
CNN

A CNN discussion about the so-called "alt-right" quickly went off the rails Tuesday when guest Charles Kaiser invoked the N-word while talking about President-elect Donald Trump's chief strategist Steve Bannon, a former executive at Breitbart News, leaving "Newsroom" host Brooke Baldwin visibly stunned and frustrated.
"If you don't want to support the alt-right, don't choose as a White House counselor a man who uses the word 'n*****,'" Kaiser, who was particularly combative throughout the entire interview, said.
"Wow," Baldwin immediately responded and seconds later interrupting the guest to say, "Charles, just hang on a second. I appreciate you going through all this, but please don't use the N-word on my show."
And then there's this. A CNN guest, reciting the many examples of Trump aligning himself with unsavory characters, drops the n-word. pic.twitter.com/9Iom6cOpNU
— T. Becket Adams (@BecketAdams) November 22, 2016
Paris Denard, a CNN commentator and Trump supporter, told Baldwin that he appreciated her calling Kaiser out for his use of the word, which he described as "highly offensive and inappropriate." But Kaiser, a white man, stood firm, telling Denard, who is black, that it is "shameful" for any black person to support the president-elect.
As both sides kept digging in more, Baldwin, having reflected on what happened at the beginning of the segment, cut the entire discussion short and went to a commercial break.
"We're done. I appreciate both of your voices. I am still — the more I’ve sat here and listened to the fact that someone used the N-word on this show. It is not OK. It is not OK, Charles Kaiser," Baldwin said, tearing up. "I respect you, I enjoy having you on as a guest, but not OK."
"By the way," she continued, "the claim that Mr. Bannon used the N-word — I've never heard of this. So there's that. Take a break."
Video: @BrookeBCNN breaks down at the end of segment when guest (white nonetheless) uses n-word #TTT16 #Unacceptable pic.twitter.com/XUbwzn4KCM
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) November 22, 2016