After becoming the butt of jokes on late night chat shows, Toronto’s embattled mayor is making the rounds on major U.S. television networks to defend his image amid a scandal over drug and alcohol use and erratic behaviour.

Mayor Rob Ford has ignored most interview requests from Toronto media but he has been more than willing to sit down and answer questions from U.S. media as his troubles gain international attention.

In pre-recorded interviews that were shown to millions of viewers on NBC’s “Today Show” and ABC’s “Good Morning America” on Tuesday, Ford vowed to put the scandal behind him and rehabilitate his image before Torontonians head to the polls next October.

The defiant mayor invited “Today Show” co-host Matt Lauer to return to Toronto in five or six months.

“If you don’t see a difference, I’ll eat my words,” Ford said in an interview taped Monday after a chaotic and historic special council meeting where some of his key powers were shifted to deputy mayor Norm Kelly.

Kelly met with city manager Joe Pennachetti and other city officials Tuesday to discuss the transfer of staff and responsibilities. Ford is threatening to take legal action against council.

His lawyer, George Rust-D’Eye, told CP24 he has not received instructions from Ford but he hopes to meet with the mayor Tuesday to discuss the legal options available to him.

In interviews with U.S. media, the mayor lashed out at council and signalled his desire to get back to business at city hall.

“I’ve embarrassed not just myself, my family, my friends, my supporters. The whole city,” Ford told Lauer. “I take full responsibility for that. We’ve all made mistakes, Matt. I’m not perfect. Maybe you are, maybe other people are. I’ve made mistakes. I’ve admitted to my mistakes.”

Despite his troubles and opinion polls that suggest his support is waning, Ford is vowing to run for re-election. But what if Torontonians prefer a candidate who has the same penny-pinching agenda but not the baggage?

“They’re not going to find another Rob Ford,” the mayor told Lauer.

Lauer told Ford he has brought disgrace to the mayor's office.

The scandal erupted last May after U.S.-based gossip website Gawker and the Toronto Star broke the story about a cellphone video that allegedly shows the mayor smoking from a glass pipe. Police discovered the video late last month on a laptop computer seized during a drug raid last June. Ford has called on police to release the video.

“Show me the video. I want to see it because I can barely even remember it," Ford said in the NBC interview. "I was very, very inebriated.”

In recent weeks, Ford has admitted to smoking crack cocaine during a drunken stupor a year ago, binge drinking and buying illegal drugs while in office, and he also revealed he may have driven after consuming alcohol.

Ford, who has refused to resign or take a leave of absence, has claimed he is off alcohol.

In his interview with Lauer, Ford denied being a crack addict and said he is not in a treatment program for alcohol or drug addiction. Instead, Ford framed his problems around his waistline.

“I have a weight issue, I’ve been training every day,” the mayor said as he sat next to his brother, Coun. Doug Ford.

Last week, Rob Ford said he is receiving support from a team of health-care professionals, but he refused to elaborate on the nature of the help he is receiving.

During a testy exchange, Lauer asked the combative mayor if he would be capable and stable enough to handle a terrorist attack or disaster if one occurred after a night of binge drinking.

“I’m very fortunate that hasn’t happened. That could happen with anybody at any time,” Ford said. “Say your son or daughter just got killed in a car accident and you’re plastered out of your mind at three in the morning, are you going to be able to handle that?”

“Yeah, I would take personal responsibility for my family,” Lauer shot back. “You’ve got taxpayers and residents of this city depending on you.”

“And I take personal responsibility for them, too,” Ford replied.

On Monday night, the Ford scandal was covered in primetime on "Anderson Cooper 360" on CNN. That show was followed by Piers Morgan's in-studio interview with Toronto Star reporter Robyn Doolittle and one-time mayoral candidate Sarah Thomson, who previously accused the mayor of grabbing her buttocks while intoxicated.

The Ford brothers also debuted their new TV show, "Ford Nation," on Sun News Network a few weeks after their Newstalk 1010 radio show ended.

However the network abruptly cancelled the program Tuesday, citing "production costs."

"No more stand alone show. We will however welcome them as regular guests on other programming," a Sun News spokesperson said in an email to CP24.

In its one episode, the TV show managed to generate a minor controversy over a commercial featuring Canadian Tire's logo.

In a couple of tweets, Canadian Tire said a manufacturer used the company's logo in the ad.

"We did not place the ad or target the show," the company tweeted.

In a second tweet, Canadian Tire said it will not be advertising on the Ford brothers' show.

"For clarity to our customers – we won’t be advertising on Ford Nation and are asking our manufacturers to not use our logos on the show."

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