Former CNN This Morning anchor Don Lemon received a brisk send-off from his co-anchors Poppy Harlow and Kaitlan Collins during their broadcast on Tuesday morning.
At the top of the show, Harlow and Collins spent less than a minute reminiscing on Lemon and wishing him well before getting into the news of the day.
“As you may have heard yesterday, CNN parted ways with anchor Don Lemon. In a statement, CNN CEO Chris Licht thanked Don for his contributions over the past 17 years, writing in part, ‘Don will forever be a part of the CNN family. We wish him well and will be cheering him on in his future endeavors,’” Harlow said.
On Monday, Lemon was ousted from CNN unexpectedly.
Collins agreed with Mr Licht’s statement, adding in a personal anecdote about Lemon, “He was one of the first anchors on CNN to have me on his show. That’s something I’ll obviously never forget.”
Harlow said she was also thankful for Lemon’s time at CNN as he was one of her “first friends” at the network.
She added, “Kaitlan and I are really proud of this show. We are so proud of the dedicated team that works around the clock to bring you the news every morning, and our priority is you, the viewer. We’re grateful you welcome us into your home each morning.”
From there, Collins got straight into the news of the day.
For the last six months, Lemon has been a co-anchor of CNN This Morning. Lemon spent 17 years at CNN as a correspondent and host.
Lemon took to Twitter, claiming the network informed him of his firing through his agent. CNN rebutted Lemon’s statement saying he was given the option to meet with management but declined.
CNN did not provide a reason for Lemon’s firing, though there is speculation he was ousted because of his declining public image, according to The New York Times.
Lemon found himself at the centre of controversy earlier this year when he made sexist comments about former South Carolina Governor and presidential candidate Nikki Haley for being “past her prime.”
