Lemon was criticized this year for saying that presidential candidate Nikki Haley is not “in her prime.”
Cable television news network CNN has fired longtime host Don Lemon, the news anchor says in a post on Twitter, adding that he was “baffled” by the move and that he was not immediately informed of the network’s termination.
“I was informed this morning by my agent that I have been fired by CNN. I’m stunned,” Lemon said Monday.
“After 17 years at CNN, I would have thought someone in management would have had the decency to tell me directly. I was never given any indication that I would not be able to continue the work I loved at the network,” he wrote.
In a statement of its own, CNN said the network and Lemon had parted ways. It added that Lemon was given a chance to meet with the network’s management, but instead issued a statement on his personal Twitter account. The network described Lemon’s version of events as “inaccurate”.
“Don will forever be part of the CNN family and we thank him for his contributions over the past 17 years,” CNN chief executive Chris Licht said in a memo to staff. “We wish him well and will encourage him in his future endeavours.”
Neither statement gave a reason for Lemon’s departure.
Lemon joined CNN in 2006. He hosted the primetime show “Don Lemon Tonight” for more than eight years and rose to prominence during Donald Trump’s presidency for his comments on the former Republican president, whom he called a “racist.”
— Don Lemon (@donlemon) April 24, 2023
‘A great day for women everywhere’
He sparked another controversy during a discussion in February on CNN This Morning with co-hosts Poppy Harlow and Kaitlan Collins about the age of politicians. He said 51-year-old presidential candidate and former US ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley was not “in her prime”. A woman, he said, was considered to be in her prime “in her 20s, 30s and maybe her 40s”.
Harlow challenged Lemon, trying to clarify what he was referring to: “I think we should qualify. Are you talking prime about having kids, or are you talking prime about being president?
“Do not shoot the messenger; I’m just stating the facts,’ Lemon replied.
Lemon released a statement the same day saying he regretted his “clumsy and irrelevant” comments. He was subsequently absent from the show for three days and returned the following week with a tweeted apology, but with no mention of the episode airing.
Haley, who had criticized Lemon’s statements as sexist and used the February incident to raise money, took to Twitter on Monday to call Lemon’s ouster “a great day for women everywhere.”
Lemon also had a tense on-air interview last week with another Republican presidential candidate, Vivek Ramaswamy, in which Lemon, who is black, challenged Ramaswamy’s interpretation of racial history.
Licht said the show will continue and CNN was “committed to its success”. The show has been on the air for almost six months.
Trump welcomed Lemon’s departure from CNN. On his Truth Social platform, the former president said, “My only question is, WHY TOOK SO LONG?”