On Monday, April 24, CNN announced they will no longer be working with This Morning co-host Don Lemon. “CNN and Don have parted ways,” read the statement from the network on Twitter. “Don will forever be a part of the CNN family, and we thank him for his contributions over the past 17 years. We wish him well and will be cheering him on in his future endeavors.”
Minutes after CNN’s statement, however, Lemon took to Twitter to express his outrage regarding the situation. “I was informed this morning by my agent that I have been terminated by CNN,” he wrote.
“I am stunned,” he continued. “After 17 years at CNN I would have thought that someone in management would have had the decency to tell me directly. At no time was I ever given any indication that I would not be able to continue to do the work I have loved at the network.” Also in the statement, Lemon suggested “there are some larger issues at play,” but didn’t get into further details.
Soon after, the network fired back at Lemon’s remarks. “Don Lemon’s statement about this morning’s events is inaccurate,” the network tweeted. “He was offered an opportunity to meet with management but instead released a statement on Twitter.”
Although the network didn’t get into specifics about Lemon’s firing, the news might not come as a surprise to those following the journalist. Over the years, Lemon has been his fair share of backlash due to sexist and misogynistic comments made about female coworkers and guests. So, to further explain his firing, we’ve broken down his most embarrassing foot-in-his-mouth moments below.
The Nikki Haley Incident
Back in February, Lemon made a distasteful comment about politician Nikki Haley during an episode of This Morning that caused quite a backlash. “[Haley] says people, you know, politicians or something are not in their prime. Nikki Haley isn’t in her prime, sorry,” Lemon said. “A woman is considered to be in her prime in her 20s and 30s and maybe 40s.”
Co-host Poppy Harlow then asked a clarifying question. “Are you talking about prime for childbearing or are you talking about prime for being president?” Lemon then replied, “Don’t shoot the messenger, I’m just saying what the facts are.”
His Rivalry With Soledad O’Brien
According to a Variety deep-dive on Lemon’s past, he was once upset with fellow journalist Soledad O’Brien after she was chosen to host 2008’s Black in America docuseries. According to witnesses, Lemon went as far as suggesting O’Brien isn’t Black during a meeting with 30 staffers. “Don always wanted to be front and center on anything high profile, especially anything involving race,” the insider told Variety.
“Don has long had a habit of saying idiotic and inaccurate things, so it sounds pretty on brand for him,” O’Brien added to Variety.
The ‘Mommy Brain’ Comment
In September 2022, Lemon once again made a problematic comment when speaking to S.E. Cupp during a CNN panel, per Independent. After Cupp jumbled some statistics, Lemon asked her, “Is it fair to say this because I’m not a mommy, but is it mommy brain?” Cupp then answered, “No, Don, I just forgot what I was going to say.” Ouch!
Going After Kyra Phillips
Back in 2008, Lemon co-hosted Live From with Kyra Phillips. According to sources in Variety, however, the two decidedly did not get along.
Per the sources, one time when Phillips was away, Lemon tore up pictures and notes on her desk to unsettle the host when she came back. Later on, tensions heightened when she received “threatening text messages from an unknown number” saying that she had to “pay” because she had “crossed the line.” Per the insiders, the texts were then traced to Lemon and he was demoted to hosting on weekends instead.
Lemon & Nancy Grace
Unsurprisingly, fellow journalist Nancy Grace also didn’t get along with Lemon. According to Variety, Lemon mimicked her condescendingly while the pair were on air. Per a source close to Grace, Lemon was “rude and dismissive” to Grace while they worked together and, as a result, she thinks Lemon is “an ass.”
His Sexist Soccer Statement
Last fall, Lemon also got himself in hot water after saying that the U.S. men’s soccer team should be paid more than the women’s team because the men were “more interesting to watch,” Associated Press reports.
Lemon Gets a Behavior Check
Back in 2009, Lemon was reportedly frustrated that Anderson Cooper and O’Brien received more airtime than he did during Michael Jackson memorial coverage, per Variety.
“That led to a come-to-Jesus moment,” a former CNN executive told the outlet. “Don was told, ‘Look, you’ve got to address your behavior. Your performance as a reporter is great. It’s your behavior that’s gotta improve. It’s what’s going to derail you if you’re not careful.'”
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