CNN sacked its longtime host Don Lemon with the announcement coming on Monday without explanation.
The Chief Executive Officer, CNN, Chris Licht, in a memo to staff, said, “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 endeavours.”
Lemon anchored “CNN This Morning” with Poppy Harlow and Kaitlan Collins. The show has been on the air for nearly six months.
“We are committed to its success,” Licht said of the morning show.
In a statement of his own, Lemon said his agent told him Monday morning that CNN had terminated his appointment.
“I am stunned,” Lemon said, arguing that management did not have “the decency” to inform him of his firing 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,” Lemon added
CNN rebutted Lemon, calling his version of events “inaccurate.”
“He was offered an opportunity to meet with management but instead released a statement on Twitter,” the network said in a statement.
Lemon joined CNN in September 2006. Prior to “CNN This Morning,” Lemon hosted the prime-time show “Don Lemon Tonight” for more than eight years.
He rose to fame during the presidency of Donald Trump for his no-holds-barred commentary about the former president, pushing back against his lies and calling him a “racist.”
In a similar development, Fox News parted ways with Tucker Carlson on Monday after a week the company reached a $787m settlement with the election technology firm Dominion Voting Systems.
