Tense moment CNN panelist tells guest to stop touching him in awkward on-air exchange

An awkward moment occurred between political panelists on CNN after a guest touched one of the co-hosts while they were talking about inflation.

The exchange between Republican strategist Scott Jennings and Bakari Sellers, a former Democratic member of the South Carolina House of Representatives, took place on NewsNight with Abby Phillip on Thursday.

“What Scott wasn’t accurate about, what happens sometimes around the table,” Sellers said, touching Jennings’ shoulder. ‘…although I know you want to be…’

Jennings abruptly told Sellers, “Don’t touch me.”

‘Can’t I touch you now?’ Sellers laughed moving his hand to Jennings’ back.

The host, Abby Phillip, chimed in and said, “Alright, everyone, keep your hands calm at the table.”

Jennings crossed his arms with a disapproving look as the discussion continued.

The tense moment is not the first time the two have clashed on air, after comments were made about pro-Palestinian protesters in October.

Jennings, a former George W. Bush administration official, compared the protesters to Adolf Hitler.

Shocked sellers called Jennings’ comments “well beyond pale.”

‘The line has been crossed. “You’re there and behind you there’s a line to compare college students protesting for Palestinian rights to Adolf Hitler,” Sellers said.

Jennings, however, has found himself in trouble many times on the air.

In November, the conservative commentator sparked a debate after calling X the “most ideologically balanced” social media platform.

The NewsNight panel, with guest host Audie Cornish, discussed whether billionaire and Donald Trump’s close friend Elon Musk was considering buying MSNBC.

The conversation turned to discussing whether such a measure would turn the media into propaganda.

‘I mean, is the concern that certain media outlets become propaganda arms for political ideologies? Don’t we already have that in this country on a large scale? Also, I heard what you’re saying about X, I saw a survey this week, it’s not the most ideologically balanced user platform,” Jennings said.

CNN contributor Cari Champion interrupted and said, “Scott, Scott, stop, it’s too soon.” I just sat down. I’ve only been here for two minutes, you can’t say that. Who is the source?

He replied: “We have reported on this network.” Champion said: “It’s not accurate and you know it.”

Earlier that same month, Jennings had mocked colleagues for describing President-elect Donald Trump as “Hitler” and a “fascist” during the presidential campaign.

After playing clips of Trump and Biden criticizing each other during the election campaign, the CNN panel discussed the successful meeting between Biden and Trump at the White House.

Meghan Hays, a former Biden White adviser, said Biden traditionally did not hold grudges and was ultimately a worthy statesman.

“I’m shocked,” Jennings said, holding up a copy of the Wall Street Journal that featured a photograph of the two men together. “I mean, did you ever think you’d literally see Hitler in the Oval Office… with the President of the United States?”

“Come on, Scott,” Hays protested.

“The foundation of the Democratic campaign was that Donald Trump is a fascist,” Jennings continued.

“And what I see in this is that I’m glad it’s happening… but what it tells me and what I should tell the Democrats is that they didn’t mean any of that.” “It was all campaign rhetoric.”

CNN’s ratings, however, have continued to decline as networks like the Food Network and the History Channel overtake them.

CNN’s audience was smaller than TNT, Food Network, Discovery, Hallmark Mysteries, TLC, TBS, History, HGTV, USA, MSNBC, Hallmark Channel and ESPN.

Just a week after the presidential election, CNN averaged 61,000 viewers ages 25 to 54. This is the smallest audience of viewers in that demographic since June 27, 2000, when Bill Clinton was in the White House.

It also obtained poor results in its daytime programming – programs that are broadcast between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. -, with an average of 60,000 viewers.

Fights between CNN staff and former employees have also broken out over declining ratings, as the blame game hit social media earlier this month.

The on-air dispute with CNN also comes as its parent company announced a dramatic new restructuring to breathe life back into the channel.

Under its bold new model, Warner Bros. Discovery will be divided into “two distinct operating divisions,” according to a press release.

One of the divisions, Global Linear Networks, will focus on the television business. The second, called Streaming & Studios, will be oriented towards streaming platforms and will configure ‘strategic opportunities’ for the future.

Warner Bros. Discovery Chairman and CEO David Zaslav said: “Since the combination that created Warner Bros. Discovery, we have transformed our business and improved our financial position while delivering world-class entertainment to global audiences.

“We continue to prioritize ensuring our Global Linear Networks business is well positioned to continue driving free cash flow, while our Streaming & Studios business is focused on driving growth by telling the world’s most compelling stories.”

This new plan will be implemented in mid-2025, the company revealed. Right now, the company is divided into sections: networks, studios and direct-to-consumer streaming.