Reza Aslan was fired from CNN for calling Donald Trump a ‘piece of sh-t’

Last week, we talked about Reza Aslan. Aslan is the host of CNN’s Believer, and Aslan has been a commentator on cable news for years. He’s an author, professor, political/religious analyst and more. He’s also on Twitter. When London was hit with a terrorist attack two weekends ago, Donald Trump got on Twitter and gleefully used the terrorist attack to promote his stupid Muslim Ban. It was crass, it was undiplomatic, it was sh-tty. And so Aslan called Donald Trump a “piece of sh-t” on Twitter. Which is a statement of fact at this point. But all of the Deplorables had NEVER EVER heard such language about anyone! They demanded Reza Aslan be fired from CNN. And guess what? It happened.

CNN no longer believes in “Believer,” the non-fiction series it launched earlier this year with Reza Aslan, the Iranian-American author and religious scholar.

“CNN has decided to not move forward with production on the acquired series ‘Believer with Reza Aslan,’” the network said in a statement. “We wish Reza and his production team all the best. “

Aslan came under fire earlier this month after using profanity to describe President Donald Trump in the wake of remarks the President made about the terrorist attacks on London. In the tweet, Aslan called Trump “a piece of s—” and expressed dismay at Trump’s use of the tragedy to promote his desire for a so-called “travel ban” on certain kinds of people hailing from specific countries in the Middle East. The author later apologized, saying, “I should have used better language to express my shock and frustration at the president’s lack of decorum and sympathy for the victims of London. I apologize for my choice of words.”

Aslan released a statement about Believer’s cancellation, saying:

“Obviously I am very disappointed in this decision. ‘Believer’ means a great deal to me and to the countless viewers it’s reached. Its message of religious tolerance and exploration is extremely important right now. I am deeply grateful to CNN for giving me the opportunity to launch the show and to amplify my voice on their network. I am especially grateful to the legion of people within the Turner organization who worked so hard to make the show a hit series,” said Aslan, in a prepared statement. ” However, in these politically charged times, the tenor of our nation’s discourse has become complicated, and I recognize that CNN needs to protect its brand as an unbiased news outlet. Similarly, I need to honor my voice. I am not a journalist. I am a social commentator and scholar. And so I agree with CNN that it is best that we part ways. I look forward to partnering with another platform in the future to continue to spread my message. I wish CNN all the best.”

[From Variety]

So, the Deplorables are gleeful. And it is depressing – CNN is the same cable network that would hire a man (Corey Lewandowski) who literally ASSAULTED A JOURNALIST and he got a seat at the table. But Reza Aslan correctly calls Emperor Bigly a “piece of sh-t” as Bigly was in the midst of gleefully and crassly using a terrorist attack to further his own bigoted agenda, and suddenly Aslan is the guy without a job. Not to mention all of the obscene and ridiculous things Trump has done in the past two years, and CNN still gives Trump airtime, but sure.

Now, all that being said, I’m tired of CNN’s “special programming” with stuff like that Anthony Bourdain show, and Aslan’s show, and all of the Jesus documentaries and “decades” documentaries and such. Enough with all of that. These are terrifying times and a piece of sh-t is the president of the United States. FOCUS. Use your resources to actually inform and educate the public. Ha, JK. CNN won’t do that.

Photos courtesy of Getty.

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90 Responses to “Reza Aslan was fired from CNN for calling Donald Trump a ‘piece of sh-t’”

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  1. Alex says:

    CNN is trash. I thought we knew this already?
    Also I don’t want to hear anything about being a snowflake anymore. Between this and the STUPID outrage over the Public Theater’s Julius Caesar where they DARE to kill him I’m over the handwringing over nothing.

    • Justjj says:

      Amen. I know. I can’t deal with one more Republican asshat talking about PC liberal snowflakes. They are honestly the pinnacle of white fragility and basically cry all the time like a bunch of babies over petty stuff like this. F-ck CNN.

  2. Raina says:

    And CNN is a piece of shyte, too.

    • INeedANap says:

      What gets me is that the Deplorables consider CNN to be lib-tard mainstream media. If you think CNN is pinko commie leftist agit-prop, you are a dang fascist.

  3. Aang says:

    I’m really tired of the word police. Left or right. We are at a place where nothing of substance can happen or even be discussed because everyone is nitpicking the language. I blame the millennials. (Not really, but kind of)

    • vaultdweller101 says:

      The Culture of Outrage is exhausting, I agree. It’s what makes Tumblr and Fox News such vortexes of hell.

