STEVE Price has refused to apologise for using the word "hysterical" on the ABC's Q&A program last night.

The conservative radio host and The Project panelist was grilled by his Project co-workers Waleed Aly and Carrie Bickmore tonight about his heated exchange with columnist Van Badham.

When Aly explained the historical connotations associated with the word hysterical Price didn't back down, declaring he would have used the word to describe a man or a woman.

"I will describe things as I see them," he said.

Price also claimed he was ambushed by a Q&A producer, who briefed him that an audience member would ask about Eddie McGuire's drowning joke about a female AFL journalist  but apparently didn't also mention that audience member had lost a family member to domestic violence.

"I'm just so disappointed it became all about me," he said.

"I think good will come out of it. I'll use this as a positive and talk about family violence (on my radio program)."

His refusal to back down got many viewers on Twitter fired up, shooting #TheProjectTV to the top of Australia's trending topics.

There were even calls for Price to be sacked from the show.

Co-hosts Aly and Bickmore were praised  for not going easy on Price despite working with him for the past five years.