Don Lemon says CNN recently "fired" him. The Cable News Network confirmed that they parted ways.
The host, who has been with CNN for roughly 17 years, broke the news on his recent Twitter post, saying that his agent told him the network decided to "fire" him without directly informing him.
But the news channel tells another story. Instead, CNN says they gave Lemon a chance to talk with their top brass. However, instead of taking that option, he stormed to Twitter to issue his explicit statement.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - DECEMBER 11: (L-R) Kaitlan Collins, Don Lemon, and Poppy Harlow attend the 16th annual CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute at the American Museum of Natural History on December 11, 2022, in New York City.
Don Lemon Career
Before parting ways with CNN, Lemon had various roles on the network. BBC News reports that he is one of the mainstays of the news channel. He used to work at the New York Bureau before climbing the ranks to host his own show.
According to the Independent, he started his career with CNN way back in 2006 after leaving a local NBC affiliate in Chicago. After sitting as the New York Bureau of the network, he started hosting a show on the channel.
In 2014, he hosted a trial show on the network, The Eleventh Hour. But his stint there was pretty brief. In the same year, he continued hosting another late-night show.
A program named after him, "CNN Tonight with Don Lemon," debuted to replace "Piers Morgan Live." Most people knew Lemon from this show since it had an eight-year run before ending in 2022.
In early 2022, the giant news network dipped its toes in the streaming service territory amid the flock of platforms like HBO Max and Disney Plus. And Lemon was one of the headliners of CNN+. He hosted "The Don Lemon Show" for at least two episodes before the platform bids farewell for good.
In October 2022, the news channel announced that its long-time late-night show, rebranded in 2021 as "Don Lemon Tonight," is ending. But this does not conclude his stint with CNN. Instead, the late-night host entered new territory, replacing the morning show "New Day" with "CNN This Morning." Lemon is one of its hosts, joining Kaitlin Collins and Poppy Harlow.
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NEW YORK, NEW YORK - DECEMBER 12: Don Lemon attends The 15th Annual CNN Heroes: All-Star Tribute at the American Museum of Natural History on December 12, 2021, in New York City.
Don Lemon Misogynist Comment
In the 17 years stay of Lemon with CNN, he faced a couple of controversies. Some critics find his previous remarks disgustingly misogynistic.
Way back in 2014, according to Don Lemon, the woman who accused Bill Cosby of rape could have defended herself, LA Times reports.
Early this year, he had to take some time off from "CNN This Morning" due to his misogynistic and sexist comment towards Republican presidential aspirant Nikki Haley. Lemon says the former United States ambassador is no longer "in her prime." He adds, "When a woman is considered to be in her prime - in her 20s, 30s, and maybe her 40s."
Besides that, he previously said that the US men's soccer team needs to be paid more than their women's counterparts. For him, the former was "more interesting to watch."
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