Elizabeth O.
Don Lemon Sacked from CNN following allegations that he mistreated female colleagues
Lemon announced the news on Twitter, saying he was informed by his agent that he was being terminated.
“I am stunned,” Lemon wrote. “After 17 years at CNN I would have thought someone in management would have had the decency to tell me directly.”
The news comes after Variety published a story earlier this month on allegations that he mistreated his female colleagues over the course of his career at CNN.
CNN CEO Chris Licht said that the network and Lemon have “parted ways,” according to a memo provided to NBC News Monday.
“Don will forever be a part of the CNN family, and we thank him for his contributions over the past 17 years,” the statement said. “We wish him well and will be cheering him on in his future endeavors.”
Lemon has been with CNN since 2006, joining the network after anchoring at NBC Chicago and working as a correspondent for NBC News, the “TODAY” show and “NBC Nightly News.”
Lemon first came under fire in February during a segment on “CNN This Morning” in which he remarked that Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley, 51, was no longer in her “prime.” The comment was made while discussing a suggestion by Haley that candidates over the age of 75 should be subjected to mental competency exams.
“Nikki Haley isn’t in her prime, sorry,” Lemon said. “When a woman is considered to be in her prime — in her 20s, 30s and maybe her 40s.”
When pushed by co-anchor Poppy Harlow, Lemon told her not to “shoot the messenger.”
Licht told employees that Lemon agreed to partake in training following public backlash to his comments. He also told Semafor earlier this month that both CNN and Lemon have “moved on” from the issue.
