by Shortly after Don Lemon announced he was fired from CNN after 17 years on the network, CNN rejected the anchor’s claims about his termination.
On Monday, Mr. Lemon shared an emotional note on social media, declaring the firing has left him “stunned.”
In response, CNN’s press team tweeted, “Don Lemon’s statement about this morning’s events is inaccurate. He was offered the opportunity to meet with management, but he released a statement on Twitter instead.”
In an earlier statement on Monday, the network announced the two sides had “parted ways” in a brief, three-line statement. “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 encourage him in his future endeavors.
Though neither statement has offered an explanation for the sudden departure, it comes after Mr Lemon has been mired in a string of controversies over the past few months, with allegations that he made offensive comments on air about women and abused female colleagues off camera.
In Mr. Lemon’s Twitter statement, he criticized the network for not telling him in person and instead leaving it up to his agent to deliver the news.
“This morning I was informed by my agent that I have been fired from CNN. I am amazed,” she said. “After 17 years at CNN I would have thought someone in management would have the decency to tell me directly. At no point was I ever given any indication that I wouldn’t be able to continue doing the work I loved on the net. It’s clear there are some bigger issues at play.”
Mr. Lemon then paid tribute to his CNN colleagues whom he described as the “most talented reporters in the industry.”
“Having said that, I want to thank my colleagues and the many teams I’ve worked with for an incredible ride. They are the most talented reporters in the business and I wish them all the best,” she said.
The shocking announcement comes hours after he co-hosted ‘CNN This Morning’ with Poppy Harlow and Kaitlan Collins as usual on Monday morning.
However, her ouster comes at a time when the longtime anchor has been dealing with a number of recent scandals in recent months.
Earlier this year, Mr. Lemon came under fire for comments he made on the air about presidential candidate Nikki Haley not being “at her peak” at age 51.
“Nikki Haley isn’t in her prime, sorry,” she said on an episode of “CNN This Morning” in February.
“When a woman is considered to be in her prime – in her 20s, 30s and maybe 40s.”
Mr. Lemon suffered instant backlash over the comments and was missing from the morning show for a few days.
Before returning to the air, CNN announced that he would undergo “formal training” and posted an apology on Twitter.
“Appreciate the opportunity to get back on CNN this morning today,” he tweeted. “To my network, my colleagues and our incredible audience, I’m sorry. I have listened to you, I am learning from you and I am committed to doing better. Until we meet again.”
Then, earlier this month, Mr. Lemon was accused of mistreating several female colleagues during his career at CNN.
Multiple current or former employees said Variety on instances where the popular host had been inappropriate towards his co-hosts including Nancy Grace, Soledad O’Brien and Kyra Phillips, his former co-anchor of CNN’s “Live From.”
Lemon’s rep responded to the report describing it as “15-year-old anonymous gossip,” while CNN said it was “unable to corroborate the alleged reports.”
Mr. Lemon joined CNN in 2006, most recently serving as co-anchor of ‘CNN This Morning’ with Poppy Harlow and Kaitlan Collins on weekday mornings.
He also hosted “Don Lemon Tonight” weekdays at 10pm. Prior to CNN, he served as an anchor at NBC Chicago and as a correspondent for NBC News, the “TODAY” show and “NBC Nightly News.”
Her exit came on the same day that Fox News made a shocking announcement Monday that she had “agreed to part ways” with Tucker Carlson.
“Mr. Carlson’s last program was on Friday April 21st. Fox News Tonight will air live at 8 p.m. beginning tonight as an interim show led by rotating Fox News personalities until a new anchor is named,” the network said.
Fox News also offered no explanation for the sudden exit of one of its biggest hosts, though it came just days after the network agreed to pay Dominion Voting Systems $787 million over election lies that the broadcasting company software said they were pushed into the shows by Carlson and other personalities.
