CNN's Rick Sanchez fired after calling Jon Stewart a bigot [Updated]

 
Say goodbye to the king of "Conventional Idiocy": CNN newscaster Rick Sanchez has been fired. The news comes one day after Sanchez appeared on Pete Dominick's Sirius radio show, where he called "The Daily Show's" Jon Stewart a "bigot" (he later amended the term to "prejudicial") and suggested that "everybody who runs CNN" was Jewish.

Today, CNN released a statement noting that “Rick Sanchez is no longer with the company. We thank Rick for his years of service and we wish him well.”

CNN did not disclose whether Sanchez's comments were cause for letting him go. But the radio interview was just the latest in a history of incendiary quotes from the newscaster, who has gotten into trouble for calling Obama a "cotton-pickin' president," misquoting Rush Limbaugh, and not understanding the metric system.

If you'd like to listen to Sanchez’ radio comments (and hear him quote Mark Twain), click here.

[Updated at 5:06 p.m.: An earlier version of this story misspelled Sanchez's and Stewart's first names in one reference and has been corrected.]

-- Melissa Maerz

Photo credit: Mark Hill/CNN

Comments

[Cosmo Kramer]

Oh no............dont tell me now that Ali Velshi is going to do 4-5 hours on tv now. Oh god, he really thinks we are all idiots.

[AmericanPride13]

I am one American, of a growing population that does not support our feverish loyalty to the Jewish country of Israel. Aside from words in some book, of which Mr. Hawking a has put a serious kink into, it and you simply do not belong in middle east Hebrews.

You were placed there after WWII and have done noting but cause problems for United States of America with sprawling into sovereign nations and killing innocent people that are trying to defend their land. And make no mistake it is Persian land.

If the middle eastern people were given or allowed to purchase the same artillery that USA sells and provides you...you would have a true fight on your hands..but you corral and lock them in like a heard of cattle and the fight with the tools they have...and boy they are they resilent people...

Humph, matter of fact sure sounds like a very familiar story playing out in the twenty first century (e.g. Native Americans and the land stolen from them & population decimated & killed by the Christian Manifest Destiny)

I'm sure this post will get labled as Nazish or bigoted by the Hebrews that read this but guess what too bad. Quit taking land that does not belong to you under some guise its to protect your population.

[Markoff Chaney]

not going to miss him since I don't watch Faux News (except in a rubbernecking, watching a train wreck in slo-mo kind of way once in a while). But good riddance anyway.

[Collette]

I've enjoyed Rick Sanchez on CNN and I'm sorry to hear he's leaving... Best of luck Rick, I hope you find another network - enjoyed your show.

[Ken]

Hurray, finally the media and public in general found out what a clueless jerk this guy is, he started as a news anchorman for a local Miami station and was an obvious racists then but the thing I remember the most about him is back in the 90's there were several hit and runs on the streets of Miami in less than a week and every night he would announce it as big news and how cruel and mean those people must be and then in less than two weeks he himself was driving drunk and hit a pedestrian and left, driving home as fast as he could to get the alcohol evidence out of his body, he got caught and basically slapped on the wrist it was at that moment I fully realized what a hypocrite self-serving loser he really is. Thank you CNN for doing the right thing... he'll be a shinning star on the Fox network within days.

[rapx999]

Sanchez should have known that he has no first amendment rights in this country when it comes to criticizing Jews. And now with the extra air time I'm sure CNN will run more feature stories for the holocaust industry, kaching!

[LVE]

I think Rick Sanchez is a cement head and I'm not sorry to see him go, but the Times should report this for what it is; censorship whenever anyone says anything remotely negative about Israel and/or Jews. Like Helen Thomas, Sanchez is a victim of simply speaking the truth. Unfortunately, in the United States, you're only allowed to speak the "truth" about Muslims and Muslim-majority countries. Jews, Christians, Israel and the United States are off limits. (Which is probably why the Times spends more time reporting about the firing of Rick Sanchez than Israel's execution of U.S. Citizen Furkan Dogan as reported by the United Nations Commissioner for Human Rights.)

[Tom]

Never, EVER, dis the Jews!!! It's career suicide.

[gargo laminz]

Remeber .."My Name is Jose Jimenez"...Jewish comedian..a funny one..making fun of Mexicans...Hmm,

[Wow]

So, the "Jewish-controlled" media guys at CNN, hired this obvious--and--not-so-obvious--affirmative action case to sit in front of the camera, when he is obviously not capable of doing, and when he finally does a Mel Gibson, he stabs the backs of the guys whose guilt feelings put him in a a cushy job to begin with. Finally, the only discrimination this lilly white "latino" (he is Euro-White as you can get) would be over his lack of intelligence.

[David]

He was fired for saying that CNN is run by Jews, Jon Stewart is a footnote.
Either that or Sanchez is auditioning for FOX NEWS.

