Don Lemon claimed he was fired for simply telling the truth and refusing to spotlight “liars, bigots, insurgents and election deniers,” he said in his first sit-in interview since losing his job at the network.
Lemon was ousted from his longtime presenter role at the 24/7 news network in April after falling out with several of his co-hosts on CNN This Morning and conducting a viral interview in which he attacked presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy.
His firing came as newly installed CEO Chris Licht planned to make some changes to the network, including losing its infamous wake angle. He, too, has now lost his role.
Lemon, 57, now insists he “stands up for what is right” as he called Licht’s suggestion of having more conservative voices on the air “a neglect of journalistic duty”.
“I have a responsibility, not only as a journalist but also as an American, to speak this truth and live up to the promises of the Constitution, because the Constitution says, ‘A more perfect Union. Not a perfect union,” he said.
Don Lemon, in a new sit-down interview, claimed he was fired for simply telling the truth and refusing to provide platforms for “liars, fanatics, insurgents and election deniers.”
He slammed the now-fired CEO Chris Licht, who said he plans to add more conservative voices to the notoriously woke network
CNN is struggling to survive. Some insiders say parent company Warner Bros. Discovery is even considering selling the entire property.
In his first session since being fired, Lemon took aim at his former employer, saying he has a duty as a journalist to tell the truth.
“To fulfill the promise of the Constitution, we must stand up for what is right,” Lemon told ABC24 Memphis. “We must stand for the truth.”
When asked about his now-infamous interview with Ramaswamy, Lemon continued: “I don’t believe in flattening liars and bigots and, you know, insurgents and electoral deniers and putting them on the same footing as people telling the truth. ‘ What is right, people who abide by the Constitution?
“I think it would be a breach of my journalistic duties to do such things.”
“That’s what got me to this point and that’s what will take me further,” he continued.
“To know that I’m doing the right thing, that I’m standing up and obeying the Constitution — which my job requires of me because we’re listed in the First Amendment.”
Lemon said he now plans to spend the next few months with his fiancee Tim Malone and their dogs.
“People worry about me and worry about me more than I do themselves,” he claimed. ‘I’m doing well.’
In a CNN This Morning feature in February about Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley, Lemon said that women older than 40 were “past their prime,” prompting outrage from both staff and viewers.
He was later criticized again when he interviewed Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy and spoke about being black in America.
His remarks aired this weekend — and were filmed earlier this month when Lemon was in Memphis to speak at an NAACP conference. This was the first time he had spoken out on camera about his fall since Lemon himself announced his release in April.
On the day of his release, Lemon tweeted, “I was informed by my agent this morning that CNN has fired me.” I’m stunned. After 17 years at CNN, I would have thought someone in management would have the decency to tell me directly.
“At no time was there any indication that I would not be able to continue the work that I enjoyed so much at the station.”
“It’s clear that there are some bigger issues at play. With that in mind, I want to thank my colleagues and the many teams I’ve worked with for an incredible run. They are the most talented journalists in the business and I wish them well.”
But the CNN anchor was embroiled in controversy in the months leading up to his fall.
In a CNN This Morning post in February, Lemon said that women older than 40 were “past their prime,” prompting outrage from staff and viewers alike.
He made the comments while debating presidential candidate Nikki Haley’s proposal that politicians aged 75 and older should take tests of their mental literacy.
Lemon, who is five years older than Haley, said the politician should approach the issue cautiously because “a woman’s prime is in her 20s, 30s and maybe 40s.”
His co-hosts Poppy Harlow and Kaitlan Collins reacted in apparent disbelief to the comment, but Lemon doubled down and insisted viewers would see he was right if they “googled.”
Both co-hosts reportedly stormed the set after the post, and Lemon’s position at the network was called into question as staff and viewers alike called for his firing, saying it was just another incident in a long line of troubling misogynist behavior by Lemon .
Sources at CNN told that women had told management to choose between them and Lemon, saying, “If Don doesn’t go, others have threatened to quit.”
“People are hurt by his actions and they won’t let him.” It’s as if every woman over 50 in America would take that as a personal insult. The female staff at CNN certainly did. “He needs to make his vacation permanent,” the source said.
