Don Lemon, a CNN anchor, has criticized the network following his dismissal, which followed allegations of misogyny and inappropriate behavior.
“I am stunned,” Lemon wrote on Twitter after his agent informed him he had been fired.
CNN stated that it “severed ties” with Lemon, co-host of its morning program, and wished him well.
It follows Lemon’s on-air comments that Republican Nikki Haley, 51, was not “in her prime.”
The dismissal also follows another significant US media departure. Fox News terminated its relationship with primetime presenter Tucker Carlson mere moments before Lemon’s announcement.
Lemon, a longtime member of the network, was most recently a co-host on CNN’s This Morning.
Earlier this year, however, he landed in heated water due to remarks he made about Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley, a former UN ambassador, and South Carolina governor.
Mr. Lemon’s sexist remark that Ms. Haley was not “in her prime” in February was widely condemned.
“A woman is considered to be in her prime in her twenties, thirties, and possibly forties,” he said.
In response to objections raised by his female co-hosts Poppy Harlow and Kaitlan Collins, he stated,
“I’m just stating the facts; Google it.”
Lemon released a statement the same day expressing contrition for his “inartful and irrelevant” remarks. In addition to apologizing to the newsroom, he consented to undergo “mandatory training” to address the incident.
However, the remarks sparked widespread criticism, including from 60-year-old actress Michelle Yeoh, who appeared to reference them in her Oscar acceptance speech last month:
“Ladies, don’t let anyone tell you that you’re past your prime.”
Ms. Haley appeared to address her dismissal in a tweet on Monday, labeling it a “great day for women everywhere” and adding the hashtag “#StillInMyPrime.”
Earlier in April, Variety published a report detailing allegations of misogynistic behavior toward Lemon’s CNN coworkers. This report further damaged Lemon’s reputation.
According to Variety, he called a producer fat to her face, ridiculed and imitated one colleague, and allegedly sent threatening texts to another. A Lemon representative denied the reports.
Last fall, Lemon also sparked controversy by suggesting that the US men’s soccer team should be paid more than the women’s team because the males are “more interesting to watch.”
The 57-year-old had appeared on CNN’s Monday morning program as usual prior to the release of reports of his dismissal later that day.
“After 17 years at CNN, I thought someone in management would have had the decency to tell me directly,” Lemon wrote on Twitter.
No indication was ever given that I would be unable to continue doing the work I have enjoyed at the network.
He continued,
“It is clear that there are larger issues at play.”
The network did not specify the cause of his termination. In a second statement released on Monday afternoon, the company labeled Lemon’s account of events “inaccurate” and stated that he had been given the chance to meet with management.
Lemon has hired entertainment attorney Bryan Freedman to address his contract with CNN, which was signed to last until 2026, according to sources familiar with the transaction cited by the New York Times.
The network announced that CNN This Morning will resume with Lemon’s former co-hosts, Ms. Harlow and Ms. Collins.
Lemon joined CNN in 2006 after working for a Chicago-based NBC affiliate. He has hosted the primetime program Don Lemon Tonight for over eight years. In November 2012, he departed the position to help launch CNN This Morning alongside Ms. Harlow and Ms. Collins.
The New York Times reported that after Lemon’s remarks about Ms. Haley, CNN producers discovered that guests did not want to appear on the show with Lemon.
In recent months, the show’s ratings have labored, falling behind Fox & Friends and Morning Joe.
Former President Donald Trump referred to Lemon as the “dumbest man on television” in a Monday post on his social networking site Truth Social.
He did not comment on the dismissal of Tucker Carlson.
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