Because of course this moron @ClayTravis would say something like "he loves the first amendment and boobs." Yes, boobs. He would on CNN pic.twitter.com/bpjKRgHGj7 — Andrew Jerell Jones (@sluggahjells) September 15, 2017 
 
 Fox Sports analyst Clay Travis left CNN anchor Brooke Baldwin astonished on Friday afternoon after repeatedly preaching a crude and very unusual sentiment: “I believe in only two things completely: the First Amendment and boobs.” 
 
 Travis was on the network to speak about ESPN’s Jemele Hill, who entered the Trump administration’s line of fire after recently calling the president and his supporters “white supremacists” on Twitter. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the White House Press Secretary, called the tweet a “fireable offense.” 
 
 Travis has sharply criticized ESPN in recent days for what he perceives as taking a “leftist” slant, and he continued to take shots at the network during his CNN appearance. But the segment was quickly sidetracked when Travis first noted his “belief” in “boobs” and the First Amendment. 
 
 “I just want to make sure I heard you correctly as a woman anchoring this show,” Baldwin interrupted. “What did you just say, you believe in the first amendment and B-double-O-B-S?” Travis continued on, attacking Hill and her network, but Baldwin could not move forward until Travis properly addressed his comments. 
 
 “I just want to make sure I’m hearing you correctly,” she said again: “B-O-O-Z-E or B-O-O-B-S? Because as a woman –” Travis cut her off. “I said boobs,” he clarified. 
 
 “Why would you say that live on national television, and with a female host?” Baldwin asked of the sexist remark. “Why would you even go there?” He replied: “That’s what I do: Because I like boobs and the First Amendment, which is exactly what I said.” 
 
 The bizarre segment quickly captured the attention of social media, and Baldwin herself decided to personally comment on the matter. She tweeted, “Note to men — that is never okay. #smh” 
 
 That was… I just… it was one of those thought bubbles "did he actually say that on MY SHOW?!" Note to men — that is never okay. #smh — Brooke Baldwin (@BrookeBCNN) September 15, 2017 
 
 Travis’ comments were widely condemned while special praise was reserved for Baldwin, who didn’t let Travis get away with the “joke.” 
 
 If there was an Emmy for reaction shots @BrookeBCNN would win all of them. — Glenn Thrush (@GlennThrush) September 15, 2017 
 
 AMAZING handling of Clay Travis's idiocy by @BrookeBCNN: https://t.co/RDKpswhXED — Daniel Dale (@ddale8) September 15, 2017 
 
 Perhaps the sharpest criticism of Travis came courtesy of sportswriter Keith Reed, who was also featured on the segment but had to wait until after the back-and-forth to contribute: 
 
 “I’m astonished at almost everything I just heard. One of the things that Jemele’s had to deal with her entire career and many women who I have been friends within this business for a long time is sexism, blatant sexism, comments about her appearance, comments about her racially, comments about her inability or perceived inability to be able to comment on sports because of her gender.” ||||| Well, that was something. 
 
 During a panel discussion on the Jemele Hill controversy and the White House calling her to be fired, things took an entirely different turn when sports radio host and provocateur Clay Travis pointed out that he only believes in two things fully. 
 
 “I believe in the First Amendment and boobs,” Travis stated. 
 
 It took a beat, but host Brooke Baldwin wanted Travis to clarify what he had just said, asking him specifically if he actually sad “boobs.” 
 
 “Boobs, two things that never let me down, the first amendment and boobs,” Travis said. “Those are the two things I believe in absolutely in the country.” 
 
 Further down the line, Baldwin still wanted to make sure that Travis was actually talking about women’s breasts and not booze. When she confirmed that was indeed the case, she ended the interview early. 
 
 “I’m done, I’m sorry. I’m done,” she exclaimed. “This conversation is over, yanking mikes, bye. Forgive me, live television happens and you think you heard something, you are not sure and then you realize it happened, so I apologize for him on that.” 
 
 Immediately after the segment, both Baldwin and Travis took to Twitter to remark on what had happened. 
 
