Don Lemon.Photo: CNN
Lemon, one of broadcasting’s first openly gay Black anchors, announced his departure in a tweet on April 24, expressing frustration that he allegedly learned of his termination through his agent, and not the network itself.
A network source previously told PEOPLE that Lemon, 56, was frustrated after being bumped from primetime, when he left his eight-year stint atDon Lemon Tonightto join CNN’s morning show as a co-anchor alongsideKaitlan CollinsandPoppy Harlow.
Below, a roundup of the longtime journalist’s headline-making controversies — and which ones are rumored to have led to his swift departure.
In a 2019 lawsuit, bartender Dustin Hice accused Lemon of assault. After the lawsuit progressed into a trial, the allegations were withdrawn and the case was dismissed.
Hice’s suit centered around an alleged July 2018 incident, in which Lemon was accused of physically and verbally attacking him during a night out in the Hamptons. From the start, Lemonemphatically denied the allegations.
In December 2021, alegal decisionfound that Hice offered contradictory testimony during an earlier deposition about the case, and that he engaged in “egregious conduct” after filing his suit. That included selectively destroying text messages, deleting social media posts (including his entire Twitter account, just one week after his suit was filed), and concealing unfavorable witnesses.
In a statement to PEOPLE via his attorney at the time, Hice said: “After a lot of inner reflection and a deep dive into my memory, I have come to realize that my recollection of the events that occurred on the night in question when I first met CNN anchor Don Lemon were not what I thought they were when I filed this lawsuit. As a result, I am dropping the case.”
Lemon’s attorney, Caroline Polisi, released a statement after the case was dropped calling it a “malicious and vulgar attack” on Lemon’s character. The dismissal of the case, Polisi added, “fully vindicates Mr. Lemon and brings an end to this abusive lawsuit.”
December 2022: Lemon Is Criticized for Saying Women’s Soccer Is Less Interesting than Men’s Soccer
In December 2022, Lemon drew criticism from his female co-hosts — Collins and Harlow — during a segment on women’s soccer, in which he said on-air that men’s soccer is “more interesting to watch.”
“The men’s team makes more money. If they make more money, then they should get more money,” Lemon said. “The men’s team makes more money because people are more interested in the men.”
Saying she had “a big issue” with his remarks, Harlow then tried to explain to Lemon that the men’s teams make more money because they get more advertising dollars.
“Until big media companies, Big Tech companies, advertisers, invest and put them on their airwaves more and allow people to see it more and gain more fans,” Harlow said, per aDaily Beastreport, “then you will push towards more equality. But if they are blocked in so many ways and not invested in as much, they don’t even have a chance.”
February 2023: Lemon Allegedly ‘Screamed’ at Collins Off-Camera
In early February, reports began to surface that Lemon had argued with his co-host Collins during off-camera moments, during which he allegedly accused her of interrupting him on-air.
The New York Postcited two sources who claimed Lemon approached Collins after filming and “screamed” at her.
“Don screamed at Kaitlan, who was visibly upset and ran out of the studio,” one source told the outlet.
The source told thePostthat CNN CEO Chris Licht instructed a producer to talk to Lemon and advise him to take the following day off in order to “cool off.”
The blow-up was one of at least three from Lemon in recent months, a separate network source claimed in conversation with PEOPLE.
The source told PEOPLE that Lemon’s co-workers at the time were “acting like everything is good. No one wants to rock the boat — they all love the show and are willing to just move on.”
February 2023: Lemon Faces Backlash for Saying Nikki Haley Is ‘Past Her Prime’
During a Feb. 16 episode ofCNN This Morning, Lemon sparked controversy as he discussed politicians' ages in a segment with co-hosts Harlow, 40, and Collins, 30.
Lemon continued, “She says … politicians are not in their prime. Nikki Haley isn’t in her prime. Sorry. A woman is considered to be in their prime in 20s and 30s and maybe 40s.”
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The backlash was swift, with viewers calling Lemon’s remarks sexist and ageist.
Lemon did not appear on air during the next three broadcasts.
“We take this situation very seriously,” he added.
“I appreciate this opportunity to be back onCNN This Morningtoday,” he wrote. “To my network, my colleagues and our incredible audience —I’m sorry. I’ve heard you. I’m learning from you, and I’m committed to doing better.See you soon.”
April 2023: Another Controversial Interview
In April, Lemon got into a heated back and forth with Republican presidential candidateVivek Ramaswamy, himself a controversial figure who has echoed the views of many far-right Republicans.
Also during the interview, the anchor frustratedly removed his earpiece while producers were trying to speak to him, and his co-hostPoppy Harlowlooked down at her phone uncomfortably. At the end of their exchange, Harlow said they look forward to having Ramaswamy back on the show and Lemon reportedly snapped, “Can we move on now, please?”
Lemon continued: “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. It is clear that there are some larger issues at play.”
Lemon ended his statement with a thank you to his colleagues.
“With that said, I want to thank my colleagues and the many teams I have worked with for an incredible run,” he wrote. “They are the most talented journalists in the business, and I wish them all the best.”
CNN has sincerefuted Lemon’s account, saying in a statement that he was “offered an opportunity to meet with management but instead released a statement on Twitter.”
Ramaswamy himself told Fox News Digital he felt the exchange “played a role” in Lemon’s ouster.
In the time since Lemon’s ousting, CNN has not offered an official explanation of what triggered the firing.
source: people.com
