Longtime CNN anchor Don Lemon, who recently drew rebukes for remarks about women and aging, said he was fired from the news network.
In a post on Twitter Monday, Lemon said he was “stunned” and was never given any indication he wouldn’t be able to continue working at the network, which is owned by Warner Bros. Discovery Inc. Lemon said his agent informed him about the termination this morning.
CNN Chief Executive Officer Chris Licht confirmed Lemon’s exit and added that the two “have parted ways,” according to a statement posted by network. The company said it offered Lemon a meeting with management before he announced his departure.
Lemon became a household name during the Trump administration, in part for his outspoken commentary about the former president. In one headline-making segment, Lemon called Donald Trump “a racist.”
Under Licht’s leadership, Lemon was made co-host of a new show, CNN This Morning. But Lemon quickly ran into controversy after he said former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, who is 51, was not “in her prime.”
He was briefly pulled off the air for the remarks about Haley, who is running for president.
As CEO, Licht has tried to make CNN less divisive than it was during his predecessor’s tenure. Speaking at an event hosted by the news website Semafor earlier this month, Licht described Lemon as “a lightning rod.”
“He really came to prominence during an era where that was celebrated and encouraged in prime time,” Licht said at the event. “CNN has moved on from that and Don has moved on from that.”
His departure follows the publication this month of story by Variety that alleges he displayed unprofessional behavior and mistreated some female colleagues. At the time, CNN told Variety that Lemon had said the incidents never occurred.
Lemon, 57, worked at the network for 17 years. His exit marked Monday’s second high-profile departure from the airwaves of a US news outlet. Fox News said that Tucker Carlson, its most-watched anchor, is leaving without giving a reason.
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