The son of Hollywood stars Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones found himself in an unexpectedly challenging position during a heated debate on CNN’s NewsNight. Dylan Douglas, who is known for his political engagement, faced off against CNN commentator Scott Jennings, who delivered a decisive blow in a discussion centered around the Senate’s passage of a funding bill aimed at reopening the government following an extensive shutdown.

At 25, Douglas stepped into the spotlight to express his views, pinning responsibility for the historically prolonged 42-day shutdown squarely on the Republican Party. He argued passionately that it was unfair to accuse Democrats of exacerbating the nation’s plight. “Scott, with all respect, you cannot put on the American people that Democrats were the ones hurting people,” Douglas asserted. However, Jennings quickly countered, posing the question, “Who was casting the votes against opening the government, Democrats or Republicans?” This exchange led to a brief but intense verbal scuffle, with both participants speaking over each other.

Douglas, attempting to turn the tables, questioned, “Who was wanting to cut SNAP benefits?” In response, Jennings highlighted that Republicans had voted 15 times to fund the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), whereas Democrats opposed it repeatedly. This back-and-forth referred to the numerous Senate votes linked to the shutdown, with the proposed spending bill including provisions for SNAP funding.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune said he would hold a mid-December vote to extend those credits, which was among the small concessions Republicans made that got the eight key senators to flip their positions on the shutdown vote. Dylan Douglas is the son of Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones, who famously worked together on the films The Mask of Zorro (1998), and Traffic (2000). The senior Douglas is particularly well-known for his roles in Basic Instinct and Wall Street.

Like his father, the junior Douglas has worked as an actor and producer, but he is also a progressive political commentator. He hosts a political talk show on SiriusXM called Young American with Dylan Douglas. He is also a co-founder of the political action committee, Make Room, which supports young and progressive candidates, and he has worked on political campaigns.

This was Dylan’s second appearance on a TV network news program. The first was on MSNBC’s Morning Joe in September.