 That was… I just… it was one of those thought bubbles "did he actually say that on MY SHOW?!" Note to men — that is never okay. #smh — Brooke Baldwin (@BrookeBCNN) September 15, 2017 
 
 Just went on @cnn and said I only believe in two things completely, the first amendment and boobs and the host lost it. Need video now. — Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) September 15, 2017 
 
 Watch the clip above, via CNN. 
 
 UPDATE –– 11:58 pm ET: A CNN spokesperson has provided Mediaite with this statement in response to Travis’ tweet: 
 
 Clay Travis was not booked again on CNN. Prior to his appearance with Brooke Baldwin, he had been tentatively scheduled to appear Monday on HLN. 
 
 That interview has been cancelled. 
 
 [image via screengrab] 
 
 — 
 
 Follow Justin Baragona on Twitter: @justinbaragona 
 
 Have a tip we should know? tips@mediaite.com ||||| Brooke Baldwin is a Peabody Award finalist who anchors the 2-4 p.m. ET edition of CNN Newsroom. The views expressed in this commentary are solely the author's. 
 
 Yep, he said it. 
 
 It was Friday afternoon, and I was on live TV, in the second hour of my show on CNN. I had just introduced two guests, former ESPN Senior Editor Keith Reed and Fox Sports Radio's Clay Travis, who had agreed to come on to discuss the White House call for ESPN to dismiss anchor Jemele Hill after she called the President a "white supremacist" on Twitter. 
 
 These were two men with opposing opinions. I was ready for them to present their opinions and maybe even argue. 
 
 I wasn't prepared for what came next from Clay Travis -- a guest we should never have booked in the first place. 
 
 "I believe in the First Amendment and boobs." 
 
 Side note: I've been a journalist for 17 years -- the past seven spent at CNN hosting a live show. I've seen and heard some things. But when I first heard "boobs" from a grown man on national television (in 2017!!!) my initial thought bubble was: "Did I hear that correctly?? There's no WAY he just came on my show and said what I think he said. ... DID HE?" And I let it hang. 
 
 My executive producer Eric (who has worked with me for years) knows me, read my face and quickly got in my ear from the control room and asked: "Did he say 'booze'?" Apparently, my producers behind the scenes were all scrambling, trying to figure out the same thing. "What did he just say?" 
 
 I just couldn't let this go. 
 
 So I jumped back in and spelled it out like a fourth-grade boy: "b-double-o-b-s?!" 
 
 Yes. "Boobs." He eventually confirmed: "boobs." Almost proud, smirking. 
 
 I quickly felt myself turning red -- getting irritated and angry. My mind was racing. My face, I could tell, was incredulous. In the thick of it all, I could see my other guest, Keith Reed, was equally aghast. 
 
 The newsroom around me fell silent. I was staring into the camera trying to make sense of what was unfolding on live television. I even caught my cameraman Jay's eyes in disbelief. I thought again: "It is 2017, and this grown man is on my show talking with me -- a female host -- about boobs. Is this seriously happening?" 
 
 And then I did something I've done only a handful of times in my career. I told the control room to kill his mic and said "bye." I invite a variety people on my show with wide-ranging opinions -- sometimes even my jaw hits the floor, too -- but I let them speak. Whether it's left, right or center -- I want to expose my viewers to other perspectives. Agree with them or not, the nation needs to listen. 
 
 But this ... was different. 
 
 I remember getting to commercial break, turning around and hearing an applause. I host my show from the middle of the fifth-floor newsroom, and my CNN colleagues -- male and female -- were applauding me. Then I heard my phone ... Twitter, text messages. Buzzzzzzzz. 
 
 From Pat Benatar: "OMG... Nice job cutting him right off! As*hole." 
 
 From friends and others: "Good grief. It's effing 2017!" "I love you. Ridic." 
 
 Then Twitter: 
 
 AMAZING handling of Clay Travis's idiocy by @BrookeBCNN: https://t.co/RDKpswhXED — Daniel Dale (@ddale8) September 15, 2017 
 
 Wow. So so inappropriate. Props to @BrookeBCNN for how she handled it, https://t.co/XjcrMQSuC7 — Ashley Blackstone (@ashblackstone) September 15, 2017 
 
 The thing is -- this is not okay. Speaking to women like this is unacceptable. It is 2017. Why is this even happening? 
 
