Don Lemon took to social media early Monday money to reveal that he was terminated from his anchor role at CNN.
Lemon, one of CNN’s most recognized on-air personalities, says his agent informed him of the termination—not network executives.
“I was informed this morning by my agent that I have been terminated by CNN. I am stunned,” Lemon tweeted.
“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 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.”
The news of Lemon’s termination comes weeks after he was accused of making offensive comments about women on air in the past. Lemon also faced backlash earlier this year when he claimed on air that 51-year-old Nikki Haley isn’t a viable presidential candidate because she “isn’t in her prime.”
Lemon apologized shortly after.
The network’s CEO Chris Licht confirmed the network and Lemon have “parted ways.” In the memo shared to CNN’s official communications Twitter account, Licht added, “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.”
Lemon joined CNN in 2006.
Lemon’s exit comes the same day Fox News announced they had “parted ways” with controversial Tucker Carlson and that Carlson’s last show was Friday. Fox will now air a new program called “Fox News Tonight” at 8 p.m. starting Monday evening as an interim show. “We thank him for his service to the network as a host and prior to that as a contributor,” the network said in a statement.
Last week, Fox settled an enormous defamation lawsuit with Dominion Voting Systems for more than $787 million. Dominion sued over the network’s part in spreading false claims that election fraud led to then-President Donald Trump losing the 2020 election.
