Don Lemon Fired at CNN After 17 Years: 'I Am Stunned' — Read Full Statement
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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.
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“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.
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