Catching Up with Cramer

For more than two decades, Jim Cramer has been one of the most recognizable—and energetic—forces in financial journalism.

As "Mad Money" marks its 20th anniversary, we caught up with Cramer to reflect on his legacy: making Wall Street more approachable for the average investor while coining catchphrases like “Booyah!” along the way.

In a Q&A with Status, Cramer shared the biggest lesson he wishes he had embraced earlier, the current mood among media and technology leaders, his outlook on the future of cable television, how he thinks platforms like TikTok and A.I. will reshape the next generation of financial news, and more.

Below is our Q&A, lightly edited for style.

When you look back on the past two decades of "Mad Money," what do you see as your most lasting contribution to financial journalism?

The best thing I have done is to de-mystify Wall Street to help people take control of their finances. The stock market is complicated and can be intimidating. From the start, my goal with “Mad Money” was to take my experience on Wall Street and use it to educate people while having fun along the way. I talk to viewers the way I talked to my late mother about stocks. She was observant, she was curious, but she really didn’t know how stocks work, so I keep her in mind as I put the show together each day. We have created a community, “Cramerica,” who is now passionate about investing smartly and that makes me feel like we have made a real impact. Twenty years flew by in a flash!

If you could go back and give yourself one piece of advice before the first episode aired in 2005, what would it be?

I wish I had placed a bigger focus earlier on long term investing. There’s always a temptation to chase the story of the day or predict what will happen next week, but as I look back on 20 years what I’m most proud of is the huge long term winners we’ve had like Apple and NVIDIA.

You talk to a lot of CEOs—what’s the current mood in the business community, particularly across the media and tech sectors?

I think people are increasingly afraid to speak their minds or offer constructive criticism, particularly in this political environment. And at the same time, we have heard from many execs who are uneasy about the financial disparity in this country. They just don’t know what to do about it. Many CEOs are concerned that the tariffs will help produce an environment similar to that of the Smoot-Hawley tariffs before the Great Depression, but they are mindful that we have very low unemployment which should forestall the worst from happening.

Comcast is, of course, cleaving off its cable assets. Warner Bros. Discovery hasn't gone as far, but David Zaslav has sorted the company's assets into two divisions, one primarily being the legacy cable networks. Where do you believe the cable sector is headed in the next 5–10 years? What survives? What dies off?

I always come back over and over to the concept of what is proprietary versus what is commodity. If you can produce something proprietary, something that is highly entertaining with great appeal, then you will succeed. I always have that in mind every night before my show begins. Am I giving the audience something worthwhile that they CAN’T get anywhere else? Can I help them make money? If I can check both boxes, I will be in your house. As far as the future, the companies that are agile and innovative will have the best chance of survival. I have worked across the media industry in everything from newspapers to radio to TV and have seen firsthand how quickly they have evolved. When industries are challenged, you must be willing to change everything.

Where do you see the next generation of investors getting their information from? Is it CNBC, X, TikTok, Substack—something else?

I think CNBC is enduring. It’s trustworthy and we have a lot of smart, good people. We have to complement it with a cross-platform strategy to reach our audiences where they are—including Tiktok, clubs and newsletters, and podcasts and lectures. I like X to get ideas and I follow a lot of smart people. I want to do more with Tiktok because relevance is king… provided you are honest. Again, if content is valuable and can make people money I don’t care where it’s packaged or where it lives.

What kind of legacy do you want to leave behind, not just for "Mad Money," but for how business news is done?

I want my legacy to be one of education—it’s the viewers that tell me that I have helped them to make a lot of money or saved them a lot or that I have changed their lives for the better in some way. That is why I do this. I am lucky to have the best team in the business and we are all committed to continuing to work hard for the “Mad Money” viewers as long as they’ll have us. Booyah!

Give us a wild prediction: What do you think CNBC will look like in 10 years?

I think there will be personalization in a way that won’t be recognizable. Our audiences will be able to receive the news and stocks they care about most. Shows like “Morning Meeting,” the program I do with Jeff Marks, will be more common– this is a crisp, ten-minute show—and not one second more—that tells you everything you need to know. It’s for CNBC Investing Club members only and it’s a challenge to be sure you hit the most important points in a coherent and brief way without taxing the busy viewer. I do think that we will not be all that cognizant of borders ten years from now. I believe A.I. will play a big role in breaking down language barriers with instant translation enabling investors to navigate and understand international markets like never before. Don’t worry, it won’t be hard. We will all have our own robots!

