Don Lemon and CNN part way After 17 years

CNN has bid farewell to its veteran anchor Don Lemon, leaving the media industry surprised by the sudden announcement made on Monday. Although the network’s CEO Chris Licht thanked Lemon for his contribution over the past 17 years, no specific reason was provided for the departure. “We wish him well and will be cheering him on in his future endeavors,” Licht said in a staff memo.

Lemon hosted “CNN This Morning” alongside Poppy Harlow and Kaitlan Collins for the past six months, and the network expressed its commitment to the show’s success. However, in his statement, Lemon claimed that CNN fired him and management did not have the courtesy to inform him of his termination directly. CNN rebutted Lemon’s statement, calling it inaccurate, and said he was offered a chance to meet with management, but he opted to release a statement on Twitter.

Lemon became a part of the CNN family in September 2006 and hosted the prime-time show “Don Lemon Tonight” for over eight years. His commentary on former President Donald Trump’s presidency earned him significant fame, where he fearlessly challenged Trump’s lies and criticized him for being a “racist.”

However, Lemon drew criticism for making sexist comments on “CNN This Morning” in February, where he said that Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley, who proposed that older politicians take competency tests, “isn’t in her prime” at 51 years old. While his co-anchors Harlow and Collins pushed back, Lemon stuck to his point. Licht later denounced Lemon’s comments, calling them unacceptable and subjecting him to formal training sessions.

Earlier this month, allegations of misogyny towards female colleagues were published against Lemon by Variety, which he denied. CNN has not commented on whether the allegations were the reason for his departure.