CNN panelist Bakari Sellers got some on-air revenge against his conservative colleague Scott Jennings, after a testy touching incident between the two months earlier.
On CNN NewsNight Tuesday, Jennings patted Sellers on the back while calling him ‘comrade’ during a panel debate about the New York City mayoral election.
‘Can you not touch me?! Can you not touch me?!’ Sellers shouted, in reference to Jennings blowing up at Sellers back in December for placing his hand on the Republican’s shoulder during a discussion about inflation.
‘I was waiting on that! I was waiting on that!’ a smirking Sellers said of getting his payback.
The moment served a rare reprieve from the pair’s back-and-forth battles on air.
The December exchange saw GOP strategist Jennings and former Democratic member of the South Carolina House of Representatives Sellers getting much more heated.
During a debate about the rising price of groceries, Sellers touched Jennings on the shoulder – earning a swift response.
‘What Scott was not accurate about – which kind of happens around the table sometimes…’ Sellers said while tapping Jennings.
On CNN NewsNight Tuesday, Scott Jennings patted Bakari Sellers on the back while calling him ‘comrade’ during a panel debate about the New York City mayoral election
In December, Jennings said ‘Don’t touch me’ after Sellers put his hand on his colleague’s shoulder
‘Don’t touch me,’ Jennings shot back in a serious tone.
Sellers then jokingly rubbed his hand on Jennings’ back, asking, ‘I can’t touch you now?’
‘All right, everybody, keep your hands to yourselves at the table,’ NewsNight host Abby Phillip told the panelists.
Weeks before, in October, Sellers admonished Jennings for comparing the ideals of pro-Palestine protestors across the country to those of Adolf Hitler.
‘The line has been crossed,’ a shocked Sellers said at the time, labeling his colleague’s remarks as ‘far beyond the pale.’
That same month, Sellers interrupted Jennings as the latter tried to discuss the Daily Mail’s reporting surrounding then-Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff’s alleged assault of an ex-girlfriend.
‘Oh my god,’ a skeptical Sellers said, cutting off Jennings: ‘Okay, you don’t even get 12 seconds. I’m not gonna let you go into the far end of B.S.’
Phillip also refused to take the allegations seriously, before comparing them to the many that had surfaced against Donald Trump.
Tuesday’s moment served a rare reprieve from the pair’s back-and-forth battles on air.
‘All right, but Scott, I just have to say, I’ll take those concerns seriously if you also express concerns about the allegations [against Trump],’ Phillip said.
‘You can’t just pick and choose,’ she added.
Meanwhile, CNN staff continue to reel from last month’s news that the network will be cast off to an entirely different company with the rest of Warner Bros. Discovery’s declining cable assets.
Employees are reportedly set to face salary cuts amid record-low ratings and rumors of a possible sale of the network.
Back in March, Status reported Jennings – a constant conservative presence on NewsNight – was in the final stages of talks for a ‘hefty’ pay raise.
His salary has not been reported.