 I've spent much of my year -- when you don't see me every day from 2-4 p.m. ET on CNN -- interviewing women. It's a passion project of mine called "American Woman" with leading ladies you'll recognize. An idea born out of my covering the 2016 presidential campaign and the aftermath. 
 
 Talking to young women, seeing firsthand how so many of them feel empowered and with a desire to be heard and get involved. I want to help lift women's voices. And I realize, in doing that, I need to use my own. 
 
 Follow CNN Opinion Join us on Twitter and Facebook 
 
 As for my guest today -- despite what he's tweeting, he won't be coming back on my show -- ever. He works at Fox Sports Radio. Maybe he should learn from folks over at Fox News -- being demeaning to women does have consequences. ||||| ESPN host Jemele Hill's tweet calling President Trump a "white supremacist" earned a stinging rebuke from Trump's press secretary on Wednesday. 
 
 From the White House podium, Sarah Sanders said Hill's criticism of the president was a "fireable offense by ESPN." 
 
 It was a highly unusual moment -- a White House official seemingly recommending that a Trump critic be booted from a television network. 
 
 Trump aides have pressured media executives about anti-Trump commentators in the past, but those complaints were made in private. This time it was on-camera for all to see. 
 
 Many people strongly defended Hill's comments, while many other people strongly condemned her and the network that employs her. 
 
 At the end of the day on Wednesday, Hill issued a new statement, not about what Sanders said, but about the overall controversy. 
 
 "My comments on Twitter expressed my personal beliefs," Hill said. "My regret is that my comments and the public way I made them painted ESPN in an unfair light. My respect for the company and my colleagues remains unconditional." 
 
 A few minutes later, ESPN issued a followup statement: "Jemele has a right to her personal opinions, but not to publicly share them on a platform that implies that she was in any way speaking on behalf of ESPN. She has acknowledged that her tweets crossed that line and has apologized for doing so. We accept her apology." 
 
 For many months, ESPN has been under unique scrutiny by conservative groups and sports world rivals. 
 
 To people like Tucker Carlson, who dubbed ESPN "Endless Stupid Political Nagging" on Tuesday night, Hill's portrayal of Trump as a racist was just the latest example of liberal bias inside the sports network. 
 
 "Stick to sports" has been a mantra of these critics. "Sports are political" has been one of the comebacks. 
 
 Hill, a rising star at ESPN, has been vociferously critical of President Trump all year long, but her tweetstorm on Monday went further than ever. She called Trump a "bigot," a "threat" and "the most ignorant, offensive president of my lifetime." 
 
 The tweet that garnered the most reaction said: "Donald Trump is a white supremacist who has largely surrounded himself w/ other white supremacists." 
 
 Hill, an African American woman, followed up with this: "His rise is a direct result of white supremacy. Period." 
 
 Other black journalists and commentators have made similar statements in the past. But Hill's tweets caught fire on social media, partly due to the ongoing arguments over ESPN's political posture. 
 
 Amid an outcry from conservatives on Twitter and Facebook, ESPN reminded people on Tuesday afternoon that Hill's tweets "do not represent the position of ESPN." 
 
 The network alluded to disciplinary action, but did not provide any details. 
 
 "We have addressed this with Jemele and she recognizes her actions were inappropriate," ESPN said. 
 
 Then, on Wednesday, Washington Post White House reporter David Nakamura, who previously covered sports for the paper asked Sanders if the president had a reaction to the controversy. 
 
 "I'm not sure if he's aware" of the tweets, Sanders said, "but I think that's one of the more outrageous comments that anyone could make, and certainly something that I think is a fireable offense by ESPN." 
 
 Sanders said Trump is "committed to working with them to bring the country together. I think that's where we need to be focused, not on outrageous statements like that one." 
 
 Some media commentators said they were disturbed by Sanders' talk of a "fireable offense." 
 
 "Today, the White House press secretary used the people's podium to call for the firing of an individual citizen, @jemelehill. Take that in," the liberal MSNBC host Joy Reid wrote 
 
 There's been a substantial backlash to the backlash, with Hill's supporters saying she described Trump accurately in the original tweetstorm, and should not be reprimanded for having done so. 
 
