CNN anchor Don Lemon 'stunned' by how he was fired by the network after 17 years
CNN anchor Don Lemon said he was left "stunned" by how he found out about his termination from the network after 17 years, following allegations of misogyny and misbehavior.
In a statement posted on Twitter on Tuesday, April 25, the media personality said: “I was informed this morning by my agent that I have been terminated by CNN. I am stunned.”
Lemon said he hoped someone from the media giant would have had the “decency” to tell it to him directly as he has spent almost two decades with them.
“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," he continued. “It is clear there are other issues at play."
Lemon expressed his gratitude to his colleagues “for an incredible run,” calling them “the most talented journalists in the business.”
“I wish them all the best,” he added.
In an April 25 tweet, CNN's Communications team called Lemon's statement about his termination "inaccurate," noting that he "was offered an opportunity to meet with management but instead released a statement on Twitter."
Without getting into much detail, CNN CEO Chris Licht announced that they have let go of their longtime anchor in a memo to their staff. “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.”
According to BBC News, the move comes after Lemon said on-air that 51-year-old Nikki Haley—who has worked as a UN ambassador and governor of South Carolina—is "not in her prime.”
“Nikki Haley isn’t in her prime, sorry. When a woman is considered to be in her prime—in her 20s, 30s, and maybe her 40s,” he said. “I’m just saying what the facts are. Google it.”
The anchor landed in hot water over his controversial statements, which he later called “inartful and irrelevant” in his apology released on the same day.
Haley seemingly reacted to his termination from CNN in an April 25 tweet, saying that it’s a “great day for women everywhere.” She also included the hashtag #StillInMyPrime.
In another tweet, she wrote: "To women everywhere, don't ever let anyone tell you you're past your prime."
BBC stated in the same report that even before this, Lemon has become the subject of criticism due to several reports of misogyny and misbehavior. In April, he was accused of calling a producer “fat” and sending threats to a co-worker, which his representative denied. He also drew flak for saying that the US men’s soccer team should earn more than its female counterpart because men “are more interesting to watch.”
Lemon joined CNN in 2006 and was the main host of primetime show Don Lemon Tonight for almost a decade, after his stints on NBC Chicago, NBC News, TODAY, and NBC Nightly News, among others.