Conservative banned from CNN over offensive ‘beeper’ comment reveals what happened off-camera

A conservative commentator who was banned from CNN after comparing a Muslim guest to a terrorist has revealed what happened after the cameras went dark.

Ryan Girdusky was banned from broadcasting on Monday night after telling journalist Medhi Hasan: “I hope your pager doesn’t go off” – a reference to Israel blowing up Hezbollah terrorists and killing 32 people.

Girdusky then wrote on his Substack, revealing that “all hell broke loose,” and Phillip asked him to stop speaking.

He adds that Medhi then ‘stormed’ off the set after the program cut to a commercial break before being advised by Phillip that he had to leave.

“Abby asked me to step aside, and I couldn’t do what I just did. I said, “Okay.” They disconnected my microphone and I apologized to the producer,” he wrote.

He described then texting the person who organized him while he was on the show, and said he was contacted by “a lot of liberals” within minutes of leaving.

Guests on the show, hosted by Abby Phillip, discussed racist jokes made during former President Donald Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally on Sunday.

In a post in his own newsletter, Girdusky, founder of the 1776 Project PAC, has now revealed what happened after the cameras went down.

Guests on the show, hosted by Abby Phillip, had discussed racist jokes made during former President Donald Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally on Sunday.

He lashed out at Hasan, who he said was “called an anti-Semite more than anyone else at this table” for his comments on the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.

Hasan said he supported Palestinian rights and not Hamas, prompting the beeper comment.

Of the comment, he wrote: “It was all bulls***, I was just joking,” claiming he thought he heard Hasan say Hamas instead of Palestine.”

Hasan accused him of calling for his death because of this comment, saying, “Did you say I should die? You just said I should be killed.”

Girdusky continued, “I apologize for hearing the wrong thing; in the heat of battle I didn’t hear him properly.’

Hasan said he supported Palestinian rights and not Hamas, prompting the beeper comment

Girdusky wrote that his parents had received threats over his comments, but described himself as “fine.”

He added: ‘I never aspired to be someone on TV. It just doesn’t really matter to me. People always talk about a brand, and I think that’s mine; I really don’t care.”

After the interaction, CNN issued a statement banning him from the network and Phillip published a video apology to Medhi.

Ryan Girdusky founded the 1776 Project PAC in 2021

He continued: ‘This is a man who called me a Nazi seconds earlier and then said I called him an anti-Semite even though I had never heard of him until yesterday.

“It was like so many other segments I had on CNN, double standards abound, where I was expected to use it, and liberal guys could get away with just about anything they wanted.”

Concluding his explanation, he said the exchange was an example of “why no one trusts the media anymore, especially the liberal news networks.”

He claimed that their programming was not about “facts or equal footing,” but about “promoting a story.”

‘People who opposed that story were expected to be a punching bag. Fuck off.’, he added.

Girdusky added, “I am not a victim; I said what I said. I own it. Some people liked it; some people hated it. I don’t care. No one will remember it in a moment.

“That’s the way the news media works; it tries to feed outrage, fear and anxiety to the dwindling public to keep the lights on. I was just a crack in the chain of the outrage machine.

“So if you ever get canceled on a cable news network, just remember that everyone forgets about it after a few days. It’s not as important as telling the truth and making the occasional joke.’

Hasan, seen here in New York City last August, has not yet commented on it publicly, but has reposted comments from fellow guests Ashley Allison and Abby Phillip on his social media.

After the commercial break, Phillip apologized to Hasan and those watching.

She said: “I would like to apologize to Mehdi Hasan for what was said at this table. It was completely unacceptable as we get this discussion going, you’ll see Ryan isn’t at the table.

‘A line has been crossed there and it is not acceptable to me. It is not acceptable for us on this network.”

The broadcaster said in a statement: “There is no room for racism or bigotry on CNN or on our air.

“We strive to promote thoughtful conversations and debates, including among people who strongly disagree, to explore important issues and promote mutual understanding.

‘But we will not allow guests to be humiliated or the line of civility to be crossed. Ryan Girdusky will no longer be welcome on our network.”

Hasan has not commented on it publicly yet, but reposted comments from fellow guests Ashley Allison and Abby Phillip on his social media.