Is Don Lemon leaving CNN?
DON Lemon is a veteran reporter and has been a CNN anchor and correspondent for 16 years.
On April 24, 2023, the 57-year-old television journalist was allegedly "terminated" by CNN.
Who is Don Lemon?
Don Lemon had been a successful anchorman on CNN since 2006 before announcing in April 2023 that he was terminated from the company. Before his time with CNN, he worked for numerous news outlets and has written several bestselling books.
Over the course of his career, Lemon has covered the death of Osama Bin Laden, the Colorado Theatre and Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings, the Boston Marathon bombing, the George Zimmerman trial, and countless other breaking news stories.
He also anchored CNN's coverage of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan and reported for the media outlet's documentary Race and Rage: The Beating of Rodney King.
His bestselling book, Transparent, delved into his past, revealing that he had been sexually assaulted by his mom's friend's son. He also used the book to share that he is gay - stating in an interview that May 16, 2011, (the day the book came out) marked the first day of his life.
When did Don Lemon join CNN This Morning?
Lemon's final primetime show premiered on Friday night, October 7, 2022.
Since then, the journalist has joined the morning news alongside Kaitlan Collins and Poppy Harlow.
CNN This Morning debuted on November 1, 2022.
Lemon endorsed his move early on in a statement in September 2022, saying: “The last eight years have been an incredible ride. I’ve had the opportunity to work with one of the best show teams in the business, but it’s time to shake things up."
He continued: “I was honestly floored when Chris Licht asked me to do this and I’m honored by his belief in me.
"It’s going to be a thrill to take on this challenge with Poppy and Kaitlan. I’ll get to work with two of my dearest friends. Set your alarms folks, because we’re going to have a lot of fun.”
He stated in his concluding remarks: "I was not always perfect, because no one is perfect.
"There are immense pressures that come with this job and in particular this time slot at 10:00 o’clock when people are going to bed. So sometimes all I could do – I am going to be honest with you – was just smile and just get to the commercial break sometimes."
He continued: "Sometimes, it was exhausting. Because some of the things that we discuss here are so personal and so consuming, all-consuming. So, I hope I made you proud. And I thank you for tuning in all these years. And I hope that you are going to join me in the morning.
"So I will simply say good night, and I will see you soon."
He concluded: "All right, so I’m going to leave, and I am going to go upstairs. Bye."
In February 2023, Lemon sparked outrage - in a segment regarding Nikki Haley - after claiming women are only in their prime "in their 20s, 30s, and maybe 40s."
Is Don Lemon leaving CNN?
Don Lemon has been with CNN since 2006 and began to anchor primetime news in 2014.
He was formerly the anchor of his self-named show, CNN Tonight with Don Lemon during weekday primetime and still serves as a correspondent across CNN/US programming.
Since 2014, Lemon has also co-hosted CNN's New Year's Eve special from New Orleans with Brooke Baldwin.
Over the course of his career, he has won multiple awards for his journalistic coverage. In 2002, Lemon won the Edward R. Murrow Award for his coverage of the capture of the D.C. area sniper, and other awards for reports on Hurricane Katrina.
On April 24, 2023, Lemon took to Twitter to announce that he had been "terminated" by the network.
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"I am stunned," Lemon . "After 17 years at CNN I would have thought someone in management would have had the decency to tell me directly."
He added: "With that said, I want to thank my colleagues and the many teams I have worked with for an incredible run."