Don Lemon Fired at CNN After 17 Years: ‘I Am Stunned’ — Read Full Statement
Don Lemon has been “terminated” by CNN after nearly two decades on air, TVLine has learned.
Lemon made the announcement on Twitter, writing: “I was informed this morning by my agent that I have been terminated by CNN. I am stunned. After 17 years at CNN, I would have thought that someone in management would have had the decency to tell me directly.
“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,” his statement continued. “It is clear that there are some larger issues at play. With that said, I want to thank my colleagues and the many teams I have worked with for an incredible run. They are the most talented journalists in the business, and I wish them all the best.” (Watch CNN announce Lemon’s exit on air.)
CNN chairman and CEO Chris Licht also released a brief memo to staff, which reads as follows:
To my CNN Colleagues, CNN and Don have parted ways. 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. CNN This Morning has been on the air for nearly six months, and we are committed to its success.
Lemon’s termination comes three weeks after our sister site Variety published an exposé in which more than a dozen of Lemon’s former and current colleagues outlined a pattern of allegedly misogynistic, inappropriate and “diva-like” behavior at the cable news network, and more than two months after he received backlash for a sexist statement he made on CNN This Morning in February.
In other cable news, Fox News on Monday announced that it had “parted ways” with primetime anchor Tucker Carlson. For more on that, go here.
He knew he was on his last chance and he made a few cringeworthy remarks last week.
Damn. Give them almost two decades of your life and they don’t even have the decency to reach out to you directly and let you know that they are parting ways with you.
That’s showbiz…
I feel for him. I had over 20 in a volunteer position I loved like family and was let go in a rather curt email, and then no one would talk to me at all. The world is pretty damn cold sometimes.
Lemon wasn’t in a volunteer position. He was highly paid and has an estimated wealth of $12 million from his time at CNN. If you’re making that kind of money, I think you can put up with finding out through your agent that you’re fired. Even if he never gets another job, he is financially set for life.
That is messed up for you. I learned fairly early that organizations and employers expect loyalty from their people, but they have zero when it comes to their people. It’s sad, but just how it goes. As far as Lemon is concerned, he had to know it was coming and is just being dramatic.
OTOH your agent can get you a much better severance deal, keep emotion out of it, and craft a better “exit” statement. I’d rather have my agent deal with it, and in the long run DL will be happier that he did.
After the way he treated people? Didn’t deserve the personal notice.
He didn’t “give” anything. He sold his time just as any other employee, and was handsomely compensated for it.
As is the case with every employee.. when the cost of keeping you is greter than the benefit you provide… a change happens.
sorry dee, your confused. Life is NOT fair, deal with it.
Ever heard of the whole treat others how you wanna be treated? From the sounds of it the guy wasn’t a very nice person granted however true that is I can’t speak on all I know is what it says.
Once again CNN trumps FOX news
But Trump trumps CNN
I Hope he ends up working with Chris Cuomo. I never watch Fox because of their shady journalism. Now I may give up CNN i loved Don and never missed his shows. I certainly do not like all the night time shows that are now done by women reporters. And I am a woman. I just find them boring and monotonous .
I feel the same way Mary Mona .
I also really enjoyed watching Chris Como. Don Lemon to me was also in the same classy category. And as far as Fox News I will never watch their propaganda and all the lies that they report. To me CNN has been taken over by a lot of women reporters there’s very few that I like. It’s unfortunate that so many things are taken out of contents and blown way out of proportion. And I am also a Woman !
CNN made Trump with free 24/7 coverage.
A day when both Don Lemon and Tucker Carlson are fired is a good day for journalism and the media.
Totally agree!! 😎😎😎
All the big stars at MSNBC looking at each other currently wondering who will be the one fired there. Seems to be a dark Monday for news networks.
Crossing my fingers they can Chuck Todd.
Chuck Todd would be my first choice to get the ax there. Followed by Andrea Mitchell-Greenspan. Anybody who is only one degree of separation from Ayn Rand should have never been employed by a national news network in the first place.
YASSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!
Couldn’t agree more!😊
Well said!
Yes
LOL
Well said. I wish we had anchors that didn’t wear their ideologies as a badge of honor.
Totally agree! Well said! Now if we could agree to fire Biden and Trump for some sensible candidates …
Correct. He was a very Rude, sarcastic,. Haughty, all about him human..
Thank you CNN
I guess we should call this Black Media Monday.
Perhaps Don and Tucker can star in a remake of “What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?” LOL!!! #Sarcasm #ajoke
Let’s start counting down to the 100% Guaranteed HUE & CRY from Dawn Leh-Mahn of……
RAAAAAACCCCIIIIIISSSSSSSMMMMMMM !
And if that doesn’t happen, will you admit you were wrong?
Nice comeback Billy :)
Sad I thought DO Lemon spoke the truth CNN has been going down hill I have switched to MSNBC the new Ceo needs to change his ways
Wow no one is safe today
That Variety article summarizing his bad behavior did him no favors. He’ll probably join Cuomo at NewsNation now.
The Trump quicksand strikes again! Another one bites the dust…
How does Trump have anything to do with Don’s firing?
Do I see a point counter point in the future for Lemon and Carlson?
Or will they just both drift off into retirement?
This is actual good news.
Oh Don, this is not a surprise… look at your behavior.
Do it now when FOX news’ termination will override the CNN news. Wow. He was much better with his night show, but with new management who wants to be neutral. Yeah, this was coming.
Cnn is really a lousy company . They fired Robin Mead and now this.
I heard she was re-assigned
He’s been trying to get fired since he got demoted to daytime.
That was a stupid mistake! He was great.
I really am Shocked by CNN to fire of Don Lemon! Very disappointed with CNN!
His show was very very good informative & exceptionally professional!
Much better than Most on today.
After 17 years of great informative contents and reliable reporting makes NO understanding of CNN firing of Don Lemon!
Please look up the clip of him trying to dunk on that politician lady and then insulting women over 40 in the process with zero regret. That is not professional, and that is only one example.
Apparently Don was “past his prime”
This is great news!!! DL has always been an irritation at best!!! Maybe he can team up with Trevor Noah. That would be a perfect match!!!
LOL… good riddance…purveryor of fine lies
Tucker Carlson?
It is so sad to let someone go on any job after 17 yrs. What has happened to common decency. Years ago job had office equette to call you in their office. This station has changed a lot, granted I like change but this is terrible. I wish Don Lemon the best. When one door closes it’s an opportunity for a new door to open. CNN should be ashamed of themselves, but on the other hand I believe it’s a money thing.
I hope CNN suffers big time from this firing of Don Lemon. I will be watching CNN A LOT LESS
Tucker and Don can now do a SNL skit..”Point/Counterpoint”.
Instead of Dan Akroyd and Jane Cutain, it’ll be Tucker and Don.
“Don…Shut up you ignorant slut”
Ironically, Tucker was actually part of the long-running CNN show “Crossfire” which was similar to the original Point Counterpoint and cohosted with Bill Press.
The SNL skit was based on the original Point Counterpoint which aired on 60 Minutes with Nicholas Von Hoffman (later James J. Kilpatrick) and Shana Alexander.
Actually looking forward to something like this on SNL. I only watch their opening skit and new segments. Seems like this would be a good time to bring back that old news skit, it was so funny.
It’s not as if this was a surprise to anyone. don’t get cable and I’ve never seen his show, but even I knew he was about to be fired.
This isn’t shocking. CNN let the BEST anchor they ever had go Chris Cuomo. Their lineup and one sided reporting has gone downhill.