 Many of Trump's critics say his reaction to the violence in Charlottesville, his pardoning of Joe Arpaio and other decisions have exacerbated racial tensions. 
 
 ESPN critics, on the other hand, said the network's response was too soft, and that a suspension or firing was in order. 
 
 Sanders' remarks on Wednesday are sure to keep the debate raging. 
 
 For her part, Hill hasn't posted anything new on Twitter since ESPN weighed in on Tuesday. 
 
 But some notable names at the network have come to her defense. 
 
 Veteran NFL reporter Jim Trotter wrote to Hill, "Proud to call you a colleague and a friend." Trotter elaborated to Sports Illustrated: "Black folk are tired and we have to recognize some of the things that are going on in this country and we have to be honest about it and meet it head on. If you are black and know the history of our country, you can understand her frustration. It is time we stop pretending it is not true." 
 
 The National Association of Black Journalists also responded by expressing support for Hill, "an award-winning, veteran journalist who has distinguished herself for having insightful opinions and perspectives on a variety of topics." 
 
 The group said it "supports Hill's First Amendment rights on all matters of discussion, within and outside the world of sports, as they do not impinge on her duties as a host and commentator." 
 
 On Wednesday night, several prominent liberal commentators decided to send out tweets echoing Hill's original sentiment. 
 
 Among them was Jelani Cobb of The New Yorker. He wrote, concisely, "Trump is a white supremacist." 
 
 Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly said that Hill had deleted the tweets in question. ||||| FILE - In this Monday, April 17, 2017, photo, "Infowars" host Alex Jones arrives at the Travis County Courthouse in Austin, Texas. Conspiracy theorist Jones hemmed and hawed Sunday, June 18, when pressed... (Associated Press) 
 
 FILE - In this Monday, April 17, 2017, photo, "Infowars" host Alex Jones arrives at the Travis County Courthouse in Austin, Texas. Conspiracy theorist Jones hemmed and hawed Sunday, June 18, when pressed repeatedly by Megyn Kelly to admit he was wrong to call the massacre at Newton, Conn., a hoax. (Tamir... (Associated Press) 
 
 FILE - In this Monday, April 17, 2017, photo, "Infowars" host Alex Jones arrives at the Travis County Courthouse in Austin, Texas. Conspiracy theorist Jones hemmed and hawed Sunday, June 18, when pressed repeatedly by Megyn Kelly to admit he was wrong to call the massacre at Newton, Conn., a hoax. (Tamir... (Associated Press) FILE - In this Monday, April 17, 2017, photo, "Infowars" host Alex Jones arrives at the Travis County Courthouse in Austin, Texas. Conspiracy theorist Jones hemmed and hawed Sunday, June 18, when pressed... (Associated Press) 
 
 NEW YORK (AP) — Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones hemmed and hawed when pressed repeatedly by Megyn Kelly to admit he was wrong to call the massacre at Newtown, Connecticut, a hoax. 
 
 Jones never gave a direct answer in a segment on NBC's "Sunday Night with Megyn Kelly." Kelly has been criticized intensely for giving a platform to Jones, who has also called the Sept. 11 attacks an inside job and promoted the false story that a pizza place in Washington, D.C. was the site of a child sex ring. 
 
 She has defended her decision by noting that his influence has grown with the rise of President Donald Trump, who has praised Jones and appeared on his radio program. 
 
 "Here's the thing, Alex Jones isn't going away," she said Sunday night. 
 
 The "Infowars" host said at one point that he was playing "devil's advocate" in denying the 2012 mass shooting at the Sandy Hook Elementary School. But he added that he remained skeptical after he "watched the footage" of children leaving the building. 
 
 "Some of it looks like it's real but then what do you do when they've got the kids going in circles in and out of the building with their hands up. I've watched the footage," he said. "That looks like a drill." 
 
 The segment with Jones combined Kelly's interview with background on his history of false remarks, his relationship with Trump and comments from Newtown parent Neil Heslin, whose 6-year-old son, Jesse Lewis, was killed in the shooting. When Kelly asked him whether he had anything to say to Jones for Father's Day, he responded, "I think he's blessed to have his children to spend the day with, to speak to. I don't have that." 
 
