CNN host Abby Philip issued a clarification following a heated panel discussion that descended into chaos.

The network banned the future appearances by writer Ryan Girduskyafter making a “racist” comment amid the disorder, appearing to say he hoped the Muslim journalist Mehdi Hasan exploded in a bomb attack.

Hasan defended his support for Palestinian rights After accusations of being anti-Semitic.

“Yeah, well, I hope your beeper doesn’t go off,” Girdusky then said during the exchange.

Philip apologized after an ad break, saying the writer had been asked to leave. However, viewers were left confused after Hasan, founder of media platform Zeteo, also did not return to the panel.

In a video posted on social media, Philip clarified the reasons for Hasan’s absence.

“Hey, I’m sure everyone saw what happened on the show tonight, I just wanted to touch on one quick thing.

“As you may have seen, Ryan was asked to leave the show and we released a statement saying he was not welcome on our air. There is a limit here on this show and she has been crossed but I also want to be clear: we did not ask Mehdi not to come back.

“We actually really wanted him to come back and finish the show, we had a lot to say to him and we really hope he joins us soon. But for those of you wondering why he didn’t come back, I just want to be very clear: It’s in no way because we didn’t want him to come back at all.

“I won’t speak for him but I just wanted to make sure you all knew that’s not what happened back there.”

Viewers were shocked by the exchange which began as the two men discussed Donald Trump’s recent rally in Madison Square Garden And accusations that the Trump campaign is spreading Nazi-like ideas.

The conversation quickly descended into chaos as the question of Israel and Palestine was raised with Gidursky, suggesting that Hasan supported Hamas. He then made the comment in reference to the “beep” referring to Israeli attacks on Hezbollah via pagers.

“Oh my god, I’ve never seen a fight like this on CNN,” wrote one shocked viewer.

“My blood is BOILING,” wrote another. “The fact that this could have lasted this long is insane. It’s disgusting.

“There is no place for racism or intolerance at CNN or on our airwaves,” the network says. said in a statement. “Our goal is to foster thoughtful conversations and debate, including between people who deeply disagree with each other, to explore important issues and promote mutual understanding.

“But we will not allow guests to be humiliated or the line of civility to be crossed. Ryan Girdusky will not be welcome in our network.