‘I am stunned’: Don Lemon says he’s been terminated by CNN after 17 years
Don Lemon says he's been fired by CNN after 17 years with the broadcaster.
After 17 years at CNN I would have thought that someone in management would have had the decency to tell me directly," Lemon wrote in a post on Twitter Monday afternoon.
Lemon's post says he was told of his firing by his agent Monday morning.
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," Lemon wrote.
A tweet by CNN's communications Twitter account refutes Lemon's claims. Don Lemon's statement about this morning's events is inaccurate. He was offered an opportunity to meet with management but instead released a statement on Twitter."
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," read a statement tweeted from CNN's communications account an hour earlier.
CNN posted a short piece on Lemon's departure, with the headline Don Lemon leaves CNN."
Lemon received formal training" after public backlash over his on-air comments about Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley.
Lemon was taken off the air after he said 51-year-old Haley was not in her prime" during a broadcast of CNN This Morning." Lemon and fellow hosts Poppy Harlow and Kaitlan Collins had been discussing Haley's suggestion that politicians over 75 should be subject to mandatory mental competency tests.
Harlow challenged Lemon, trying to clarify what he was referencing: I think we need to qualify. Are you talking about prime for childbearing or are you talking about prime for being president?"
Don't shoot the messenger, I'm just saying what the facts are," Lemon responded.
Nikki Haley isn't in her prime, sorry," Lemon said, explaining why he was uncomfortable" with the age discussion. When a woman is considered to be in her prime - in her 20s, 30s and maybe her 40s."
He was subsequently absent from the show for three days, returning the following week with a tweeted apology but no mention of the episode on air.
Lemon issued a statement later saying he regretted his inartful and irrelevant" comments. Haley herself called the comments sexist.
In a memo to employees on Feb. 20, as reported by CNN Business, the network's CEO Chris Licht did not specify what Lemon's training entailed, but said it was important to him that the network balances accountability with ... fostering a culture in which people can own, learn and grow from their mistakes."
This is a developing story.
With files from The Associated Press.
Ivy Mak is a team editor on the Star's breaking news desk, based in Toronto. Reach her via email: ivymak@thestar.ca