Overview

Ryan Girdusky's "I Hope Your Beeper Doesn’t Go Off" Comment refers to a controversial comment made by conservative political commentator Ryan Girdusky against British-American journalist Mehdi Hasan in which he said, “I hope your beeper doesn’t go off,” referencing Ithe pager and radio attacks on Hezbollah orchestrated by Israel in September 2024. Girdusky's controversial quote came after Hasan said that he is a “supporter of the Palestinians,” which spawned criticism and jokes in late October 2024 towards the conservative commentator as the clip went viral online. CNN also banned Girdusky from the network, stating, "There is zero room for racism or bigotry at CNN or on our air," and that "Ryan Girdusky will not be welcomed back at our network."

Background

On October 28th, 2024, during a cable news discussion on CNN Newsnight With Abby Phillip, conservative commentator Ryan Girdusky made a comment toward Muslim journalist Mehdi Hasan as they debated, saying, “I hope your beeper doesn’t go off,” referencing the September 2024 pager attacks on Hezbollah in which explosives were detonated in pagers and other electronic devices belonging to militants in Lebanon. The comment was said after Hasan told the guests he is a “supporter of the Palestinians.”

The moment from the segment was shared on X^[1] by user @Acyn that same day, which amassed over 16 million views and 54,000 likes in a day (shown below).

Developments

Ryan Girdusky's CNN Ban

After the CNN Newsnight broadcast finished, TV presenter and broadcast journalist Abby Phillip shared an official CNN^[7] statement saying Ryan Girdusky will no longer be welcome on the network after his offensive comment to fellow guest Mehdi Hasan.^[2] Phillip also posted a video apologizing to Hasan, saying she hopes "he’ll join us another time." The video (seen below) amassed more than 1.4 million views and 21,000 likes in a day.

CNN's Response

Ryan Girdusky's Response

On October 29th, 2024, Ryan Girdusky tweeted^[3] about the controversy, writing, "Apparently you can't go on CNN if you make a joke. I'm glad America gets to see what CNN stands for." The post (seen below) amassed over 1.9 million views and 28,000 likes in a few hours.

Online Reactions

Ryan Girdusky's controversial comment immediately spawned critics and backlash on the internet in late October 2024. For example, on October 28th, 2024, Twitch streamer Hasan Piker replied^[4] to the viral clip showing the CNN Newsnight debate, writing, "This is what happens when you think real life is like Reddit and Twitter." The post (seen below) received more than 1.6 million views and 70,000 likes in a day.

On October 29th, 2024, X^[5] user @notcapnamerica posted a still image of Girdusky's face after his comment was criticized by other commentators, writing, "The moment he knew he f---ed up." The tweet (seen below) amassed more than 43,000 views and 1,300 likes in a few hours.

Redditors also shared Girdusky's viral clip around the platform, sparking debate and jokes mocking the conservative commentator. For example, on October 29th, 2024, Redditor^[6] Home_Positive posted a screenshot from a Media Matters article about Ryan Girdusky's quote, writing, "Once again more racism from MAGA. Are you surprised?" The post (seen below) amassed roughly 270 upvotes and 40 comments in a few hours.

Search Interest

External References