  4. Maria F. says:

    i liked his comments about CNN. Classy but with a bit of shade as to ‘protect their brand’ i.e. keep safe and not stick your neck out.

    I also liked his distinction between being a journalist and a social commentator. I personally would hope to keep the political dialogue classy, but desperate times call for curse words….

    • ORIGINAL T.C. says:

      +1
      I guess Trump is the other person allowed to call other people names, admit to sexual assault, invite a foreign country to continue hacking his political opponents, attack war heros and gold star families. It’s surreal and F’ed up.

      • Carrie says:

        +2 Yep. Noting that he is a scholar got my attention. Heh on CNN. It’s so sad what they’ve become. I remember when CNN was the leader amongst legit news sources. Sigh.

  5. Lucy2 says:

    I believe Aslan was 100% correct in his assessment of Cheeto Mussolini, but also that CNN had the right to fire him if they were unhappy with it. I don’t agree with the decision, but it was theirs to make.
    That said, I hope he moves to a different channel and has even greater success.

    • Kitten says:

      The sad part is that if he was a Faux News anchor talking about Obama, he’d be celebrated and likely promoted.

      F*ck CNN.

  6. nemera77 says:

    CNN was nuts. They have basically been calling Trump a piece of sh-t for months. But they fire someone that actually tells the truth.

    • Frances says:

      u can’t say that out loud

    • Pandy says:

      Right? CNN has become the 24 TV channel that Trump wanted for himself … First Kathy, now Reza. I can’t believe they are caving like this.

    • littlemissnaughty says:

      In their ridiculous quest to be the most objective in the land or some sh*t, CNN has actually become an enabler and a biased network. There are things you cannot be neutral about without failing at you job. It’s like having segments asking “But what is Assad’s point of view?” No. Get the hell out with that. The one appropriate moment was AC and his dump on the desk comment.

  7. Feedmechips says:

    Strange. Calling Cheeto Nightmare a piece of shit is the most mild insult I can think of for him.

  8. Aiobhan Targaryen says:

    So let me get this straight: It is ok for that creep Jeffrey Lord to go on CNN and blatantly lie about Orange Foolius and President Obama, but a noted scholar says something on his personal twitter and he gets fired. He didn’t threaten Foolius or his wife. He just called him a piece of shit. That did not warrant him to be fired. Suspended maybe, but not fired. Yeah, something is not clean in the buttermilk.

    Not to through Fareed Zakaria under the bus, but didn’t he basically call Foolius a liar on camera. And what about Jake Tapper? Are they going to fire everyone who calls Foolius a derogatory name?

    I hope someone else picks up his show and it does well.

    • Feedmechips says:

      Foolius 😂😂😂

    • Beth says:

      Ugh! Jeffrey Lord and Jack Kingstons BS lies drive me crazy! Reza Aslan was telling the truth. Shouldn’t be fired for speaking the truth

    • amazingamy says:

      foolius…orange oompa loompa…donald drump….voldy orange…Barbecued Brutus…Darth Hater…The Fraud of Fifth Avenue
      Imao.. i cant stop laughing reading fifty shades of orange nero nickname

    • bluhare says:

      Speaking of his personal twitter, he tweeted this weekend about a Muslim terrorist released on bail. Then said just kidding, it as a white supremacist. Figures the white guy spewing hate gets out to spew some more, but not anyone else.

    • senna says:

      Don’t you get a sense that these days, to admit fault means to take the fall? So if you never admit fault (Ie. Trump) and you can’t be forced to accept consequences because you hold power, you get away with things. Perhaps the most corrosive and troubling lesson of today is that might = right, and so long as you are aligned with the powers that be, you can lie, collude, leak, slander, and smear without repercussion, while holding your enemies to a standard of perfection you would never comply with, because you are above the law. And so, depressingly, good people fighting for accountability and justice are being punished for using vulgarity which is only the most accurate way of characterizing the people and situations that got us here.

  9. Goats on the Roof says:

    I didn’t support Trump, didn’t vote for Trump, don’t agree with any of his platform. That disclaimer out of the way, can we please stop with Deplorables? Just makes us look as cheap and intolerant as the other guys IMO.

    Second, “CNN still gives Trump airtime.” OF COURSE THEY DO. He’s the American president, whether any of us like it or not. There needs to be coverage of his goings on.

