CNN banned conservative commentator Ryan Girdusky from future appearances after he made a racist and Islamophobic threat at journalist Mehdi Hasan, though not before the Brit humiliated the Trump supporter at the live broadcast.
During a CNN Newsnight panel discussion with host Abby Phillip, Girdusky said, “Well, I hope your beeper doesn’t go off,” after Hasan said he supports Palestinians. The remark appeared to reference Israel’s targeting of Hezbollah fighters in Lebanon with exploding pagers last month, which killed 12 and injured thousands.
“Did your guest just say I should be killed on live TV?” Hasan asked the show’s anchor.
When Hasan asked Girdusky to clarify what he meant, and others called him out for his comments, he stammered through an attempted apology.
“Are you inciting violence against me?” Hasan fired back. “Forget the racism, it’s that I should die.”
As the CNN anchor attempted to admonish Girdusky, Hasan added: “Good job, CNN. Let’s have someone say the Muslim guy should be blown up live on air.”
When Girdusky tried to deflect by claiming he thought Hasan supported Hamas, Hasan cut through the pretext. “You didn’t think I said Hamas,” Hasan said. “I said I’m a supporter of Palestinian rights,” adding, “At least have the guts to support your racist comment.”
Hasan wasn’t finished and added one last flurry at Girdusky: “Don’t call us Nazis, but I’ll threaten the brown guy as a terrorist and kill him!”
When the show returned from a commercial break, Phillip said Girdusky had been removed for crossing ‘the line of a complete lack of civility.’
CNN later issued a statement a few hours later saying there was “zero room for racism or bigotry at CNN or on our air” and that Girdusky “will not be welcomed back at our network.”
Girdusky ridiculed on social
After the exchange went viral, Girdusky seemed to backtrack on his apology. “You can stay on CNN if you falsely call every Republican a Nazi and have taken money from Qatar-funded media. Apparently you can’t go on CNN if you make a joke,” he chirped on social media.
But responses to his post suggested most saw through his attempt at bravado.
“LMAO acting now as the tough guy. You were sweating bullets apologizing profusely,” said one.
Another said: “Yes you even followed normal joke structure by apologizing profusely after the punchline.”
The incident sparked widespread condemnation on social media, with thousands denouncing Girdusky’s remark as both racist and Islamophobic.
The incident reignited criticism of CNN and other mainstream networks for platforming extremist voices. A former TV booker sparked discussion about the growing challenge producers face in finding Republican commentators who aren’t aligned with far-right positions.
The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) described Girdusky’s comment as “deplorable Islamophobia”.
“It is deeply troubling to see how such voices have become normalised and given air time. Such inflammatory and racist rhetoric is legitimised, fuelling more hatred against Muslims and minorities,” it said in a post on X
