During a tense panel discussion on Monday night, Hasan stated that he was used to people accusing him of antisemitism given that he’s supportive of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank.
“Yeah, well, I hope your beeper doesn’t go off,” Girdusky countered, a reference to a September Israeli operation against Hezbollah in which operatives of the Lebanese paramilitary group were killed through the use of pagers implanted with explosive devices.
“Did you just say I should be killed live on CNN?” an incredulous Hasan asked Girdusky. “First block, say the Muslim guy should be blown up on TV.”
Host Abby Phillip admonished Girdusky, telling him that his comment was “completely out of pocket.”
After cutting to commercial, the panel returned without Girdusky. “You’ll see that Ryan is not at the table,” Philip told viewers. “There is a line that was crossed there and it’s not acceptable to me, it’s not acceptable to us at this network.”
In a separate statement, CNN said that “Ryan Girdusky will not be welcomed back at our network.”
“There is zero room for racism or bigotry at CNN or on our air. We aim to foster thoughtful conversations and debate including 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 added.
Girdusky has refused to take accountability for the consequences of his own actions, writing on X that “you can stay on CNN if you falsely call every Republican a Nazi and have taken money from Qatar-funded media,” but “apparently you can’t go on CNN if you make a joke. I’m glad America gets to see what CNN stands for.”
The heated exchange took place just a day after Republicans were left scrambling to do damage control after “comedian” Tony Hinchcliffe delivered a racist monologue against Latinos and Puetro Ricans during Donald Trump’s rally in Madison Square Garden. “These people have no sense of humor,” Hinchcliffe complained amidst the backlash to his set. But really, he, Girdusky, and Republicans need a reeducation on what jokes are actually funny.
Who Is Ryan Girdusky?
During the argument, Girdusky told Hasan, who has long criticized Israel: “I hope your beeper doesn’t go off.”
In September, an attack against Lebanon-based militant group Hezbollah, involving rigged pagers and walkie-talkies that exploded, killed dozens of people and injured hundreds more. The attacks have been widely attributed to Israel, which has neither confirmed nor denied involvement.
Girdusky, who is from New York, is a conservative political commentator and writer who co-authored the 2020 book They're Not Listening: How the Elites Created the National Populist Revolution, which is about how “cosmopolitan elites across the globe are ignoring the will of the people—pushing disgruntled voters into the arms of national-populist parties and politicians.”
He also founded the 1776 Project PAC, which supports school board candidates who oppose progressive curricula, such as teaching Critical Race Theory and gender theory.
Girdusky wrote on the website: “Progressive activists within our public education system were using their positions to indoctrinate children. Even conservative communities in red states were not immune from this growing epidemic.”
Some people have linked Girdusky to far-right nationalist figure Richard Spencer, who has been credited with creating the term “alt-right.” He was described by the Southern Poverty Law Center as a “suit-and-tie version of the white supremacists of old, a kind of professional racist in khakis.”
Right-wing critic Amanda Moore (@npturtlesoup17), who describes herself as a “known leftist troll,” posted on X, formerly Twitter, on Monday: “From writing for Richard Spencer to appearing on CNN! What a glow-up for Ryan Girdusky!!! Congrats to all involved!”
Spencer responded, “More than a decade ago, but yes.”
This post has been cited by several other people, including by Wajahat Ali, a Muslim-American commentator, who wrote in his Substack blog, The Left Hook: “If you invite a panelist on your cable news show who is defending racist jokes and previously wrote for Richard Spencer, an actual Nazi, then you shouldn't be shocked when he uses your privileged platform to spout offensive racist hate against your guests.”
In her Substack blog, The Turtle Diaries, Moore cited two archived links that show Girdusky's byline on the now-unoperated website Alternative Right, which Spencer founded and co-edited.
In his article “Road Map to Nowhere,” published on November 19, 2020, Girdusky discussed how he believed Republicans should proceed after their gains in the mid-term elections by “not squandering (ing) yet another opportunity.”
In his piece named “Whiteout,” published on October 19, 2010, Girdusky argued that the suicides of white, middle-class men are not taken as seriously as the suicides of the LGBTQ+ community.
He wrote: “So as the worst economic depression in nearly a century has also lead to a sweeping increase in suicides amongst white, middle class males, as was the case in the Great Depression, the forgotten man once again weeps alone.”
Newsweek reached out to Girdusky via X and a 1776 Project PAC press inquiry form for comment.
Newsweek also reached out to Spencer via X for comment.
Girdusky’s History of Racist Remarks
During the CNN roundtable, Girdusky said the media has called “everyone who attended” Trump's rally “Hitler” and “a fascist.”
Hasan responded: “I get it, nobody wants to be called Nazis. It's very inflammatory; if you don't want to be called Nazis, stop saying things.”
Girdusky shot back toward Hasan: “You've been called an antisemite more than anyone at this table,” to which Hasan said, “I'm in support of the Palestinians; I'm used to it.”
Girdusky replied, “Yeah, well, I hope your beeper doesn't go off.”
The backlash was instant from the others at the roundtable, and Girdusky apologized, arguing that he thought Hasan had said he supported Hamas. Both Girdusky and Hasan had left the discussion by the time the commercial break ended.
CNN has since apologized for the comment, saying there is “zero room for racism or bigotry at CNN or on our air” and that Girdusky “will not be welcomed back at our network.”
Girdusky has faced intense online backlash for the comment and its implications. Human rights lawyer and Substack writer Qasim Rashid was one of many who posted about the incident when he said: “Imagine calling a journalist a terrorist & threatening him with assassination on live TV—all to prove you're NOT a Nazi.”
CNN has also faced criticism for hosting Girdusky in the first place.
Liberal writer and commentator Matthew Sheffield wrote on X: “And just closing the loop on Ryan Girdusky, he is a full-on racist and radical Christian supremacist who has written for racist activist Richard Spencer. He has been running an operation to block Black and LGBT authors from school curricula. He should've never been on CNN.”
Social media political commentator Russell Drew, who has posted multiple criticisms of Trump, posted a message directly to CNN's Abby D. Phillip.
He said: “Abby, I think you're a great journalist, but you and CNN really have to do a better job at deciding who to platform.”
Phillip shared CNN's statement on X and accompanied it with a video of her saying that Girdusky is “not welcome back on our air.”
“There is a line here on this program, and it was crossed,” she said, stressing that CNN did not ask Hasan, who was also absent from the panel after the commercial break, to leave.
“We really wanted him to come back and finish the show. We had a lot to talk to him about, and we really hope that he'll join us again soon,” she said.
Newsweek reached out to Phillip's publicist via X for any further comment.
Why is CNN Facing Criticism for Girdusky’s Appearance?
Some have criticized CNN for not taking as hard of a line on the label “Nazi.”
Animator Paul A. Szypula, who has posted multiple times in support of Trump, said: “CNN contributors throw around the word 'N*zi' constantly and nothing ever happens. But dare call someone else something else and all heck breaks loose.”
Update 10/29/24, 12:20 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
Correction 10/29/24, 12:20 p.m. ET: This article was corrected to fix the spelling of Ryan Girdusky's last name.
