at least for the foreseeable future.

"He's lived in Michael and Catherine's shadow forever," an insider shared. "Now he's center stage, and he's not letting anyone knock him off it."

"He wants applause, not analysis. CNN represents scrutiny — and that scares him," they added.

Zeta-Jones, 56, was reportedly so annoyed with the interview that she spent much time ranting to her friends about how it was "unfair and exploitative."

Douglas, 81, also had discussions with his close circle, during which he allegedly said that the outlet "crossed a line."

"Dylan's never been spoken to like that in his entire life. He's always been the golden boy — adored, protected. CNN gave him a taste of the real world, and his parents hated every second of it," an insider remarked about Douglas and Zeta-Jones at the time.

Dylan graduated from Brown University in May 2022 with a degree in political science, after growing up at the family's lavish home in Bermuda and later Douglas and Zeta-Jones' upstate New York estate.

He described his SiriusXM show as looking at politics through a lens of "my generation," which "has lived through some of the most transformative and tumultuous times in our history; and it's only gonna get crazier. I wanna take you through it. On my show, I won't just talk you through the news of the day – I'll underscore the larger issues spinning our country out of control."