Broadcasting giant Cable Network News has fired its longtime host and news anchor Don Lemon.
Lemon, who has been with the company for 17 years, said he was “unceremoniously” fired from the company on Monday.
He expressed his shock in a statement shared via Twitter, noting that he had received “no notice” of his termination.
“I was informed this morning by my agent that I have been terminated by CNN. I am stunned. After 17 years at CNN I would have thought that someone in management would have had the decency to tell me directly. 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. With that said, I want to thank my colleagues and the many teams I have worked with for an incredible run. They are the most talented journalists in the business, and I wish them all the best,” he wrote.
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However, CNN dismissed Lemon’s claims in a tweet, explaining that “he was offered an opportunity to meet with management but instead issued a statement on Twitter.”
Prior to her departure, Lemon hosted “CNN This Morning” with Poppy Harlow and Kaitlan Collins. He previously hosted the primetime show Don Lemon Tonight, which ran for eight years.
The TV personality came under fire in February after making comments on CNN This Morning that many felt were sexist.
Referring to Nikki Haley, the presidential candidate who advocated mental aptitude tests for politicians over 75, Lemon argued that the 51-year-old is “not in her prime.” When his co-hosts challenged him, he doubled down on his claims that women “are only considered in their prime in their 20s, 30s and maybe even 40s.”
Lemon was later suspended by CNN management but reinstated after an apology.
A recent Variety report described Lemon as a misogynist. He vehemently denied the allegations of aggressive and “diva-like” behavior made against him in the report.
