After years of being a prominent anchor at CNN, Don Lemon has been fired from the network (ABC News, 1 day ago). The move has reportedly left him “stunned” (The New York Times, 1 day ago). It remains unclear why Lemon was let go, but he has hired the same lawyer as Tucker Carlson, who was also recently fired from his job at Fox News (Business Insider, 17 hours ago; TODAY, 13 hours ago). Both departures have thrown the cable news industry into chaos (Axios, 1 day ago).
However, Lemon’s firing may not come as a surprise to everyone. In recent weeks, there have been reports of his unprofessional and sexist behavior towards female coworkers (Variety, 3 weeks ago; New York Post, Feb 2, 2023). Lemon has apologized for some of his past behavior, including making sexist remarks about Nikki Haley on air (NPR, Feb 17, 2023).
Despite these controversies, CNN has stated that Lemon will undergo formal training and return to the network (CNN, Feb 21, 2023). It remains to be seen where Don Lemon’s career in journalism will take him next.