However, Lemon wasn’t fired at the time, instead having to apologize to the staff and say, “What I said came out wrong and I wish I hadn’t said it.” I believe that women of all ages can do anything what they have set out to do. “The people closest to me in this organization are women.”
Lemon announced his own layoff in a tweet on April 24 after causing controversy on the network
The day after his release, Lemon stepped out with his partner Tim Malone and their three dogs near their luxury Manhattan apartment
It came hours after his former colleagues thanked him for his “contributions” to the network after hosting CNN’s “This Morning” show without him for the first time
He was later criticized again when he interviewed Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy and spoke about being black in America.
“If you’re black and you live in this country, then you can’t agree with me,” Lemon snapped at Ramaswamy, an Indian-American man, before repeatedly accusing him of lying and not providing evidence.
Ramaswamy said in hindsight, “Everything comes down to what your organization’s mission shows.” “If CNN’s mission is to advance a bright, progressive orthodoxy, Don Lemon is a perfect host to go on the air and clip guests.” “
Still, just days after his firing, Lemon told Extra TV at the Time 100 gala that he was “stunned” to learn of his departure after being a fixture at the channel for 17 years, but had no “regrets.” “ cherish.
“I live my life with no regrets. “I’ve done what I’ve done and own it, and so no, I’m not looking back and I don’t want to change things in the past,” he told the outlet.
“There are many things that come unexpectedly, but I am a survivor.” I come from a strong, resilient family in Louisiana, and I have many people who support and love me.
‘Life goes on. “That’s behind me and we’ll see what happens in the future.”
On the day of his release, Lemon tweeted, “I was informed this morning by my agent that CNN has fired me. ‘I’m stunned’
Lemon rose to fame during the Trump years as CNN’s prime-time liberal mouthpiece, led by former CEO Jeff Zucker.
But after Trump left office and CNN’s ratings began to decline, Zucker was removed and his successor, Licht, vowed to bring CNN back to more balanced journalism.
Last November, Lemon was relegated to CNN This Morning, where he was broadcasting alongside 40-year-old Harlow and 30-year-old rising star Collins, and he reportedly spent the following months complaining about his new post – which eventually became led to his dismissal.
Soon after, Licht was also fired after publishing a disastrous article in which he expressed doubts about the news channel and its reporting.
But Lemon dismissed the criticism of CNN when The Atlantic reporter Tim Alberta addressed it, saying, “A lot of people are talking about what happened on Monday morning” at the network.
“You have to remember the time we were in. Every day we were attacked by the previous government.’ And that’s not an exaggeration… We had bombs sent into this very network.’
Lemon rose to fame during the Trump years as CNN’s liberal prime-time mouthpiece, led by former CEO Jeff Zucker.
Last November, Lemon was relegated from his prime-time anchor spot to CNN This Morning
Zucker, pictured in 2019, is reportedly considering a return to CNN and will “probably make an offer” for the network, an insider claimed
According to insiders, Warner Bros. Discovery is now considering selling the ailing network — including to the previously ousted Sugar.
The 58-year-old is reportedly preparing to capitalize on ex-CEO Chris Light’s surprise sacking in a bid to take over the station in time for the 2024 presidential election.
However, insiders claimed that Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav’s future plans aren’t clear yet and there are several options for the mogul on the table.
In addition to potentially remaining in his current position, there could be a groundbreaking deal pending ongoing merger negotiations between NBCUniversal’s parent company Comcast and Paramount.
If that merger, which has been in the pipeline since 2021, goes through, Comcast would reportedly seek to sell CBS News to avoid antitrust violations.
In this scenario, it was predicted that Zaslav’s Warner Bros. Discovery could attempt to unite CNN and CBS in a blockbuster merger.
“I could see a sale next year,” said an industry insider. “Once Warner reduces its debt, it will be more willing to sell non-core assets, including CNN.”
Another media investor told The Post that for the best returns, CNN should be “absorbed” by a company that already owns numerous cable channels — a strategy that would both cut costs and provide expansive programming power.
Another industry insider working on media mergers added that Zaslav’s public firing of Licht after just a year in office is a “sign that he’s preparing the cable news channel for a sale.”