    • nemera77 says:

      The problem is for those who oppose Trump it is time to step down from the moral high ground a bit. While we are being civil and just wringing our hands and clutching our pearls, he and his supporters are not playing by the same playbook. You can’t win this game against people that are not playing the same game. He will cheat and do things off the books. We the Opposition have to change our playbook. We are going to have to play some defense using his playbook.

      As the saying goes. Don’t bring a knife to a gun fight. We are in a gun fight. And if you look at the fact that Trump is obviously thinking of firing Robert Mueller.. what should we do. Just stomp our feet and say “THAT IS WRONG”.. We need to get a bit dirty. Trying to stay clean is not going to work here.

      • Goats on the Roof says:

        Agree to disagree. I believe in the saying “two wrongs don’t make a right,” and I don’t think we will make any gains by getting down in the gutter with the trash. It just sets us up for finger-pointing and being called hypocrites and intolerant.

      • Esmom says:

        Goats, Up until recently I was with you but I tend to lean towards nemera’s take more and more and Trump continues to recklessly dismantle our democracy with zero consequences. Going high while they continue to go low isn’t going to do much to restore integrity to our highest institutions.

      • Magnoliarose says:

        I have to throw in my support of what you said. He deserves no respect or civility at all. The brute does not comprehend basic human decency. He is destroying our country. Going high enabled that mutant to get in the white house and bring his ragtag team of idiots with him.

      • vaultdweller101 says:

        @ Goats on the Roof: People who say things like “two wrongs don’t make a right” notoriously come in dead last. That was essentially the Democrat slogan for the last election, and Jesus Christ did it NOT work out for them. This whole “go high when they go low” thing shouldn’t even be given serious consideration anymore.

    • Radley says:

      What do you call people who support racism, misogyny, Islamophobia, xenophobia, bullying, sexual assault, lie telling, classless oafishness and stunning incompetence with a tendency towards extremely shady business dealings??

      I mean, it’s deplorable.

    • Beth says:

      It’s fine to call them Deplorable because they call us “libtards “, “snowflakes ” and “butthurt losers ” all the time

      I agree with you on CNN giving Trump airtime. It’s a news channel, and he’s the President. Why wouldn’t they talk about the president?

      • Goats on the Roof says:

        It’s NOT fine for them to call us that, which is my point exactly. It’s trashy for them to resort to name calling and mocking, and there should be no place for it politics–why would we want to hop into the gutter with them and make ourselves look just as filthy? Let’s disagree with them and resist, sure, but we can hardly call ourselves the more civilized and tolerant party when we employ their tactics!

      • Shambles says:

        Like Beth and EsMom said, Deplorable is *extremely* mild compared to some of the insults those on the right throw out, and always being the polite, nice, correct ones is how we got into this situation in the first place.

      • Kitten says:

        Eh. I’m not offended by “snowflake” but “libtard” offends me because it’s a play on the word “retarded” which I banished from my vocabulary a long time ago.

        Trumpets call themselves “Deplorables” and now “covfefe”. I never got the impression that they were particularly offended by the term “deplorable”, more just amused.
        Anyway, with everything that’s happening right now, Trump-supporters being labeled “deplorable” seems like a bit of a nothingburger. Probably still preferable to being called a “racist, xenophobe, misogynist” or “selfish democracy pillager”, which many of these so-called deplorables are.

    • Giulia says:

      Totally agree with you. “Deplorables” “snowflakes”, etc. are expressions of a larger issue in America with elites of both parties attacking the electorate. IMHO.
      Was surprised to find myself pretty much in agreement with this take on Trump.
      http://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/removing-trump-wont-solve-americas-crisis/

      • IlsaLund says:

        The article provides an accurate take on Trump and I agree in principle with the argument against this country’s elite ruling class. But, IMO, his logic was weak in regards to other points made.

      • Magnoliarose says:

        I agree with some points, mostly about the elites and some other issues concerning the election. HRC and the Dems ran a dated arrogant campaign. There should have been more choices from the start but they decided for everyone to put the thumb on the scale. I supported her because I was against the other one and she was a much better choice. But not going into blue collar areas, rural areas or getting a message across to everyday people was plain and simply stupid. Other points I didn’t agree with but it is good to read rational opposing arguments.

