Why was Jad Sleiman fired? Radio reporter gets day job back after controversial termination

Radio reporter Jad Sleiman has been reinstated at a public radio station in Philadelphia after an arbitrator decided that his remarks were entertaining in part. Sleiman had been sacked for performing stand-up comedy because the material was deemed offensive and provocative.

Jad Sleiman, a former writer for The Pulse, a health and science program, clashed with his employment after showcasing his humorous skills in addition to journalism. Nine of his comedic skits were the subject of an inquiry that resulted in his termination.

The 34-year-old will be fully restored to his role at Philadelphia's WHYY NPR station. An arbitrator found that although the segments shared on social media that got him fired could be seen as “inflammatory,” the company “rushed to judgment” when it decided to fire him.

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Jad Sleiman has finally been reinstated after being fired from his job

The ruling came about as a result of an arbitration about Sleiman's dismissal due to alleged offensive stand-up comedy clips that he shared on his own social media accounts, which were found to be against WHYY's social media policy.

A year ago, Sleiman, the reporter for Philadelphia, lost his job due to evidence that his employer had discovered on social media that he performed stand-up comedy on the side, on his Instagram handle, named Jad S. or @jadslay. According to Vice, he was just put back on after someone else found some of his acts to be “insightful” and “funny.”

In contrast, the arbitration panel determined that WHYY did not have “just cause” to fire Sleiman. Arbitrator Lawrence S. Coburn provided a thoughtful analysis of the material in dispute. He thought some jokes were humorous and thought-provoking, but others could have offended someone and should have been taken down.

According to sources like Daily Caller, the arbitrator acknowledged that Jad Sleiman's video, which touched on topics like oral s*x, Israel, and the 9/11 terrorist attacks, would violate Philadelphia NPR affiliate WHYY's social media policy and should be removed.

The outlet reported that Jad Sleiman said:

“I kind of couldn’t believe it. The one thing I’ve been told about arbitration is that they usually split the baby, so nobody gets everything they want. But what’s been on my side this whole time is the case against me has just been such bullshit”.

In a phone conversation on Friday, January 5, Sleiman reportedly told ABC News that he felt validated by the ruling and that he intended to go back to work.

“When a news organization says you’re a racist, bigot, whatever, people believe them. So it was a lot of abuse from a lot of people who have never met me, who’ve never seen my stand-up just saw what WHYY said about me, which is not great”.

As ABC reported, the union atmosphere at WHYY and the assistance of SAG-AFTRA's grievance attorneys were crucial to Jad Sleiman's successful reinstatement. Without the union's support, Jad Sleiman's termination would have been final under Pennsylvania's “at-will” employment statutes.

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Sleiman had worked for five years as a correspondent for WHYY's health and science radio program, The Pulse. However, according to the arbitration case document, he was dropped in January 2023 after senior management discovered videos of his stand-up comedy routines that he had posted on Instagram. The company claimed the videos were “egregious” with “s*xual connotations, racial connotations, and misogynistic information.”

However, WHYY did not immediately respond to the email requesting comment. Sleiman claimed he was considering taking more legal action in response to WHYY's remarks regarding his persona.