[Dr A. Allen RANDOLPH]

Although I do not particularly care for Mr. Sanchez's perceptions and opinions, I do feel that firing him for calling someone a bigot is an unfortunate demonstration of bias. It also treads on the so called sacred robe of the first amendment. I listen day in and day out from the lips of the annointed just about anything that is on their minds. Mr. Beck, Limbaugh, Buchanan et al. Just about anything that their limited minds can call up to insult and diminish another human being.

I suggest that Mr Sanchez's primary mistake was forgetting that he was not White, and thus did not carry the full benefit of the first amendment. I am truly sorry for the state of affairs in this country today.

The depth of racism in the country is actually depressing. I grew up believing in the America of legend... I actually thought that the country had taken a giant step forward when President Obama was elected. He represented the best qualified, educated and committed person on the ballot... and then the teabaggers came out in a revised Klan uniform, the militia started shooting and bringing guns to presidential speeches, any lie could be believed from "death panels" to Nazi, Anti Christ, non citizen... just about anything that could be conjured up has been spoken about this man, who has chosen to lead this country into the light... I am sorry for America... and sorry for the years of believing in a vision that appears to have been an impossible dream... one nation under God... is more like one nation under sod. Hate Hampers Progress, Accomplishment, and Achievement.

As you attack our President, other countries are making giant strides into mineral rich third world countries that have long been our allies. We are so focused on generating internal hate, that we are losing our global relationships... and thus resources that are essential for our quality of life. I am so sorry that we have depressed the voices of these people that are currently being used by the political right to carry out the petty political wishes of the extreme right.

This behavior has no relationship to the values and standards of President Ronald Reagan. He was a man of values, equity and a belief in the American way. He honored other human beings and did not try to diminish others in order to define himself.

[Tigerprint]

I have occasionally flipped over to CNN and listened to Sanchez's show. I don't care much for his 'flavor' of reporting but I figure CNN loves reporters of like personalities. I am sure if Sanchez hadn't thrown his employer under the bus during his pity-party, he would no doubt still have his show. Look how long it took for CNN to cut Lou Dobbs off; Sanchez had at least another 5 years of ranting against his oppressive, Jewish establishment before he would have been cut loose. As for feeling like he was being held back because of his ethnicity, I'm not buying it. Anyone willing to go on public radio and rant like this is asking to be ostracized.

[Steve G]

Winner of this week's Mel Gibson Trophy.

And I'd like to thank all the vicious irrational Jew-haters who have posted here for outing themselves as future nominees for this coveted award for racist idiocy.

[Annoyed]

I don't really care much that Rick Sanchez got fired, but as a Los Angeles Times reader I do care that the title of this article is shamelessly misleading. No one gets fired for calling a comedian a bigot, especially someone who appears shortly after South Park. Thats just stupid. Rick Sanchez got fired for being a incendiary bigot. Although if you said, " Rick Sanchez gets fired for saying Jews run media," it would be much funnier, sadly closer to the truth, but yeah opening the flood gates to conspiracy theorists is probably not the best editorial policy. But neither is insincerity, so please just give me the mundane headline - if you want to do blog-speak please put a asterisk next to it.

[Dave S.]

Rick Sanchez enjoyed saying his own name more than anyone.

[Dick Diamond]

Best decision CNN has made in years. An abrasive individual who screamed at his audience at 100 mph. Stewart was right in describing him as a guy at a party high on cocaine and cornering his listener in a corner (paraphrasing). Sanchez was not a newscaster/journalist, he was a commentator with an adgenda masquarding as a journalist. Good riddance.

[JP]

Great news. I hope no one offers him a job (FOX does not count). The hot air in his head should carry him to 30000 ft where it will self explode.

[Ms Ann]

Well, most of the news media, including CNN is owned and operated by Jews. Why fire a man for telling the truth? It appears that anyone who mentions "Jews" in any way that exposes Jews, they are blacklisted. This reminds me of Joe McCarthy during the 60s. Many notable Americans were blacklisted for being accused -- in many cases falsely accused, of being Communist. Jews owned and operated banks are responsible for the "ripping off" of Americans in the home foreclosure scam. I can go on and on with other stories.

If Americans are "blacklisted" when they mention Jews, or tell the truth about Jews, then the Jews can eventually do as Hitler did...try to take over the world.

[pasadena jag]

Stewart is a great big bore and it is not amazing CNN fired Sanchez. CNN is represented of the Jewish run media. Why censor the fact that America is nothing but an extension of Israel interests. I'm so so sick of political correctness and censorship in the news. As for Stewart - move to Tel Aviv along with most of America's media. We taxpayers have been forced to subsidize Israel because of the consistent harassment of Jewish interests. Call me anti-semetic. And if you complain about me - then I will call you anti American-European WASP. Its time those of use who are descended from people who founded this country take it back! Mr. Sanchez is welcome. Good for him. And shame on slimy CNN for firing him. Americas is now nothing but controlled by a biased media!