      • MaybeTomorrow says:

        Interesting article and I agree with a majority of it. But I was even more saddened at the complete void of any discussion about what the heck we can do about this.

    • AaronPurr says:

      Nah, I will call them the Deplorables. They are the most die hard trump supporters, who are on social media all day, go after anyone who insults trump, go to his rallies etc. It’s how I distinguish them as the most hateful, die hard, crazy trumpsters. When I say Deplorables, people know what I am talking about.
      It’s too late for two wrongs don’t make a right. These people have sadly even adopted the title, so again I will continue to call them the Deplorables.

    • MaybeTomorrow says:

      Your comments really resonate with me. Thank you for a mature voice of reason and good sense.

    • Magnoliarose says:

      I feel mixed about the term. The loudest voices supporting Tangerine are usually deplorable. But some people were just desperate for help and believed his con. They wanted to be listened to and he pretended to listen. I feel sorry for some of them. His policies will hurt them the most.

    • bluhare says:

      We might be two lonely voices in the wilderness, Goats but I’m with you totally.

    • Christine says:

      GOATS…I agree to stop calling them Deplorables but not for the reason you mention…I say, quit calling them that because they have co opted the name and wear it as a badge of honor. They LOVE being called Deplorables and fully embrace what it means…

      These are truly sad times 🙁

  10. Va Va Kaboom says:

    There has to be more to it than placating Trump and his horde. They still allow Fareed Zakaria on after he’s repeatedly called Trump a bullsh*tting bullsh*tter, on air no less! (And bless him for it.)

    Reza Aslan is a fairly controversial and divisive figure. I wouldn’t be surprised if CNN was already on high-alert in regard to him and, at the very least, jumped the gun on this one.

  11. RBC says:

    ” I look forward to partnering with another platform in the future to continue to spread my message” It almost sounds like he has something else lined up and wanted to leave CNN.

  12. Giulia says:

    And this is why I read for journalism and analysis – CNN is infotainment, not a serious news org.

  13. Tate says:

    But he is a piece of shit.

    I stopped watching CNN during the campaign when they had a constant flow of trump stooges on.

  14. Tan says:

    While Reza is true, it is utopian to think a citizen can get off scot free by calling the elected ( however questionable) head of country something like POS.
    In a less liberal democratic country, he probably might face suo motto defamation suit.

    While the outrage in support of Aslan is justified, we should not lose sight of what is allowed and what is not.

  15. Devereaux says:

    It’s necessary to keep political discourse civil. Descending into adolescent name-calling rarely helps to inform, educate or move the discussion forward in positive, politically productive ways.

    As I tell my 3 year old ‘Use your words!’

    • Esmom says:

      Agreed but as nemera said above when has Trump shown the same consideration? I’ll continue to teach my sons about being civil but when our POTUS models basically the opposite people need to call him out on it. Not saying “POS” is the right way to phrase it but Trump’s tweeting after the London attacks was beyond despicable. I don’t blame Aslan for letting his emotions gets the best of him.

      • Goats on the Roof says:

        @Esmom

        Trump is gross, no question, but resorting to his dirty tricks of name calling and mockery doesn’t do anything to elevate our party or our goals in the long run. It makes us look JUST LIKE THEM. I understand your frustration, because I’m right there with you, but we have to find a way to rise above.

      • Esmom says:

        I hear you. But I think Aslan calling him a POS isn’t resorting to dirty tricks or anything close to the insanity that Trump unleashes on a daily basis. He understandably let his emotions get the best of him. Unlike Trump who tweets out his petty beefs and mockery and lies like the international disgrace he is. I honestly don’t know anymore what it will take to convince his supporters that he is NOT what our country needs.

  16. Connell says:

    I would like CNN to have a different head person. Jeff Zucker hasn’t been in charge for very long, but during his tenure, he has made plenty of questionable decisions. CNN suffers from mismanagement, and firing Aslan is a perfect example of this. Someone new with a fresh perspective. It’s a perfect time for it, the 2020 elections will be coming up before we know it.

  17. lizzie says:

    between this, HBO keeping bill maher and NBC giving airtime to alex jones on the megyn “i’m an opportunistic asswipe” kelly show….i might never turn on tv again. netflix it is.

  18. Incredulous says:

    Who will be left to speak up?

  19. HK9 says:

    The man told no lies. CNN is within their right to fire him if they chose, but it shows more about CNN than it does Aslan. BTW-I stopped going to CNN for any information years ago.

