John Krasinski Defends His Decision to Sell Viral Show 'Some Good News' to CBS

John Krasinski took some flack for selling his Some Good News YouTube show to ViacomCBS, but defended that decision in a recent Instagram Live chat with former The Office co-star Rainn Wilson. Krasinski was widely criticized as a "sell out" for taking his widely available news show to a major media network. When CBS eventually releases new episodes, Krasinski will not even be hosting the show, and no new host has been announced.

"It was one of those things where I was only planning on doing eight of them during quarantine because I have these other things that I'm going to be having to do very soon, like Jack Ryan and all this other stuff," Krasinski told Wilson in a now-expired video, reports The Wrap. "Writing, directing, and producing. All those things with a couple of my friends was so much. I knew it wouldn't be sustainable with my prior commitments." Krasinski added that it "just wasn't sustainable," although he would have loved to keep the show going forever.

Krasinski assured Wilson he still has a "lot of really fun stuff planned" and will continue being a part of the show. He said he would still appear in "a couple of episodes" and thanked fans for the kind messages he received while hosting. "I've received the most amazingly kind notes about how much that show meant to everyone, but the truth is, it meant no more to anyone than me," Krasinksi said. "That's probably the most emotionally fulfilled I've ever felt in my entire life."

Krasinski launched Some Good News back in April on YouTube, where it was available for free. Each episode featured special guests, including Steve Carell, Guy Fieri, Martha Stewart, Billie Eilish and the Jonas Brothers. One episode featured the entire Office cast reuniting for a couple's virtual wedding after Krasinski learned the couple recreated Jim and Pam's engagement. The series had a "low-budget" feel, which made it endearing to fans looking for some good stories during the coronavirus pandemic.

On Friday, CBS announced it bought Some Good News. "Wow who can believe when we started this thing together we all just wanted good news to be more fully represented in our everyday lives," Krasinski shared on Twitter. "And now? You quite literally ARE the good news! Thanks to you, SGN lives on, joining the ranks of this historic news network! See you all soon!"

Fans instantly criticized Krasinski, " fearing the new episodes would only be available on CBS All Access, ViacomCBS' streaming platform. On Sunday, Krasinksi told fans the show will not be on CBS All Access exclusively. They "have a bunch of fun stuff planned with CBS Network," the actor wrote.

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