• At the conclusion of “60 Minutes,” Scott Pelley addressed the resignation of executive producer Bill Owens in remarkable fashion that quickly caught the attention of viewers for its striking transparency. “Bill resigned Tuesday. It was hard on him and hard on us. But he did it for us—and you,” Pelley said. “Stories we pursued for 57 years are often controversial. Lately, the Israel-Gaza war and the Trump administration. Bill made sure they were accurate and fair, he was tough that way. But our parent company, Paramount, is trying to complete a merger. The Trump administration must approve it. Paramount began to supervise our content in new ways. None of our stories have been blocked. But Bill felt he lost the independence that honest journalism requires. No one here is happy about it. But, in resigning, Bill proved one thing: He was the right person to lead ‘60 minutes’ all along.” [Bluesky]

  • Of course, when Pelley mentioned Paramount, he really meant boss Shari Redstone, who has not yet directly addressed Owens’ resignation.

  • Moments after the segment aired, “60 Minutes” pinned it on Bluesky, where the program now posts. (The show hasn’t posted on Elon Musk’s X in months.)

• "It's just us": With no comedian and no sitting president, the White House Correspondents’ Dinner put the spotlight on the correspondents. "I know this has been an extremely difficult year for all. It’s been difficult for this association. We’ve been tested, attacked," WHCA chief Eugene Daniels told attendees. [THR]

  • Alex Thompson, accepting the WHCA's top award, said Joe Biden's "decline and its cover-up by the people around him is a reminder that every White House, regardless of party, is capable of deception." [Daily Beast]

    • "We bear some responsibility for faith in the media being at such lows. I say this because acknowledging errors builds trust—and being defensive about them further erodes it. We should have done better."

  • Zeke Miller, also accepting an award: "We at AP remain committed as ever to accurate, independent, nonpartisan journalism. To carrying light the world over." [Gabrien]

  • Celebrities were almost entirely absent from the dinner, though "White Lotus" star Jason Isaacs was in the room. [Guardian]

    • Indeed, as Michael Grynbaum reported: "Top journalists at multiple news outlets said that it had been nearly impossible to convince celebrities and lawmakers to attend as guests." [NYT]

  • Brian Lowry's review: The dinner "delivered a message about the importance of journalism’s mission—amid an assault on the press by the Trump administration—as well as some soul-searching about its failings." [The Wrap]

• Jesse McKinley covered the various WHCD parties around town, including the Status kickoff event we held Thursday evening in defense of the First Amendment. [NYT]

  • As I told Natalie Korach, our guest list specifically included those who are “champions of the First Amendment,” not those in the White House “assaulting the free press.” [Vanity Fair]

  • While journalists gathered, MAGA Media did as well. Right-wing media personality Raheem Kassam held a party at Butterworth's and Omeed Malik held one at the Willard. Marco Rubio opted to attend those parties, in addition to other GOP officials. [POLITICO]

• Final hours: Our limited-edition T-shirt in celebration of the First Amendment is on sale until midnight. 50% of the proceeds go to the RCFP’s legal defense fund. [Status Shop]

• In other news: The Atlantic teased its next cover, which will feature its anticipated interview with Donald Trump. “I run the country and the world,” Trump told the mag. The cover story will be posted online in the morning.

• ABC News said it had secured an interview with Trump, which will air as a primetime special on Tuesday at 8pm. The interview will be conducted by Terry Moran. [ABC News]

• Documents filed with the SEC revealed Bob Bakish received a $69.3 million payout after being ousted from Paramount Global last year. [Variety]

• Bill Maher continued to battle with Larry David, responding to The NYT column from the "Curb Your Enthusiasm" star by saying "Nazi" is a "hard word to use with nuance." [Deadline]

• Francis Ford Coppola accepted the American Film Institute's 50th Life Achievement Award: "I feel as if after many years, I’ve returned to the old neighborhood where I grew up. And everything around me is so familiar, yet it’s all changed. There are the empty lots I played in that are mostly gone, new buildings I don’t recognize, so many friends and neighbors returning my smiles." [Deadline]

  • Adam Driver lauded Coppola for "not letting the money dictate" the widely panned "Megalopolis." [Deadline]

  • Steven Spielberg, meanwhile, declared "The Godfather" the "greatest American film ever made." [Variety]

• Lucas Shaw profiled Paramount co-chief executive Chris McCarthy and looked at how he has "helped create one of the biggest franchises in Hollywood." [Bloomberg]

• More salvation for "Sinners," which took home another $45 million at the domestic box office—a mere 6% drop from its opening weekend.

• "Star Wars: Episode III—Revenge of the Sith" nabbed $25 million for its 20th anniversary showings.

• "The Accountant 2" debuted with $24.5 million.

• "A Minecraft Movie" printed $22.7 million more in receipts; it has now made more than $816 million worldwide.

[Data via Box Office Mojo]