Lemon claims that CNN lacked the “decency” to set the record straight, and CNN responds by calling Lemon’s account “inaccurate.”
Don Lemon, who has been in hot water with CNN, announced his dismissal on Monday.
On Twitter, Lemon expressed his “stunned” and “angry” feelings over not being contacted personally to inform him of his dismissal.
I found out this morning from my agency that CNN is firing me,” Lemon added. I can’t believe it.
CNN CEO Chris Licht informed Lemon in a letter that he would no longer be employed by the network.
We appreciate all Don has done for CNN over the last 17 years, and he will always remain a part of our family. Licht added, “We wish him luck in whatever he does next and will support him in whatever he does.”
After 17 years at CNN and several scandals in recent years, Lemon didn’t appear to think his time there was coming to an end.
To paraphrase what Lemon said, “I was never told that I couldn’t stay doing the work I loved at the network.” “I would have assumed that after 17 years at CNN, someone in authority would have had the wisdom to tell me straight. “Much larger events must be at play.”
Lemon then expressed gratitude to his former colleagues.
According to Lemon, “they are the most talented journalists in the business,” and he hopes the best for them.
The news organization CNN deemed Lemon’s account “inaccurate.”
The company’s public relations department issued a statement disputing what Don Lemon had said earlier that morning. “He was offered a meeting with upper management, but instead he issued a statement on Twitter.”
Although he was demoted from his solo night program to a morning show co-hosted by Poppy Harlow and Kaitlan Collins last year, Lemon insisted that this change was not a setback for him. He even claimed on CNN that Licht had “promoted” him.
Soon after its November premiere, “CNN This Morning” became a staple in the gossip magazines.
Collins repeatedly interrupted Lemon during CNN’s Dec. 8 broadcast, when the network first reported Brittney Griner’s release from Russian custody. Lemon eventually raised his finger to the ceiling and shouted, “Hold on a second.”
But off camera, Lemon got “nasty” and shouted at Collins for stopping him, making Collins “visibly upset,” as one witness put it.
The executives at CNN were concerned since the event was originally reported by the New York Post.
When Republican presidential contender Nikki Haley turned 51, Lemon declared she was “past her prime,” landing him in hot water once again in February. His female co-anchors were taken aback by his usage of Google as a source. The next day, at the network’s editing call, Lemon apologized, but his female employees were still upset.
Lemon’s employees were already upset with his remarks against Haley, and then they saw him at Miami Beach. After being told to obtain “formal training,” Lemon returned to his struggling morning program a few days later.
One CNN employee told Fox News Digital in February that Lemon had “no defenders” within the company and that everyone was still “pissed.”” At the time, many individuals stated things like, “I think a lot of people would be glad to see him go” if he were expelled. “I think there are a lot of people who might like him as a person, but not as a worker.”
No one, not even conservatives, agreed with Lemon’s assessment of his “prime” comments. During a meeting at the White House, Biden spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre poked fun of them, and the joke made it all the way to this year’s Academy Awards. Winner of the Best Actress award Michelle Yeoh urged her fellow Hollywood actresses, “Don’t let anyone tell you that you are ever past your prime.”
It wasn’t the first time Lemon’s remarks on the radio have infuriated female listeners.
In 2014, he questioned the logic of a woman’s claim that she was raped by Bill Cosby by asking why she didn’t just bite his penis to end the alleged assault. He questioned CNN contributor S.E. Cupp’s sanity in September 2016 by suggesting she could have “mommy brain” after she fumbled through her answers during a panel discussion. In December, Lemon argued with his female co-hosts on “CNN This Morning” after saying that men’s sports earn more money than women’s athletes do because “people are more interested in the men.”
Years of alienating conservative viewers were encouraged by former CNN head Jeff Zucker (who was ousted last year), and now Zucker is actively alienating female viewers.
Lemon is a prominent left-leaning speaker on CNN. Among other things, he has equated Trump supporters with KKK members, shown support for Antifa, and become upset over those who hadn’t had the coronavirus vaccine “taking up space” in hospitals.
Earlier last month, a startling report concerning Lemon was published by Variety. Some of the allegations against him included his sending threatening text messages to a coworker via a “burner phone” and his frequent sexist and “diva-like” behavior. CNN backed Lemon at the time, saying the piece was “full of obviously false anecdotes” and “based on anonymous 15-year-old gossip with no sources or proof.”
CNN’s “tamp down spectacle” objective has been Licht’s primary focus. When other hosts, including Brian Stelter, left, he first kept Lemon on the air.
The ratings for “CNN This Morning” plummeted when Lemon was hosting. There is now speculation as to who will replace him on CNN’s morning show.