Mike Rowe Shows a Fan How to Handle Rejection by Sharing Amazing 17-Year-Old Rejection Letter That Was 'Hardest One' to Accept

Mike Rowe, former “Dirty Jobs” star and current host of CNN’s “Somebody’s Gotta Do It,” revealed in a personal Facebook post the “hardest” rejection letter he’s ever received. He posted the letter in response to a fan who asked him about dealing with “rejection” after striking out after several job interviews.

In the post, which was going viral on Friday, Rowe let the Internet know he was once considered for the hosting gig on “The Daily Show,” the same job that turned Jon Stewart into an entertainment icon.

Facebook

“I’m not gonna tell you I never let it bother me. Unless you’re a robot or a psychopath, it’s very hard to not take a personal rejection personally. The hardest one for me to accept is explained in this letter, which I received 17 years ago from a very decent Executive Producer at The Daily Show,” Rowe wrote. “It’s one of the nicest rejection letters I’ve ever received, but it was nevertheless devastating, because I knew then with certainty that this was my ‘dream job.’”

Rowe said he was “crushed” when he was one of the final two candidates, and the job went to the other guy — Craig Kilborn.

To add insult to injury, Rowe again auditioned for the job after Kilborn’s quick departure. The job eventually went to Jon Stewart, who is just now retiring from the job.

“I was once again devastated,” he wrote.

However, 17 years later, Rowe said he “can’t believe how lucky” he was to have been “rejected.”

“It was a critical step in a long series of failures that got me to the sewer, where my redemption awaited, and a new level of job satisfaction that I frankly, never imagined,” he added. “Point is Tara, you can’t separate your successes from your failures until you look back, and even then, there’s not much point in putting each into a separate column. It’s all a part of whatever path your on.”

Read the entire post below:

(H/T: IJ Review)

---