CNN host Rick Sanchez fired after Jon Stewart rant

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CNN anchor Rick Sanchez was fired Friday by the news network after he went on a tirade during a radio interview calling Jon Stewart a “bigot” and accusing the "elite, Northeast establishment liberals” of labeling him as “second-tier” because of his Cuban-American background, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

“Rick Sanchez is no longer with the company," the statement from CNN said. "We thank Rick for his years of service and we wish him well," it added.

The TV host, who was born in Cuba and raised outside Miami, said that racism in the media comes "not just [from] the right," but also at the hands of the "elite, Northeast establishment liberals," during a Thursday interview on the "Stand Up! with Pete Dominick" SiriusXM radio show.

"Deep down, when they look at a guy like me, they see a guy automatically who belongs in the second tier, and not the top tier," the 52-year-old said.

He then pointed out Comedy Central's Jon Stewart, calling him a bigot with “white, liberal establishment point of view" and accusing “The Daily Show” host of picking on Sanchez's on-air mistakes because of his race.

"Here's what they do. This is the game they play: 'I just picked on Fox News, because they just had a bold-faced [sic] lie about something -- dammit, that means I gotta find something on CNN. Oh, I know… wait, hold on, let me find, oh that Rick Sanchez, that little Puerto Rican guy. I'll make fun of him,’” Sanchez surmised.

During the radio interview, Sanchez was asked about Stewart being considered a minority since he was Jewish, but balked at the suggestion.

"Very powerless people," he laughed. "He's such a minority, I mean, you know… Please, what are you kidding?…I'm telling you that everybody who runs CNN is a lot like Stewart...the people in this country who are Jewish -- are an oppressed minority? Yeah," he said.

Sanchez joined CNN in 2004 and became the host of his own show “Rick’s List” in January 2010.