I think a lot of people don't realize what he did or where the name came from. His nickname is just a household name because they made a blockbuster movie about his story. I never saw it myself, but cuts from the film always made him look more like a business-savvy shark than a scammer.
No the movie pretty clearly shows what a scammer and liar he is, which is the funny part. Anyone that's seen the movie would run away from anything Jordan Belfort has to say.
That’s the point. I think far more people have heard of the “Wolf of Wall Street” or “Jordan Belfort” and therefore would lend him credence on CNBC than have actually seen the movie. I haven’t seen the movie, and didn’t really know or care about the plot. But I’ve been hearing his name for years. That has a psychological effect that the news media tries to exploit.