On Monday, April 24, CNN’s popular anchor Don Lemon announced on Twitter that he had been fired from his job. His agent informed him of his termination, leaving him in shock.
He expressed disappointment that no one from the management had contacted him directly after his 17 years of service at the network.
The news of his termination comes after a Variety story alleging that he had mistreated his female colleagues over the years. Additionally, earlier this year, he faced severe backlash over comments he made on-air that were widely criticized.
CNN CEO Chris Licht confirmed that the network had parted ways with Don Lemon in a memo to NBC News. While the network thanked Lemon for his contributions over the past 17 years, they also wished him well in his future endeavours. Since 2006, Lemon had worked with CNN, and before that, he had served as an anchor at NBC Chicago and worked as a correspondent for NBC News.
In February, Lemon came under fire for a comment he made about Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley on “CNN This Morning”. While discussing Haley’s suggestion that candidates over the age of 75 should undergo mental competency exams, Lemon remarked that Haley was no longer in her “prime”. Many people criticized Lemon’s comment, and he faced public backlash.
Following the incident, Licht told employees that Lemon had agreed to participate in training. He also said that CNN and Lemon had “moved on” from the issue. However, the recent allegations against Lemon seemed too much for the network to ignore, and they decided to terminate his employment.
We don’t know what the future holds for Lemon, but it’s evident that he has made an impact on journalism during the past 17 years.
