Yeah, If he'd said that on TV in 1987, would he have been regarded as still a Mac genius, or would he have been shunned?

I think it's a good question. It's not obvious to me that it would have been the end of his career, but I'd probably have done the same as he did back then.

In thinking further, Stewart Cheifet would have scrapped the episode, and he might have gotten invitations to go on other, more sensationalistic shows. Good call.