Don Lemon fired by CNN after 17 years with the news network
By Tomi Kilgore
'I am stunned,' Don Lemon tweets
CNN said Monday that it has parted ways with host Don Lemon.
"Don will forever be a part of the CNN family, and we thank him for his contributions over the past 17 years," said CNN Chief Executive Officer Chris Light said in a statement.
The termination apparently came as a surprise to Lemon. "I am stunned," Lemon said in a tweet Monday. "At no time was I ever given any indication that I would not be able to continue to do the work I have loved at the network. It is clear that there are some larger issues at play."
He said he was also surprised by the way he was notified of the termination, tweeting that he was informed about it Monday morning by his agent. "After 17 years at CNN, I would have thought that someone in management would have had the decency to tell me directly," Lemon tweeted.
CNN responded to Lemon's tweet with a tweet of its own, saying Lemon's comments were "inaccurate."
"He was offered an opportunity to meet with management but instead released a statement on Twitter," the CNN communications department tweeted.
Lemon, who joined CNN in September 2006, was the co-host, along with Poppy Harlow and Kaitlan Collins, of "CNN This Morning," which has been on the air for six months. Before "CNN This Morning," Lemon hosted the prime-time program "Don Lemon Tonight" for more than eight years.
In February, Lemon publicly apologized for comments he'd made about Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley, which he acknowledged were "completely misguided."
From the archives (February 2023):Don Lemon to return to CNN after controversial remarks about Nikki Haley.
Shares of Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD), which owns CNN, fell 1.6% to $13.36 on Monday, the lowest close since Jan. 20. The stock has run up 40.9% to date in 2023, while the S&P 500 has gained 7.8%.
The announcement about Lemon comes on the same day that Fox Corp.'s (FOXA) Fox News said it had parted ways with Tucker Carlson, sending Fox's stock down 3.1%. Fox and News Corp (NWSA), the parent of MarketWatch publisher Dow Jones, share ownership.
-Tomi Kilgore
This content was created by MarketWatch, which is operated by Dow Jones & Co. MarketWatch is published independently from Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal.
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
04-25-23 0826ET
Copyright (c) 2023 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.-
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