This week caused a massive stir for many news agencies, and specifically on April 24th, it was a crazy day for both CNN. According to Deadline, anchor Don Lemon (Empire, Black-ish) was fired from CNN.
Don Lemon was well known to millions at CNN since he joined the network in 2006. He hosted his own newscast Don Lemon Tonight for eight years. Before that he was a local news anchor for NBC Chicago. According to Deadline, he cited there was no indication that CNN would terminate his contract and drop him. On Monday morning, he found out from his agent about the decision shortly after he co-hosted the early morning program CNN This Morning (M-F 6-9 a.m. ET) with Poppy Harlow (CNN Newsroom, Anderson Cooper 360°) and Kaitlan Collins (Chaos Corner, CNN This Morning).
Lemon made a tweet that read, “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 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 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.”
On the other side of this decision, CNN made a statement saying Lemon’s statement did not reflect the whole truth of the matter. According to them, he was allegedly offered an opportunity to meet with management to further discuss the circumstances, but instead decided to release a public Twitter statement instead. Chris Licht, CNN’s President elaborated further by saying, “CNN and Don Lemon 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,” via Forbes.
He goes on noting how Lemon is a “lightning rod, because he really came to prominence during an era where that was celebrated and encouraged in primetime. …That is not CNN’s primetime. The world has moved on from that. Don has moved on from that. Don was the first one to go, ‘I am tired of having to set my hair on fire every night. I want to try something new,’” via Deadline.
CNN’s Chief National Correspondent and news anchor, John King (House of Cards, Dreams of Daara), revealed Lemon’s departure on-air on his Inside Politics show. He, “Want to share with you some important news right here at our own network…CNN’s Oliver Darcy is back with us – Oliver, what do you know?” Darcy first stated: “Uh, some shocking news again, John, in the world of cable news: Don Lemon and CNN have parted ways. This is according to a memo that was sent out to CNN employees just moments ago,” via Deadline.
Before his departure, Lemon moved from the primetime spot to early morning six months ago. This was the result of CNN’s new programming strategy to reprioritize news. They have taken steps to become a politically neutral network who try to feature guests from both the “Left” and the “Right”. This has not worked as well as expected though as Lemon had gotten heat for saying the wrong thing last February.
At that time, Republican Presidential candidate Nikki Haley appeared on CNN This Morning. Soon after she got off, Lemon, Harlow, and Collins were discussing Haley’s idea of a mandatory mental capacity test for politicians 75 and up. Lemon remarked on-air that she, “isn’t in her prime.” He further added that, “A woman is considered to be in her prime in her 20s and 30s and maybe 40s.” The two co-hosts were shocked and after confronting him, he responded by saying, “I’m just saying what the facts are Google it.” At a staff meeting, Licht reportedly allegedly chastised Lemon. He then had to go through a course to show him how to conduct himself on air, even if it means respecting people he does not like, via Forbes. Lemon also clashed with GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy in a heated debate.
CNN This Morning averaged 359,000 viewers in its time slot for its first quarter, with an additional 78,000 viewing on an HLN simulcast. That is a distant third to its cable news competitors including Fox & Friends and Morning Joe.
According to Forbes, Lemon has $20 million left on his CNN contract which ran through 2026 and is expected to be honored and paid.
Similarly, well-known anchor Tucker Carlson (Swing Vote, The King of Queens) was fired from Fox News.
Former CBS News president Andrew Heyward made his statement about the two cases, “If Carlson’s departure presents both a political and a programming challenge for Fox, the departure of Lemon is largely a programming challenge for CNN, which is trying to build a new morning program and fill a critical primetime slot at 9 pm. But both moves serve as a reminder that there’s a good reason it’s called the news BUSINESS. In each case, a major star’s bosses decided their business would be better off without him,” via Forbes.
From that same article, Chief Executive Officer of PEN America, Suzanne Nossel (Dare to Speak: Defending Free Speech for All, Foreign Affairs) in an email also wrote her thoughts, “I think it’s important not to draw false equivalency between these latest cases. Don Lemon, insofar as it has been reported, was fired after a handful of comments made on air, some of which came off as offensive or ill-informed. In Tucker Carlson’s case, there was a damning stream of revelations that pointed to deliberate, ongoing efforts to defame and deceive voters. So, each case needs to be looked at on its merits. As a free expression organization, we are leery of isolated comments being the basis for a journalist to be abruptly removed from their job. Absent evidence of a pattern of bias or bigotry, journalists need to be able to make mistakes and have the opportunity to rehabilitate themselves.”
She continued on saying, “Otherwise, we will wind up with media that is perpetually erring on the side of caution, avoiding hard questions and sensitive topics that need to be aired. By contrast, there is reason to hope that the outcome of the Dominion case may instill a greater sense of responsibility in media outlets that have built an audience by playing fast and loose with the facts, knowing that the malicious spread of falsehoods may be held to account.”
More will be known as the dust settles, but as of now the absence of both Lemon and Carlson will mark a new phase for both Fox and CNN.