  20. tracking says:

    We’ve sunk so very low, I support any efforts that prevent sinking any lower. Not okay to call POTUS that on a news program. Show respect for the office, if not the despicable human who currently occupies it. Terrible modeling for kids, who might think it’s ok to use slurs against anyone they dislike or disagree with. Nope.

    • Shambles says:

      He didn’t call POTUS a POS on a news program. He did it on his personal twitter account. Not saying it was the right decision, but let’s not distort the facts and make it look like Reza Azlan went on TV and called the president a POS. As far as respect for the office, I’m sorry, but that’s a joke at this point. The president himself needs to show respect for the office of anyone else is going to be expected to. And what about the kids who see the president of the United States as a model, and now think it’s okay to brag about sexual assault, mock disabled people, call anyone who’s different than you a rapist drug dealer, mock the appearance of your opponent’s wife, insult a military family, and so much more?

      • MaybeTomorrow says:

        It’s a thin line to say it was not on the news show, it’s his personal twitter etc, As a celebrity using social media to promote himself and his brand — well CNN is his brands primary platform, so the lines blur. Has he used his twitter to promote his CNN show? Likely. You just can’t pick and choose what’s a “private” opinion when you are a celebrity and you post It on twitter but your next tweet is about your show, your colleagues show, etc.

        Yes Trump is all those things. But upthread there are comments about civil discourse which resonate with me. For the love of god, we must stop our justifications for bad behavior by simply citing the bad behaviors of others, Personal responsibility for our own choices has to come in sooner or later. I’m so sick of both sides defending their behavior by shrugging it off and saying ” but look at the other side”. It’s just weak. And it’s a constant these days all around, If we want better role models, we need to be better role models ourselves.

      • Beth says:

        Exactly Shambles! This was Twitter not TV. It’s unfortunate, but now a regular thing to see people twist facts like pretzels. I can’t imagine people thinking this POS in office deserves any respect at all. He was disgusting with his cruel public attitude before being elected and shows no sign of stopping.

        @tracking, I will not respect the office until they get that asswipe who’s made America the biggest laughingstock in history out of it.
        It’s a sinking feeling when I see how easy it was for the well-known conman to get people to believe and support all the BS he says.
        Using slurs for children and the world to see is what Trump does every effing day on Twitter! He disagrees and is disrespectful to everyone and everything and doesn’t think twice before tweeting about it. I’m more embarrassed by him every day. No respect from me

        @maybe tomorrow, we have the right to criticize the president. He’s the person who represents our country! The president should be a role model. Always acting so childish and trashy makes him the worst kind of role model

      • Goats on the Roof says:

        @Shambles

        Re: respect for the office being a joke

        This mindset is so selfish and short-sighted and straight up dangerous IMO. Trump won’t be in office forever. Whether he lasts a term or even two (shudder) there needs to be some sense of respect for the office going forward.

      • Shambles says:

        Maybe tomorrow,

        I get what you’re saying. I understand that his Twitter account is still public and tied to his work, and again I’m not saying that what he did was right or that he shouldn’t have been held accountable. But the OP literally had the facts of the situation wrong, and it’s important that we get these things right. The OP said he went on TV and said this, and that’s simply not true. It also suggests something very different from what actually happened.

        As far as being better role models, I’m of the opinion that we can worry more about being the best role models and engaging in the most civil discourse when the future of our democracy and the safety, rights, and lives of many in our country are not at stake.

        GOTR,

        Donald Trump has made the office of the president into a literal joke. That’s not selfish of me to say. That’s what’s happening, in front of our eyes, as we speak. Right now, with Donald Trump as president, respecting the office of president implies that I have some sort of respect for him as president. So no, I don’t respect the office of the president. I respected it when it was inhabited by someone competent, compassionate, and intelligent, and I will respect it again when someone like that is (hopefully) back in office. Like I said above, the president himself needs to show respect for the office if anyone else is going to be expected to.

        To be honest, it’s really interesting that you’re calling for civil discourse but have no problem characterizing my opinion as selfish and short sighted.

      • Kitten says:

        Agree with you 100%, Shamby.

