A CNN panelist has called for Scott Jennings to be fired from the network for his F-bomb meltdown at a contributor on live TV.
Jennings lost his head at 23-year-old Meidas Touch reporter and guest CNN commentator Adam Mockler on Thursday evening during a debate on NewsNight with Abby Phillip. The 47-year-old Republican talking head took umbrage at the younger man eviscerating him for his staunch backing of President Donald Trump regarding his war in Iran.
“Get your f---ing hand out of my face,” Jennings snapped as his spectacular meltdown crescendoed.
Blowback ensued, with hordes of viewers rushing to congratulate Mockler on making Jennings crack. “Grown man on the verge of tears because he can’t answer a question,” Mockler teased on X in the wake of the incident.
But as he undertook his victory lap, critics called for tangible change at the network, which was already under fire for promoting an analyst who does not tend to deviate from a MAGA hardline.
“Scott Jennings should be fired,” Keith Boykin, a former White House aide to Bill Clinton, wrote on Threads.
He then referenced the fracas directly: “I’ve been on the air with Scott many times over the years. He is a paid CNN contributor. I’m not. Telling a fellow panelist to ‘get your f---ing hand out of my face’ is unacceptable.”
Boykin continued: “This is the same guy who lectured me about ‘taking the Lord’s name in vain’ because I said ‘Jesus Christ’ once when he wouldn’t let me speak without interrupting.
“When I was under contract with CNN, I was told that contributors serve as ‘brand ambassadors.’ Is this the brand?”
Earlier this year, Jennings was described as “corrosive to the brand” by Democratic strategist and one-time CNN regular Julie Roginsky, who sacrificed her future with the network to speak out against him in a stunning Substack post.
It was titled “I’m Probably About to Be Banned From CNN — But Someone Has to Say This About Scott Jennings” and included a bevy of accusations against the GOP strategist who has a close relationship with President Trump.
On Friday, she reacted to her foe’s latest outburst, writing on X: “Said it before and I will say it again: CNN beclowns itself by platforming Jennings. The many serious journalists there are tarnished by having to share a network with this unserious, insecure Trump proctologist.”
One of her gripes with Jennings was that he “talks over women with particular frequency.” One such victim is Neera Tanden, a former senior adviser to Joe Biden who has had her run-ins with the “emotional” MAGA acolyte.
“The key issue is that Mockler’s hand was not near his face,” she reacted on X.
In March last year, Jennings blew up at Tanden when she cornered him on his seemingly unwavering support for Trump, even in the wake of the Jan. 6 riots. He was calling for action against protestors who had targeted Tesla dealerships over objections to Elon Musk’s controversial role in government.
“So when they do it to a Tesla dealership, it’s really bad. But when they do it to the halls of Congress, we should pardon them. Is that your position?” she said, prompting an “unhinged” freak out.
“Some men are so emotional,” she quipped on X after the interaction. Referencing his latest outburst, she told the Daily Beast: “Scott Jennings can throw a lot of punches, but he clearly can’t take one. He loses his temper and attacks panelists. I was one of them.”
Mockler, meanwhile, was not done with his victory lap by Friday morning. “He dishes it… but can’t take it!” he posted on Instagram alongside a video of the terse interaction.
The two men often clash, but not to the degree seen on Thursday. Signs of trouble were evident when host Phillip was forced to interject when Jennings told Mockler in a patronizing tone, “When you get up past your bedtime, you get hyper.”
It soon went south. The pair got heated after a discussion on Trump’s ongoing war with Iran. Mockler claimed Jennings was “more than happy” to defend the war, which he claimed the U.S. was “currently failing” in.
Jennings then accused Mockler, who has 2 million followers on YouTube, of having “the attention span of a gnat.”
Mockler responded, “What a minute, dude, hold on... now you’re making condescending remarks because you can’t defend the fact that this war is not going your way...”
Mockler, who was using his hands to gesticulate when talking, continued, “Name me one political concession...”
An angry Jennings then snapped at him, “Get your f---ing hand out of my face, first of all!”
Phillip hastily moved the segment on.
CNN has been approached for comment on calls for Jennings to be fired.
