Media

CNN severs ties with host who called Trump ‘a piece of s—‘

by Joe Concha - 06/09/17 2:58 PM ET

CNN has parted ways with controversial host Reza Aslan one week after Aslan called President Trump “a piece of s—” and “an embarrassment to mankind” on Twitter.

“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.”

The Iranian-born Aslan is the host of CNN’s “Believer,” which aired weekly on Sunday nights. The 45-year-old author and religious scholar also called the president a “man baby” in a subsequent tweet. That tweet was in response to a decision by NBC News to not report on Trump’s retweet of a Drudge Report tweet reporting London terror attacks because it contained “unconfirmed information” at the time. The network instead referred to the situation as a “security incident.”

{mosads}Aslan apologized days later for the since-deleted tweet.

“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.”

CNN parted ways with Kathy Griffin last month after the comedienne was photographed holding a fake severed, bloody head resembling Trump. Griffin had hosted CNN’s New Year’s Eve special with anchor Anderson Cooper for 10 years.

Aslan has stirred controversy on his CNN program, which debuted this year.

An episode in March showed him eating a human brain.

“Want to know what a dead guy’s brain tastes like?” asked Aslan in promoting the episode. “Charcoal. It was burnt to a crisp!”

Tags CNN Kathy Griffin Reza Aslan