CNN has decided to ban conservative commentator Ryan Girdusky from appearing on the network again after he made an offensive comment toward British-American journalist Mehdi Hasan during a heated debate on “CNN Newsnight.”
This incident happened while they were discussing former President Donald Trump’s recent rally at Madison Square Garden and the controversial remarks made by comedian Tony Hinchcliffe.
During their conversation, Girdusky said to Hasan, “I hope your beeper doesn’t go off,” referring to the attacks in Lebanon a month earlier. Those incidents, involving exploding pagers and other communication devices, resulted in nearly 40 deaths and thousands of injuries. Israel was blamed for the attacks, which primarily targeted members of Hezbollah.
Hasan, visibly shocked, responded, “Did you just say I should die? You just said I should be killed.” The show’s host, Abby Phillip, immediately called out the comment, leading to Girdusky’s removal from the panel after a commercial break.
CNN quickly released a statement through Philip on X, condemning the remark. They stated,
“There is zero room for racism or bigotry at CNN or on our air. We aim to foster thoughtful conversations and debate between people who profoundly disagree with each other in order to explore important issues and promote mutual understanding. But we will not allow guests to be demeaned or for the line of civility to be crossed.”
The network confirmed that Ryan Girdusky would not be welcomed back to CNN. Phillip also apologized on air to both Hasan and viewers, stating, “I want to apologise to Mehdi Hasan for what was said at this table. It was completely unacceptable.”
This problematic moment happened when Hasan, who is known for his strong criticism of Israel’s actions in Gaza, mentioned that he often faces accusations of being anti-Semitic because he supports Palestinians. While trying to defend his controversial statement, Girdusky claimed he misunderstood Hasan and thought the latter was expressing support for Hamas.
After he left the show, Ryan Girdusky went online to express his frustration about being banned from CNN.
He tweeted, “Apparently you can’t go on CNN if you make a joke,” suggesting he viewed his comment as humorous rather than offensive.
