Don Lemon attends the 16th annual CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute at the American Museum of Natural History on Dec. 11, 2022, in New York City.
Mike Coppola/Getty Images for CNN
Mike Coppola/Getty Images for CNN
News anchor Don Lemon is out at CNN, he and the cable network announced Monday.
“Don will forever be a part of the CNN family, and we thank him for his contributions over the past 17 years,” the news outlet said in a tweet. “We wish him well and will be cheering him on in his future endeavors.”
In a statement posted to his Twitter account, Lemon said his agent told him Monday morning that he had been terminated by CNN.
“I am stunned. After 17 years at CNN, I would have thought that someone in management would have had the decency to tell me directly,” Lemon said.
— Don Lemon (@donlemon) April 24, 2023
“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.”
Lemon had recently returned to the air after taking time off following sexist and ageist remarks he made on TV about Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley.
The news of Lemon’s departure came shortly after an announcement by Fox News that it had parted ways with popular and controversial host Tucker Carlson.