CNN bans conservative commentator Ryan Girdusky after making racist remarks on television

CNN has banned conservative commentator Ryan Girdusky from the network after he made a racist comment on air toward fellow guest Mehdi Hasan.

On Monday's episode of CNN NewsNight with Abby PhillipGirdusky and Hasan argued over the rhetoric used during Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's rally at Madison Square Garden, where comedian Tony Hinchcliffe called Puerto Rico a “floating island of trash.”

The discussion took a negative turn after Hasan stated that he supported the Palestinians. In response, Girdusky told Hasan, “I hope your pager doesn't go off,” referring to recent reports that Israel had hidden explosives in pagers to attack Hezbollah members in Lebanon.

Sign in Entertainment Weekly Free daily newsletter with breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars and more.

A stunned Hasan, a Muslim journalist who founded the media company Zeteo, responded: “Did you just say I should die? Did you just say on live television that I should be killed?”

Girdusky backed down and Phillip tried to contain the situation by telling Girdusky that his comment was “totally out of pocket.”

In response to the segment, CNN released a statement saying that Girdusky “will not be welcomed back to our network.” And: “At CNN, there is no room for racism or bigotry on our broadcast,” the statement said. “Our aim is to promote thoughtful conversations and debates, even between people who have deeply different opinions, to discuss important issues and promote mutual understanding. However, we will not allow guests to be humiliated or to cross the line of politeness.”

Phillip also apologized to viewers after a commercial break following the segment and revealed that Girdusky had been asked to leave. “I would like to apologize to Mehdi Hasan for what was said at this table. It was completely unacceptable,” Phillip said. “As we begin this discussion, you will see that Ryan is not at the table. A line was crossed and that’s not acceptable to me, it’s not acceptable to us on this network.”

Girdusky, for his part, has since responded to the station, claiming it was a “joke.” After the post, he wrote on social media: “You can stay at CNN when you falsely call every Republican a Nazi and have taken money from Qatari-funded media. Apparently you can't stay on CNN if you make a joke. That’s me. I’m glad America sees what CNN stands for.”