(Haley was 51 years old at the time of his comment.) Lemon came under fire in mid-February for remarks he made about Republican presidential contender Nikki Haley, claiming the candidate “isn’t in her prime,” suggesting she wasn’t fit to run for office because of her age. Late last year, Lemon was moved from CNN’s prime-time schedule to mornings, where he hosted the newly-relaunched breakfast program “CNN This Morning.” Lemon joined CNN in 2006 following various local television news jobs, including positions at NBC-owned WMAQ (Channel 5) in Chicago and WCAU (Channel 10) in Philadelphia. Both O’Brien and Grace have since left CNN.Ī spokesperson for Lemon called the Variety story inaccurate, saying it was “riddled with patently false anecdotes and no concrete evidence” and “entirely based on unsourced, unsubstantiated, 15-year-old anonymous gossip.” The story goes on to make similar allegations of misogyny and harassment by Lemon against other female colleagues, including Soledad O’Brien and Nancy Grace. A spokesperson for CNN said the network wasn’t able to substantiate claims about an alleged threat that was purportedly made 15 years ago, and otherwise asserted Lemon’s position that he never sent a text message. Lemon apparently declined to participate in the story. Lemon’s termination comes less than three weeks after Variety published a lengthy profile that detailed allegations of harassment and misogyny by the CNN morning host during his lengthy career at the network.Īccording to Variety media correspondent Tatiana Siegel, Lemon threatened former CNN co-anchor Kyra Phillips after she was assigned to cover the fallout from the war in Iraq, a gig that Lemon apparently wanted for himself.Īfter Phillips secured the assignment, Lemon allegedly wrote a text message to his co-anchor saying she had “crossed the line, and you’re going to pay for it.” He believed the text message to be anonymous, but Phillips enlisted executives at the network, and it was eventually traced back to him, Siegel wrote. Later, a spokesperson for CNN said Lemon’s tweet was misleading, noting that “he was offered an opportunity to meet with management, but instead released a statement on Twitter.” “We wish him well and will be cheering him on in his future endeavors.” “Don will forever be part of the CNN family, and we thank him for his contributions over the past 17 years,” Licht wrote. In a memo sent to CNN employee, CNN Chairman and CEO Chris Licht thanked Lemon for his lengthy career at the network. “After 17 years at CNN, I would have thought someone in management would have had the decency to tell me directly.” Lemon first revealed his firing through the social media platform Twitter on Monday. (Image via Wikimedia Commons, Graphic by The Desk)ĬNN has fired Don Lemon, one of its more-prominent hosts, following an exposé published by an entertainment trade publication earlier this month. If you Google ‘when is a woman in her prime,’ it’ll say 20s, 30s and 40s.CNN morning show host Don Lemon appears in a 2018 photograph. “A woman is considered to be in their prime in 20s and 30s and maybe 40s. “Nikki Haley isn’t in her prime, sorry,” Lemon said. While discussing her remarks, Lemon said that the former South Carolina governor, who is 51, wasn’t “in her prime.” (Both President Joe Biden and fellow Republican candidate Donald Trump are over the age of 75.) Lemon was discussing Haley’s comments that there should be a mental competency test for any politician over age 75. Lemon agreed to undergo “formal training” and was temporarily pulled from CNN after controversy erupted over comments he made about GOP presidential hopeful Nikki Haley. He had previously worked as a dayside news anchor. Licht said in his memo that “we are committed to its success.” It is not clear who will succeed Lemon on the program.īefore joining the morning show, Lemon had anchored primetime series Don Lemon Tonight since 2014. Lemon was most recently the co-anchor of CNN This Morning alongside Kaitlan Collins and Poppy Harlow. “We wish him well and will be cheering him on in his future endeavors,” Licht added. In a memo to CNN staff Monday, which was obtained by The Hollywood Reporter, CNN CEO Chris Licht confirmed that Lemon was exiting the channel, and wrote that “Don will forever be a part of the CNN family and we thank him for his contributions over the past 17 years.” 'Black Mirror' Season 6 Reveals Release Date, Episode DescriptionsĬNN PR released a statement on Twitter saying that Lemon “was offered an opportunity to meet with management but instead released a statement on Twitter.”
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