      • Goats on the Roof says:

        @Shambles

        I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you’d find short-sighted a step too far. My apologies (sincerely). I stand by my opinion, though. You say we lost the last election because we were civilized. I couldn’t disagree more strongly. We lost the last election for many reasons (modern election trends seem to support the idea that after 8 years, the public will vote in someone from the opposing party no matter how good they’ve had it; young people not feeling “inspired” to vote because the candidate was imperfect; running a tired candidate when the electorate has been crying out for change and new faces), but anyone who thinks resorting to the tactics used on the right is good for our long-term goals can’t be looking at the bigger picture IMO.

      • Shambles says:

        Thanks, O’Kit.

        GOTR,

        Thank you, and no worries. For some reason I’m easily heated this morning, lol.

        I wouldn’t say being civil is why we lost the election, but Dems forever taking the high road while Republicans forever acted like snakes definitely created the atmosphere that was necessary for this to happen. And I certainly don’t think resorting to right-wing tactics is a strategy at all, much less the strategy we should persue to accomplish our goals going forward. At the same time, I just don’t have an issue with someone calling Trumpsters deplorables, or calling Trump himself a POS. Both are true, and neither are malicious or harmful enough to cause anyone psychological damage. Like Kitten said below, much more eloquently that I ever could, “We don’t have to be nice when our country is literally being destroyed in front of our eyes. People have EVERY right to be angry and every right to be outraged.”

        Either way, I appreciate you coming back and elaborating, and I appreciate the chance to state differing opinions in a safe way. Hope you have a great Monday!

    • Kelsey says:

      Actually there was an article published last week on how white kids in schools across America are bullying their minority classmates by using racist slurs and using Trump’s name and words to do it.

      Latino students are being taunted with “wall” chants and catcalls that Trump is going to deport them. Female students are being called slurs that Trump and his supporters hurled at Hillary during the campaign. Black students in parking lots are being screamed at “Trump won, you need to go back to Africa.”

      Trump and his supporters have brought this behavior into the open and made it acceptable. Trump has normalized this behavior and encourages it. His son, Eric, recently said that people who oppose his father “aren’t even people.” But let’s clutch our pearls over Reza Aslan calling Trump out for what he is and what he has done to the country. Sorry but the time for niceties is over. Democrats and liberals have been too timid for too long. You have to fight dirty to defeat Trump.

      Here is the article:
      https://www.buzzfeed.com/albertsamaha/kids-are-quoting-trump-to-bully-their-classmates?utm_term=.uuBgwdnBp#.nnZMrvkBp

      • Kitten says:

        “Sorry but the time for niceties is over.”

        Exactly. This reminds me of the “oh wow look at you, such a tolerant liberal” line that neocons always use to silence liberals. We don’t have to be nice when our country is literally being destroyed in front of our eyes. People have EVERY right to be angry and every right to be outraged. If part of that is using a word like “deplorable” to describe people that are complicit in Trump’s deplorable agenda, then I’m fine with that.

        As far as Trump goes, what do you call someone who said calling women disgusting fat pigs is just keeping it real? What do you call someone who siphoned $100M off a sick children’s charity? What do you call a man who is hell-bent on dismantling every EPA protective legislation we have in place as well as the consumer protections of the Dodd-Frank Act? What do you call a man who is a compulsive liar and a blatant hypocrite? What do you call a man who wants to literally kill the people who hired him by taking away their healthcare? What do you call a man who blames the mayor of London for a horrific terrorist attack in his own city? What do you call a man who has so little respect for the Oval Office that he chooses to spend more time on the golf course than doing the damn job we hired him to do?

        The scary thing is that this is only a small sliver of the daily atrocities this man has committed and will continue to commit until his supporters start holding him accountable. His supporters are why Fox News continues to be Team Trump and his supporters are why the GOP still supports Trump. His supporters are why Trump is still in office, PERIOD.

        So yeah, piece of shit is accurate.
        Should Aslan have said it? No he shouldn’t have but he did and he issued a sincere apology for it. He should not have been fired for it IMO as he did not make the comment in his official professional capacity.

      • Shambles says:

        Well said, Kit.

      • tracking says:

        So sorry I mischaracterized the venue of the offense in my original post, but his celebrity brand is/was tied to CNN, and I agree with those who say his tweets are not “personal.” I’m sick of the echo chamber, and the notion that personal and policy dislike can justify slurs of any kind. Just because you happen to agree with the slur, this makes it okay? Riiight. Kind of what the other side thinks, no?

