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

[Mark Jeffery Koch]

Memo to Rick Sanchez.....there are three hundred five million people in America of which five million are Jews. That sir, does qualify Jews as a minority, despite your allegation that Jews are not a minority. Also, Mr. Sanchez, as a Jewish American whose parents were a high school counselor and pharmacist and whose friends are lawyers, teachers, computer programmers, accountants, nurses, cosmetologists, and customer service reps I am tired of hearing about Jewish control of the media and America.

Jewish Americans have jobs just like anyone else and if one or two executives at CNN happen to be Jewish, Catholic, or Protestant that does not translate into controlling the media. The tired old anti semitic canard has to end but unfortunately, the ignorant, uninformed people who hate Jews repeat it over and over again. Just like you do not want to hear the stupid bigoted comments about Hispanics this is one Jewish American who is tired of hearing them about my people as well.

[preciousbz]

So much for the truth..this is America..freedom of speech..does anyone listen to what Jon Stewart says on his show? I wonder if Stewarts boss is Jewish?

[Pasquino Marforio]

LOL. Note to all Main Stream Media Journolists... Do not mention the fact that your boss is Jewish.

It's a cause for immediate termination.

[jon]

Sanchez isn't kosher to the jews running CNN. It was a logical step.

[MrLasVegas]

Rick Sanchez was let go for other reasons... or actually no objective reason at all. This tempest in a teapot controversy actually was just a convienient excuse to slam the screendoor on his backside.

Wake up America! There are some horribly vindictive employers out there that not only want to downsize, they want to do it with extreme prejudice. Sanchez was just another talking head, and CNN wants someone who brings bigger ratings. My problem is do you REALLY think they are going to get there with a novice like Spitzer?

CNN really needs to get Piers Morgan to start cultivating the next new hires. Spitzer/parker is a horrible lead in for the new Morgan show.

[BOOGER MAN]

The guy is a loser. I'm sure he will find a nice comfy seat at MSNBC with all the "left wing" loonies. ;)

[hman]

Deport the Illegal!!!!!
He must be "Mexican" speaking espanol instead of "american" or is that English....
Check his status he might be applying for welfare assistance ....

Yes I'm joking....for those that dont get it.

[Tammy Smith]

I may have some problems with Israel myself, but I do not think that Jews run the world. Give me a break.

[Rick Karcasheff]

I'm going to take you through this firing. First, I'm gonna take you through what he said. Then I'm gonna tell you why. Then I'm gonna break it down for you and take you through its conclusion. Who's gonna take us through stuff now and break it down for us?

[Davie McDonald]

I was so angry that they fired him that I decided to protest by just sitting there and staring at the wall during his program times just to spite the advertisers. I actually decided that the bare wall was more interesting. I now want all the time I wasted watching his program back. I tried calling Gloria Allred to take my case but she didn't know who Rick was and wouldn't take my case because I was a man. I guess I will have to try Mark Geragos.

[Rita]

Great news! Now Rush and Glemn should be next...they are mega millionaires for spewing racist, inappropriate remarks against OUR PRESIDENT (yes, many people still think Obama as OUR commander-in-chief and are proud to have voted for him) and Sarah should just go back to Alaska and leave us all alone!

[Michael Taylor]

I am appallad at CNN for it's close minded action.
Sanchez was responding to Stuarts school yard name calling after he Stewart said "send a twit a tweet" refering to Sanchez statements about the comments he gets from his fans on TWITTER.
CNN also took offence at Sanchez refering to Stuart as a bigot,for his statements.
The sad thing about all of this is that it was Stewart not Sanchez who made the remarks about Jewish citizens not being minorities.
Sadly CNN has like MSNBC did with Don Imus jumped the gun because the powers that be are playing CYA.
Rick Sanchez will no doubt be hired by someone else and CNN will eventually come to realize the grave error of what they have done.
I for one will no longer watch CNN because of thier decision to dismiss Sanchez.
Perhaps CNN will hire Stewart now so that he can run his mouth on thier dime.
It would after all be just like CNN to hire Stewart to make absolutely sure he does not blame them for Rick's comments.
It is sad indeed when the vaulted press especially CNN bows to political correctness,while at the same time screaming about the first amendment.

