CNN has fired anchor Don Lemon after he made sexist comments on air and mistreated female colleagues during his 17 years at the network. Lemon, who hosted “CNN This Morning,” said he was “stunned” by the news and claimed that he was not given any indication that he would be terminated. However, CNN later disputed Lemon’s account of his departure and said he was “offered an opportunity to meet with management but instead released a statement on Twitter.” CNN CEO Chris Licht said that Lemon and CNN “parted ways,” but the morning show he hosted will continue to run.
Tucker Carlson Leaves Fox News
An hour before Lemon’s termination was announced, Fox News said that right-wing prime-time host Tucker Carlson is leaving the cable network immediately. The reason for Carlson’s departure is unclear.
NBCUniversal CEO Resigns
On Sunday, NBCUniversal said CEO Jeff Shell has left his role due to an “inappropriate relationship with a woman in the company.” Shell’s departure comes after a lengthy Variety story this month that alleged Don Lemon had a history of threatening and making offensive remarks to female staffers at CNN.
Lemon’s Controversies
Lemon faced backlash in February for his remarks about Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley, where he stated, “Nikki Haley isn’t in her prime, sorry. A woman is considered to be in their prime in 20s and 30s and maybe 40s.” Lemon apologized for his remarks about Haley. CNN CEO Chris Licht said in late February that Lemon would undergo formal training because of the sexist comments. The Variety story alleged that Lemon got angry when he was passed over for a reporting assignment in favor of former CNN correspondent Kyra Phillips in 2008. Lemon had been anchoring CNN’s “Live From” program at the time. Phillips later received two threatening texts from an unknown sender, and CNN leadership eventually traced them back to Lemon.
These high-profile dismissals come after a series of scandals and allegations of sexual misconduct in the media industry, prompting networks to take swift action in addressing such matters.
Leave a Reply