 Last week, Jones leaked an audio recording of what he said was a phone conversation with Kelly, heard promising she would not portray him as "some kind of boogeyman." Shortly before Sunday's night interview, Jones released a Father's Day video in which he offered condolences to families who had lost children in the "horrible tragedy" of Newtown, but did not refer to his previous comments disputing the killings. 
 
 "Parents should never have to bury their own children," Jones said. 
 
 Connecticut's NBC affiliate said Friday it wouldn't air the report. In an internal memo obtained by The Associated Press, NBC Connecticut staff members were told station executives made the decision after listening to concerns from employees, Sandy Hook families and viewers and considering "the deep emotions from the wounds of that day that have yet to heal." 
 
 Lawyers who represent 12 people who lost loved ones at Sandy Hook urged NBC News officials not to air the interview. NBC News Chairman Andy Lack told the AP that the Jones story would be edited with its critics in mind. 
 
 The interview also was seen as a test of the interviewing skills of Kelly, the former Fox News star whose questions two weeks ago for Vladimir Putin were widely panned for being too easy on the Russian leader. An unaired segment obtained by Huffington Post showed Kelly telling him that "virtually every person we have met on the street says what they respect about you is they feel that you have returned dignity to Russia." 
 
 Kelly challenged Jones from the start, introducing him as a "radical conspiracy theorist" and promising to confront him on his "notorious lie" about Sandy Hook. The two frequently interrupted each other as Kelly kept asking if he would admit to his wrongdoing and a visibly tense Jones kept deflecting her questions, blaming the media for distorting his remarks or veering between acknowledging and disputing the tragedy. 
 
 "I will sit there on the air and look at every position and play devil's advocate," he said. 
 
 Answered Kelly: "Of course, there is no evidence on the other side." 
 
 Jones also downplayed his connection to Trump, who has spoken warmly of him and at times seemed to use conspiracies aired on Infowars in his campaign speeches. 
 
 "I think my influence on Trump is way, way lower than what MSM (mainstream media) has said," he commented, saying he and the president were "friendly," but not friends. 
 
 After spending more than a decade at Fox, Kelly signed a multimillion dollar contract with NBC earlier this year. Her star power had grown after she challenged Trump during a 2015 Republican debate on his history of sexist remarks and the candidate responded with a series of angry tweets and other comments, sometimes crude and personal, and boycotted a later debate because she was one of the moderators. 
 
 She then was a key figure in the downfall of former Fox News chief Roger Ailes, telling in-house investigators of inappropriate conduct by Ailes that supported Gretchen Carlson and other women who had made similar accusations. Kelly wrote of her battles with Trump and Ailes in her best-selling memoir from 2016, "Settle for More." 
 
 Kelly's old employer needled her over the weekend, sending a tweet headlined "Megyn Kelly and Alex Jones: NBC News under fire for 'botched' rollout."
– Fox Sports Radio host Clay Travis, ostensibly appearing on CNN Friday afternoon to discuss the White House calling for the firing of ESPN's Jemele Hill, instead informed a perplexed Brooke Baldwin that he only believes in two things: "the First Amendment and boobs," Mediaite reports. The understandably confused CNN host first asked Travis to clarify whether he was saying "booze" or "boobs," Entertainment Weekly reports. “Boobs. Two things that never let me down: the First Amendment and boobs,” Travis responded. “Those are the two things I believe in absolutely in the country.” Asked why he would say something like that to a female host on national TV, Travis reiterated, "Because I like boobs and the First Amendment." At that point, Baldwin cut the interview short. Later on Twitter, Travis accused Baldwin of having "lost it." In her own Twitter reaction, Baldwin said, "Note to men -- that is never okay." She expanded in an opinion piece on CNN: "This is not okay. Speaking to women like this is unacceptable." She remembers thinking at the time, "It is 2017, and this grown man is on my show talking with me—a female host—about boobs. Is this seriously happening?" CNN has canceled another scheduled interview with Travis and won't book him again. Sportswriter Keith Reed, who appeared alongside Travis during the Friday panel, said Travis' comments were an excellent example of the kind of sexism Jemele Hill has had to deal with being a woman in the sports world.