NEW YORK (AP) 鈥 CNN fired longtime host Don Lemon on Monday following his short and disastrous run as a morning show host, a little over two months after he apologized for on-air comments about Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley being past her prime.
The move quickly turned nasty. While CNN chairman and CEO Chris Licht announced, after Lemon had co-hosted the show Monday, that they had Lemon characterized it as a firing and said it was surprise to him.
鈥淎fter 17 years at CNN I would have thought someone in management would have the decency to tell me directly,鈥 Lemon said. CNN said that Lemon was given the opportunity to meet with management but released a statement on Twitter instead.
CNN offered no public explanation for Lemon's dismissal. During a February discussion on 鈥淐NN This Morning鈥 with co-hosts Poppy Harlow and Kaitlan Collins about the ages of politicians, he said that the 51-year-old Haley was not 鈥渋n her prime.鈥 A woman, he said, was considered in her prime 鈥渋n her 20s, 30s and maybe her 40s.鈥
Harlow challenged Lemon, trying to clarify what he was referencing: 鈥淚 think we need to qualify. Are you talking about prime for childbearing or are you talking about prime for being president?鈥
鈥淒on鈥檛 shoot the messenger, I鈥檓 just saying what the facts are,鈥 Lemon responded.
Lemon issued a statement the same day saying he regretted his 鈥渋nartful and irrelevant鈥 comments. He was subsequently absent from the show for three days, with a tweeted apology but no mention of the episode on air.
Haley, who had criticized Lemon鈥檚 statements as sexist and used the incident to fundraise in February, took to Twitter on Monday to call Lemon鈥檚 ouster 鈥渁 great day for women everywhere,鈥 linking to the beverage sleeves emblazoned with 鈥淧ast my prime? Hold my beer.鈥
Lemon used to host the prime-time 鈥淒on Lemon Tonight鈥 but moved when the network launched 鈥淐NN This Morning鈥 last November, just before the U.S. midterm elections, as one of the first major programming moves under Licht.
He attracted negative attention last fall by saying that the U.S. men's soccer team should be paid more than the women's team, saying that the men were 鈥渕ore interesting to watch.鈥
Lemon had a well-publicized on-air tiff with Collins last December, when he accused her of trying to interrupt him.
Lemon also had a tense on-air interview last week with Republican presidential contender Vivek Ramaswamy where Lemon, who is Black, disputed Ramaswamy's interpretation of racial history.
It's all a bad look for a morning news show, where the audience is primarily women and casts try to depict themselves as a big happy family. The show has made little headway in the ratings against the more popular 鈥淔ox & Friends鈥 and 鈥淢orning Joe鈥 on cable news competitors.
The lousy vibes were beginning to cost CNN advertising sales and some potential guests were becoming reluctant to appear on 鈥淐NN This Morning,鈥 said a CNN staff member familiar with the decision to oust Lemon but not authorized to speak publicly.
Some people close to Lemon have suggested that the morning job was essentially a demotion for him, and he was given little support to succeed.
Lemon said he learned of his firing from his agent.
鈥淎t 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,鈥 he said.
___
Associated Press Writer Meg Kinnard contributed reporting from Columbia, South Carolina.
