WTF is Sam Zell doing on Ed Show???

Zell was implicated in the corruption charges against former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich. The charges claimed that Blagojevich had pressured Zell to fire particular Tribune editorial staffers, known to be harshly critical of the governor, in exchange for tax breaks on the sale of Wrigley Field. An aide to Blagojevich reported back to the governor that Zell "got the message and is very sensitive to the issue." The District Attorney's office later concluded that the aide had not in fact approached Zell and was lying to the governor.[12]

In 2008, Zell announced a plan to place the Chicago Cubs and Wrigley Field up for sale separately in order to maximize profits. He also announced he would consider selling naming rights to Wrigley Field. These announcements were widely unpopular in Chicago[13][14] and a poll taken by the Chicago Sun-Times showed that 53% of 2,000 people who voted said they would no longer attend Cubs games if the field was renamed.[15]

Zell's company Equity LifeStyle Properties, the largest mobile-home landlord in the United States, has been criticized for working to eliminate rent-control laws in local municipalities so that they can raise rents on their tenants to market rates. The company characterizes rent controls as "private subsidies for mobile-home dwellers", saying in 2007 that its annual subsidy to California tenants was $15 million.[16]

In April 2008, Zell made a controversial comment about the subprime mortgage crisis at a conference in Los Angeles, where he stated, "This country needs a cleansing. We need to clean out all those people who never should have bought in the first place, and not give them sympathy."[17]