      • Kitten says:

        “Kind of what the other side thinks, no? ”

        But this has never been about “sides”, tracking. This isn’t about a mere disagreement in political ideology, this is waaaaay past that. I’m not sure you understand the level of seething rage that many of us have for a man who is destroying our country not because he hoped to make it better, not because he has genuine respect for the Office, and not in a misguided attempt to help his fellow Americans, but merely because he wants to “stick it” to his predecessor.

        On the most basic level, this man is a monster.

        On a broader level he is a petty, vindictive selfish person who is hell-bent on destroying a former POTUS’s legacy, regardless of how detrimental and destructive the results will be to Americans.

        This isn’t about Trump being a Republican, this is about Trump being a terrible person (and believe me, I thought that WAY before he became POTUS), one who just happens to be utterly and woefully incompetent and ill-equipped to handle the position he was hired for.

      • tracking says:

        Kitten, I agree with every single thing you said, but I still don’t think any of that justifies crass language and slurs. Have I felt seething rage about Trump? Yes, such that I’ve had to step away from the news lately to protect my mental health. But I do believe there are sides, and that the other side also claims to have felt seething rage against progressive policies as well. Do I think some of them are racist scumbags? Yes. Do I think they all are? No (even if we might view them as deeply complicit). Would I ever use a public platform for ad hominem attacks, vs. policy ones? No. So I won’t support anyone who does, whatever “side” s/he may be on. And I particularly dislike it when celebrities misuse their bully pulpit. Just my opinion.

      • Magnoliarose says:

        @kitten. So much is so true in everything you said.
        This is a personal vendetta and it will never satisfy him so he will continue to destroy and obliterate as much as he can.
        I never thought I would ever have to explain hate to my small children. I thought it was a subject they would eventually be exposed to when they were older. But when our JCC (Jewish Community Center) received threats and was vandalized, they were frightened and confused. I tried to explain but they don’t truly understand.
        It has never happened before but this atmosphere has emboldened hatemongers to act on their hate. I feel paranoid sometimes when my babies are attending events without me. I have never experienced this feeling and never thought I would. I don’t even feel like my government would give a shizz if anything happened anyway.
        Bush was in office and I never felt like this. I disagreed with him and thought he was ridiculous sometimes but I never thought he would rip apart our country. I didn’t loathe him.
        Tangerine is a sociopathic unhinged fascist and is running the government based on self-interest only. When these types of leaders aren’t stopped early they can normalize and desensitize the public enough to accept corruption and the damage they inflict. He gets pass after pass and one day it will be one pass too many.
        We are way past normalcy here. It seems like we are living on a razor’s edge waiting for a disaster to wake people up.

      • Kitten says:

        @Tracking. I completely get it and FTR, I appreciate your consistency as well as the thoughtfulness of your argument. I don’t know what else to say except Trump feels like an exception on every level. Normally, I would never speak this way about another person, much less a POTUS but I feel like this whole mess is an aberration, an anomaly that requires an exceptional response.
        Ultimately, I’m proud of you for being able to conduct yourself in a manner that I, quite frankly, cannot.

        @Magnoliarose- What happened at your JCC is one of so many stories I’ve been hearing from friends. It’s atrocious. No one should have to live like that. Additionally, PoC, Hispanics and the Muslim community continue to be targeted. No, this may not be a deviation from what we’ve seen for decades now but it IS now out in the open. Trump has allowed people to feel unashamed-and-borderline-proud about behavior for which they should be embarrassed, mortified, and profusely apologetic.

        It’s crazy times and I don’t blame you for worrying about your kids.

      • tracking says:

        Kitten, thank you and, really, I do get it. And I’ve used exactly the same language–this feels different. Even the GWB WH, as much as I loathed his policies, did not inspire the anxiety, shock, and fear I feel about this one, and its exposure of the heart of darkness in our citizenry. I couldn’t possibly loathe Bannon, Miller, KAC, Kushner, more. Maybe I’m naive, but I’d like to think a Dem who appeals to our better angels will rise soon. I have my eye on Joe Kennedy III, though dammit, I want a woman in there. And POC. And diversity of any other form.

  21. MaybeTomorrow says:

    He’s correct of course but as someone who works for a major media news outlet, he knows the expectations and the rules, He broke them. You cannot have the CNN platform and comment disparagingly with crass expletives your personal opinion of the POTUS and expect a different outcome. Don’t like it? Don’t accept a paycheck from CNN. Or at least be a professional in communications and find better language.

