The downfall of Michael Avenatti, how both the media and the lawyer used each other

"No matter where you land on the question of his downfall, we are a part of this story, too. He used the media, and we used him," Politico's Ruby Cramer wrote.

Michael Avenatti, mostly known for representing Stormy Daniels in a failed lawsuit against former President Donald Trump, was sentenced in July to 30 months in prison for attempting to extort footwear giant Nike to the tune of $25 million.

Avenatti says that although he understands why the media decided to forgo their relationship, their decision "infuriates" him because he is now unable to defend himself on cable news networks like CNN and MSNBC that platformed him in the past.

"I don't think it would be smart. I don't think it'd be a good look, and, you know, why risk it?" he said, adding that being unable to talk on a cable set is "not killing me" but "it's infuriating."

"I'm going to look back some day and say, 'This was the peak. It was all downhill from here,'" Avenatti added.

Speaking to Politico, Avenatti recollected how media praised him and dubbed him the "belle of the ball" but after his conviction, they turned on him and he felt betrayed.

CNN Legal Analyst Jeffrey Toobin said he felt "snookered" by Avenatti, while CNN's Anderson Cooper attempted to defend the "creepy" porn lawyer.

It was only after Avenatti's repeated failures; like losing lawsuits for Daniels, attempting to stop the confirmation of Justice Brett Kavanaugh, and a slew of arrests, that turned him from a democratic icon into an embarrassing saga for mainstream media.

"He is juggling three federal indictments, claims of fraud, embezzlement, and attempted extortion, the details of which he commands as if he were representing himself, which he did in the second of the three cases, in California, where federal prosecutors accused him of stealing millions of dollars from his own client," Politico reported.