Don Lemon fired – live: CNN anchor says he has ‘no regrets’ and ‘owns his actions’ after exit

‘I don’t look back and I don’t want to change things in the past’

Don Lemon responds to Tucker Carlson’s ‘ignorant’ white supremacy rant

Don Lemon has said he had no regrets and “owns” his actions after being fired from CNN following his 17-year stint with the network.

Lemon announced his firing on Monday, saying he was “stunned” after being informed of the decision by his agent, and lamenting the lack of “decency” in the handling of the situation, which CNN rejected as “inaccurate”.

“Don will forever be a part of the CNN family, and we thank him for his contributions over the past 17 years,” CNN said. “We wish him well and will be cheering him on in his future endeavours.”

“I live my life with no regrets. I did what I did and I own it, and so no, I don’t look back and I don’t want to change things in the past,” Lemon said in an interview with Extra TV at the Time 100 Gala NYC.

It came as Lemon had been mired in a string of controversies in recent months – with accusations of making offensive on-air comments about women and of mistreating female coworkers off-camera. Lemon has denied the allegations.

Key Points

• Don Lemon says he has no regrets after sexism claims: ‘I own it’
• Don Lemon fired from CNN after accusations of sexist comments and mistreatment of female colleagues
• What Lemon said about presidential candidate Nikki Haley
• Donald Trump rejoices in Lemon’s departure from CNN
• CNN co-anchors Poppy Harlow and Kaitlan Collins respond to anchor’s dismissal
• California congressman defends Lemon over Ramaswamy interview

[26 April 2023 13:30 · Joe Sommerlad]

Nikki Haley wastes no time in using Lemon dismissal to hawk merchandise

The former South Carolina governor and US ambassador to the UN, herself now a Republican presidential contender, took to Twitter yesterday to celebrate the downfall of the man who controversially suggested she was “past her prime” and wasted no time in turning the moment into a sales opportunity.

“A great day for women everywhere. Now, let’s get men out of women’s sports,” she wrote before pitching a range of beer can koozies emblazened with her slogans.

Ariana Baio has more on this timeliest of grifts.

[26 April 2023 12:45 · Joe Sommerlad]

Don Lemon denies misogyny allegations calling them ‘patently false’

This is what the presenter himself has had to say about the sexism accusations levelled against him.

[26 April 2023 12:00 · Joe Sommerlad]

The View host defends Lemon over misogyny accusations

Also speaking up for Lemon yesterday was The View’s Sunny Hostin, who said: “I don’t believe, in my experience with him, that he’s a misogynist. I think he loves women: he loves his mother, he loved his sister, he loves me, he loves Joy Behar.”

Ingal Parker has more.

[26 April 2023 11:15 · Joe Sommerlad]

California congressman defends Lemon over Ramaswamy interview

As we mentioned earlier, The New York Times has reported that CNN executives were left exasperated by the heated interview Don Lemon carried out with entrepreneur and aspiring Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy last week, in which their pair sparred over the history of the civil rights movement as co-presenter Poppy Harlow squirmed awkwardly in her chair.

However, California Democratic congressman Ro Khanna has leapt to the anchor’s defence, retweeting the clip and commenting: “Don Lemon was right. As an Indian American, I was profoundly embarrassed by Vivek lecturing a Black man about Black history. The truth is that the Black civil rights movement paved the way for the 1965 immigration act so that Vivek’s family or mine could come to America. We owe a huge debt.”

[26 April 2023 10:45 · Joe Sommerlad]

Sean Hannity gloats over dismissal of ‘fake news enthusiast’ Don Lemon

Ironic applause and whistles broke out in the Fox News studio as Hannity covered the Lemon news last night – an astonishingly hypocritical attack on a fellow professional given what the recent Dominion Voting Systems lawsuit revealed about what went on at Fox behind the scenes in the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election.

[26 April 2023 10:00 · Joe Sommerlad]

Why was Don Lemon fired from CNN?

While the precise reasoning behind Lemon’s dismissal from CNN is still not totally clear, one thing is certain: his exit from the network was involuntary.

John Bowden has more on a suprise move that coincided with Tucker Carlson’s bombshell ousting from conservative rival Fox.

[26 April 2023 07:59 · Tom Murray]

Lemon had heated exchange with Vivek Ramaswamy last week

According to The New York Times, several CNN leaders were left “exasperated” by Lemon’s heated interview with Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy last week.

Lemon and Ramaswarmy fiercely debated the Second Amendment right to bear arms and its role in Black history. At one point, Lemon removed his earpiece as he said he couldn’t hear his subject while producers were talking in his ear.

[26 April 2023 07:01 · Tom Murray]

Don Lemon’s career timeline

Before joining CNN 17 years ago, Lemon jumped between several other news anchor gigs after joining the profession surprisingly late.

The Independent has put together Lemon’s career timeline, from his first job in journalism to his dismissal from CNN.

[26 April 2023 06:02 · Tom Murray]

Donald Trump reacts to Lemon’s firing

“Good News: ‘The dumbest man on television,’ Don Lemon, has finally been fired from Fake News CNN,” Donald Trump wrote on his platform Truth Social on Monday.

He added, “My only question is, WHAT TOOK THEM SO LONG?”

Lemon, who had been a host on CNN since 2014, was an outspoken critic of Trump.

Read more.

[26 April 2023 05:00 · Tom Murray]

Latest on Tucker Carlson firing

Lemon’s firing coincided with that of another US media giant: Tucker Carlson.

Insiders say Carlson was “blindsided” by his removal from Fox News after eight years on the network.

Here’s the latest.