    • The Original G says:

      Yes this. I work for a corporate entity and have to conduct my personal social media in a way that’s in alignment with my position. If and when that became a conflict, I would know and accept the consequences with my employment. People do this every day.

  22. Escaped Convent says:

    This is a stupid thing for CNN to do. Fareed Zakaria has said harsher things than this on air. Why shouldn’t Reza Aslan say what he thinks on his own Twitter? I really am perplexed by this.

    Reza Aslan is a very smart, reasonable person. What he said is so mild it’s absurd. I wonder why they really cancelled him, because this punishment does not fit the crime.

    Is it simply because he used a “bad” word? I wonder if he hadn’t used the word, would CNN have reacted differently? He did not say anything his CNN colleagues haven’t been saying for months.
    If only he had said “Trump is a poopie-head” instead. Then I would have my answer.

  23. Merritt says:

    Trump is a piece of sh*t. This nonsense by CNN just reaffirmed my choice to avoid the channel. They hired Corey Whateverhisname knowing he had assaulted a reporter.

  24. lower case lois says:

    I was surprised CNN fired Reza Aslan, coming from the network that hired Cory Lewandowski as a commentator and gave Eliot Spitzer the ex Governor of New York, who was caught in a scandal concerning his solicitation of prostitutes, his own evening show for awhile. They give the annoying Jeffery Lord and Step ford Wife Kayleigh McEnany their forum to speak. It is not like the deplorables have not heard a curse word before. I live in a City and hear sh-t spoken a few dozen times a day. Doesn’t even seem a curse word anymore. I guess Reza Aslan should have called Trump a Pussy grabber of the United States and that would have been better for CNN,

  25. MI6 says:

    Consider this a compliment, given the source.
    #Truth

  26. Ana says:

    CNN is so desperate to look “objective”, it’s ridiculous. We’ve always known they are one of the more biased media outlets out there and that’s ok, they should embrace their editorial instead of trying to seem like they are something they are not and haven’t been in years.

  27. Amelie says:

    So Bill Maher, a white dude, gets to use the N word on HBO on his friggin TV show and keeps his job. Reza Aslan, of Arabic descent, calls Trump a POS on social media which is not a racially charged slur in any way, just a general vulgar term to describe a moron. OK cool.

    I know the networks are not the same and the situations are different but this is just shows white privilege is alive and well.

    • sassypants says:

      Aslan actually isn’t of Arabic descent – he’s Persian, which is a wholly different ethnic background.

  28. tw says:

    If CNN had not run hours upon hours of uninterrupted Trump rallies last summer, we wouldn’t be in this f’ing mess. They chose to air the train wreck, car accident, shark attack shit show. If Kasich or any other candidate got 1/100th of the free press that CNN gave Trump, things would be quite different. CNN thought they could have their cake and eat it – get the cheap ratings but still end up with a Dem victory. They were complicit, and continue to be, giving lying POS Jason Miller and serial denier Jeffrey Lord a platform, and firing Reza Aslan for stating the obvious.

  29. Magnoliarose says:

    The only time I watch CNN is for Anthony Bourdain. They were shameless during the election and useless now with all that Breaking News they claim to have all the time.
    It is probably better for Aslan to have a platform where he can speak freely. I don’t think it should have been a firing offense but we seem to specialize in faux outrage in the last few years so it is par for the course. Mark Halperin called Obama a dick but he didn’t lose his job at MSNBC. Where were the vocabulary police then?

  30. adastraperaspera says:

    His personal twitter, right? Unacceptable to fire. Defensible for management to share their concerns, yes. Taken as part of a repeating and intensifying pattern of undemocratic attacks on free speech and the press–up to and including physical attacks on journalists and censoring within media organizations–this firing is ominous.

    • Sara says:

      CNN fired him because he is not supposed to show an opinion such as hannity whose show is an opinion based show. I didn’t really care if they kept him or not but he probably will hold his opinion in from public social media from here on out.

    • MaybeTomorrow says:

      Celebrities really don’t have personal twitters when they post about their shows. He posted about his repeatedly. So sorry — nope, the “it’s personal” argument doesn’t hold water when it’s been business intermixed.

  31. jferber says:

    Sorry, but Trump is a piece of shit. The guy should not have been fired. He should run for president as a truth teller. He’d have my vote. I know really nothing else about him, but I still prefer him to Trump.

  32. Sehar7 says:

    No one likes a realist.