Howard Stern has said that the ousted CNN anchor Don Lemon and fired NBCUniversal CEO Jeff Shell were “lucky” to lose their jobs at the same time as Fox News’ Tucker Carlson.
The American TV personality argued on Tuesday (25 April), that Carlon’s exit attracted the most public attention, leaving Lemon and Shell subject to less heated criticism.
Lemon’s firing was announced on Monday after Fox parted ways with Carlson.
“Don Lemon got fired over at CNN and then some other guy at NBC, Jeff Shell, who’s an executive, got fired,” Stern said on Tuesday’s episode of his SiriusXM radio show.
“And I’m like, Jeff Shell’s so lucky, and so is Don Lemon, because Tucker Carlson getting fired on the same day you get fired – you barely make news, like no one will even notice,” Stern said.
Co-host Robin Quivers and Stern then theorised that CNN and NBC may have moved forward with their decisions after the news about Carlson was announced. The Independent has contacted CNN and NBC for comment.
“Now is the time to get rid of everybody, ‘cause no one’s going to really make a big deal about it,” said Stern.
On Sunday (23 April), it was announced that NBCUniversal CEO Jeff Shell will leave the company after an “inappropriate relationship” with a colleague.
“Today is my last day as CEO of NBCUniversal,” Shell said in a statement.
“I had an inappropriate relationship with a woman in the company, which I deeply regret. I’m truly sorry I let my Comcast and NBCUniversal colleagues down, they are the most talented people in the business and the opportunity to work with them the last 19 years has been a privilege.”
On Monday (24 April), Lemon tweeted a statement that he had been fired. He wrote that he was “stunned” to learn of his termination and thanked his colleagues at the network for an “incredible run”. Shortly after his tweet, Lemon’s face and name had been scrubbed from the list of anchors and hosts on CNN’s website.
While the reasoning isn’t yet clear in Lemon’s case; his exit from CNN was involuntary.
The ex-CNN host didn’t speculate on the exact reason for his firing, while only suggesting that there were “larger issues at play”.
But his suspension came in the aftermath of comments he made on-air about Nikki Haley, the former governor of South Carolina and current candidate for the 2024 GOP nomination. He described the ex-UN ambassador under Donald Trump as “past her prime”.
Earlier this month, Lemon was also accused of mistreating multiple female colleagues throughout his career at CNN, in a report published by Variety. His representatives have denied the allegations.
Also on Monday, it was announced that Carlson had “agreed to part ways” from Fox News network. Vanity Fair reported that the announcement came as a shock to Carlson, who was in the middle of contract negotiations to extend his tenure through 2029.
While the terms of his departure are vague, it appears likely that Carlson and his executive producer Justin Wells’ exits were a result of the network’s $787.5m settlement with Dominion Voting Systems, announced last week just as Fox’s defamation trial was set to begin.
