Back in April, the world of cable news was thrown for a major loop, as Fox News parted ways with Tucker Carlson on the same day that CNN terminated anchor Don Lemon following a series of behavioral issues both on the air and behind the scenes. Now, it appears as if the latter’s ousting could be reversed in the aftermath of former CEO Chris Licht being removed from duties by Warner Bros Discovery head honcho David Zaslav.
CNN was front and center in a lot of big headlines in the past week, tied in part to a blistering profile in The Atlantic for which a large group of employees spoke candidly about many issues they’ve had with Licht ever since his tumultuous stint as CEO began in 2022. He was let go on Wednesday in one of the more amicable CEO firings in recent memory, but given that Licht’s working relationship with Don Lemon was known for being anything but amicable, TMZ reports that those close to Lemon are apparently harboring expectations for CNN execs to start reaching out anew.
Which isn’t to say that everyone at the news network was just waiting for Licht to be fired in order to bring Lemon back into the fold, but it’s noted that their disputes and contentious relationship were recognized and documented by colleagues. Licht reportedly took issue with comments that Lemon would make on the air, and was also critical of the anchor’s outfit choices when hosting CNN This Morning opposite Kaitlan Collins and Poppy Harlow. (Interestingly enough, Lemon’s outfits were also dinged by Stephen Colbert on The Late Late Show, which Licht was the boss of before making the jump to CNN.)
Which isn’t to say that Chris Licht’s opinions and views on Don Lemon were the only reason the latter was booted from the network in the first place. Lemon took a lot of heat for his age-related comments about Nikki Haley in February, which gave way to quite a few other negative-skewing anecdotes coming out regarding his behavior behind the scenes. That said, it’s unclear just how many of the channel’s execs were looking for Lemon to get terminated, and how many might have fought for him to stick around if not for Licht.
That said, CNN’s Executive VP for Talent and Content Development Amy Entelis was announced as an interim leader following Chris Licht’s exit, and her relationship with Lemon was apparently on the opposite end of the friendliness spectrum. She and Lemon have been close and friendly for going on 15 years, so if anyone would be gauging whether or not the Louisiana native would be good to bring back into the fold, it’d probably be Entelis.
Of course, given that Licht was trying so hard to save face in the aftermath of the news profile, one can generally infer that his firing was more of a gametime decision rather than something that had been in the cards for ages. And so there are likely lots of wheels still turning behind the metaphorical curtain that might make it difficult for anyone to make the call for Lemon to return in some form.
For what it’s worth, the former CNN This Morning host has kept his word about going into the rest of the spring and summer with an off-work mindset. In recent weeks, his Instagram page has been filled with posts of him and partner Tim Malone smiling while on the beach, in Madison Square Garden, and elsewhere. Here's his latest post celebrating Pride Month.
So while it might be difficult for him to bring a halt to the vacationing, he supposedly won’t be too shocked if CNN comes crawling…er…calling.
