without a lemon Leaves CNN After 17 years of pushing boundaries.
The anchor, who has become one of the station’s most popular faces, announced on social media Monday that he has been fired from CNN.
“My agent informed me this morning that I had been terminated by CNN. I am distraught. After 17 years at CNN, I would have thought anyone in management would have the decency to tell me directly. At no time was I given any indication that I would not be able to.” “There are obviously some bigger issues in the game,” Lemon said. “With that, I want to thank my colleagues and the many teams I’ve worked with for a great career. They are the most talented journalists in the business, and I wish them all the best.”
“Don will forever be part of the CNN family, and we thank him for his contributions over the past 17 years,” CNN CEO Chris Licht said in a statement. “We wish him well and will encourage him in his future endeavours.”
Lemon on “CNN This Morning” with Bobby Harlow and Caitlan Collins. The show has been on the air for nearly six months
“We are committed to its success,” Licht said of the morning show.
Lemon joined CNN in September 2006. Prior to “CNN This Morning,” Lemon hosted the prime time show “Don Lemon Tonight” for over eight years.
CNN’s package was not warm. A senior CNN executive — not CEO Chris Licht — contacted Lemon’s agent at UTA, Jay Sures, according to a person familiar with the exchange. Lemon had just appeared on “CNN This Morning” to air Monday. In a statement, CNN disputed those details. “Lino was offered an opportunity to meet with management but issued a statement on Twitter instead,” the company said.
In mid-February, lemon caused a stir When, during a discussion on “CNN This Morning” with co-hosts Bobby Harlow and Caitlan Collins about the ages of politicians, he said that Haley, 51, wasn’t “in her prime.” A woman was considered to be in her prime, he said, “in her twenties, thirties, maybe forties.”
Harlow challenged Lemon, trying to clarify what he was referring to: “I think we need to qualify. Are you talking about the prime of procreation or are you talking about the prime of being a boss?”
Lemon replied, “Don’t shoot the messenger, I’m just saying what the facts are.” The topic was brought up again an hour later, and commentator Audi Cornish refuted it.
Lemon released a statement saying he regretted his “rude and irrelevant” comments, which Haley herself called sexist and used as a fundraiser. And then he missed the show for three days, Returns the following week With an apology via Twitter but no mention of the episode on air.
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