[Vlatko]

I also did not know that Jews are oppressed minority. Best way to demonstrate this statement would be that CNN makes a documentary / series about this. Only than people like Rick would ones and for all be silenced. Series should replace all current series, Hollywood films, books, articles, school programs, etc about, for and with Jews. Fifty years of same subject about Jews is getting tiresome and new views are now needed.
Go for it.

[Roger]

It is seemingly fine today to trash jews, catholics and christians. I want to thank CNN for having some integrity and firing the hateful Sanchez.

[D]

Rick already worked at MSNBC if anyone remembers! Unfortunately, Rick's TV persona was what his bosses wanted because that's the way TV news works! Anchors don't make executive decisions so what you saw from Rick is actually what his bosses wanted him to give you!

[BigblaCK323]

Jews do control everything, they've changed their names, and physical characteristic to farther their mission of total world control. And this beautiful country of America has become Isreal's female dog, Isreal will be america's down fall. If we don't step away from them, and regain our sovereign pride!
I myself really enjoyed Rick's list, I felt Rick asked the questions that were truely relevant , and wasn't afraid to chellage the guests on his show, when the guests told bold face lies!! what he said in that interview was real, those that has never faced racism can't see it, feel it , or imagine it!
But get ready it is here, the new racism is no about skin color on a longer scale, it is about money, those that have it and those that don't.
You poor people be it White , black , and/or brown that are barely making it, really think that the rich care about you living from pay check to pay check, look around and it just may scare you. This beautiful country of our blessed in every way imaginable and look at us, the only time we as American really show love for one another is when there has been some major calamity. Look, you had a White guy glen beck call the President racist and say he the President had a deep seed hatred for White people, and nothing happened and now you had a Cuban-American say some wide shared opinion about the Jews and he's gone!!!
NOW TELL ME, WHO HAS THE POWER!!

[BigblaCK323]

Pasadena jag, good post!
But what happened the Jews were all but wipe out by Hitler, how did we as America come to be Isreal's step-child..
And just imagine, if the Soviet Union told Amercia, we're giving Santa Monica back to the Mexicans and they have full right to take whatever land they wanted in the surrounding area!
How would America feel?
Remember America, the greatest joke the devil pulled on the world is making the people believe he did not exsist!

[ladyblabla]

It's hard to keep a job when you are bad-mouthing your employer on the radio. He would have been better off ignoring Jon Stewart's jokes instead of taking the bait. Stewart was pretty rough on him during the "Sanchez like football" routine - but Sanchez clearly blew himself up with his emotional rant.

[DoGoodinNC]

Please say it's not so!!!!! I enjoyed and admired Rick Sanchez immensely at the 8:00 p.m. hour. I have liked Jon Stewart but have been turned off by him ridiculing Rick Sanchez and CNN's ratings. I have been pulling for CNN but was disgusted when they hired Elliott Spitzer. (And I liked Paula Zahn a lot.) Just when I was having thoughts that CNN represents the good guys, hoping the good guys win, they hire Elliott Spitzer and Pierce Morgan and fire Rick Sanchez and Jon Klein. If they think their ratings were bad before, I predict they're going to get worse with these firings. Too bad, because they provide the best news programming on TV.
I wasn't bothered when Rick Sanchez made a mistake about the metric system (nor when a top ABC correspondent didn't know what PSI was, nor when Dan Quayle misspelled potato; but I was bothered that George Bush said, "nucular" and that Congressmen didn't know what PTSD was, when our soldiers, including my son, have been at war for 9 years).
CNN has been like my 2nd family. Now I feel betrayed.

[Mike]

I have never watched this idiot since he pretended to cry after Hurricane Andrew in 1992...sorry he worked so long on TV