Former CNN Star Don Lemon's Most Controversial Moments

In April 2023, CNN announced it was parting ways with anchor Don Lemon. Lemon had been with the network for 17 years and at the time of his departure was co-anchor of "CNN This Morning." 

The split was not an amicable one and quickly became messy. Lemon promptly responded to the news via his agent, noting in a statement that he "was stunned" and emphatically stated that at no point did CNN management inform him directly that he would be fired. CNN refuted Lemon's claims, insisting that he was allowed to meet with management but chose to air his grievances via X. 

Some fans criticized the decision, arguing that the real reason Lemon was fired was for his liberal views. However, Lemon had been associated with various controversies before his eventual firing from the network.

In 2019, Lemon was sued for sexual assault by Dustin Hice, a bartender who alleged that Lemon initiated a "demeaning, unprovoked and offensive assault" against him at a bar in the Hamptons. Lemon categorically denied Hice's claim and went on to accuse Hice of trying to extort him through various unsuccessful attempts at threats and demands for money. CNN stood by Lemon during the ordeal, making a statement that accused Hice of previously showing disdain for the network via his social media platforms. Hice eventually dropped the suit a few years later, citing that his recollection of the events was no longer what he thought when he first filed the suit (per The Hill). Lemon's attorney, Caroline Polisi, responded on behalf of her client with a scathing statement, calling the suit "a crass money grab from its inception."

In February 2023, a few months before being let go by CNN, Lemon landed in hot water for comments he made regarding Nikki Haley announcing her bid to be the Republican presidential nominee. During a segment of "CNN This Morning," Lemon noted that at 51, Haley was no longer in her prime, adding that women are considered in their prime in their 20s, 30s, or 40s (via X). The comments quickly caused a firestorm on social media, with Haley and several fellow Republican leaders calling it sexist. A few hours later, Lemon apologized for his comments on X, saying he regretted them. His mea culpa extended to an apology to his CNN colleagues during an editorial meeting. Lemon did not appear on the morning show the next day, a move that many interpreted as punishment by CNN bosses for the comments. CNN CEO at the time, Chris Licht, called the remarks "unacceptable" (via NPR).

The same month Lemon got in hot water over his comments about Nikki Haley, reports revealed that he'd gotten into a confrontation with his "CNN This Morning" co-host, Kaitlan Collins, months prior (per New York Post). According to multiple sources, following a December broadcast, Lemon confronted Collins about interrupting him during the show and screamed at her in front of various staffers. Collins, according to sources, became "visibly upset and ran out of the studio." News of the dust-up reportedly made its way to Licht who was rumored to be appalled by Lemon's behavior and had a producer speak to the anchor. Sources added that the tension between Lemon and Collins continued into the next day when the two, along with co-host Poppy Harlow, had planned to get drinks and arrive together for a White House Christmas Party. Instead, the three abandoned the plan for drinks and arrived separately at the event. 

At the time of the report, CNN refused to confirm or deny that the incident happened. Sources added that some of the tension came from Lemon's struggling to share the spotlight on a three-person team, having previously hosted his nightly show on the network, "The Don Lemon Show" for eight years. Despite the rumored issues, Collins and Harlow gave warm tributes to Lemon on-air, after he was let go from the network. 

On the heels of the backlash about his Nikki Haley comments and reports of the previous dust-up with co-host Collins, Variety published an unflattering report exposing what they deemed "Don Lemon's Misogyny at CNN." The article detailed years of negative behavior by Lemon towards various women he worked with during his 17 years at CNN. That included Kyra Phillips, then co-host of "Live From," which was the first show Lemon anchored on the network. The most troubling incident involved threatening text messages sent to Phillips that were eventually traced back to Lemon. Although an HR investigation was conducted, Lemon was not fired by the network but was immediately removed as co-anchor of "Live From." However, a spokesperson for CNN responded that Lemon denied the story and that the network could not corroborate the events. Meanwhile, Phillips declined to comment on the story.

The article further describes a pattern of hostile behavior, particularly towards female co-workers, from Lemon based on interviews from what the journalist described as "a dozen former and current colleagues." Examples of this behavior included calling a producer fat to her face, mocking Nancy Grace on air, and dismissively suggesting Soledad O'Brien was not black because he was upset over her hosting the coveted "Black In America" series. The criticisms also detailed examples of what the sources felt was diva-like behavior from Lemon, including his complaining on social media that Anderson Cooper got more airtime than he did during CNN's coverage of Michael Jackon's memorial service.

While some of the incidents in the article were not corroborated by the individuals involved or completely denied, the overall picture of Lemon was extremely unflattering and, in some instances, concerning. Lemon, through his spokesperson, eventually addressed the article a year later, declaring it "riddled with patently false anecdotes and no concrete evidence" (via USA Today).

In one of his first interviews after being fired from CNN, Lemon acknowledged that he was not perfect. However, while he was willing to acknowledge his imperfections, he did not seem interested in expanding on what that meant. Instead, he chose to focus the interview on issues he had with CNN's overall news coverage. In particular, Lemon called out the network for platforming "liars and bigots and ... insurrectionists and election deniers" (via The New York Times).

Things have been rocky for Lemon since his split from CNN. He started a new "The Don Lemon Show" with X. However, after Lemon did a messy interview with Elon Musk for the show, the deal quickly fell apart, leading to Lemon's filing a suit against Musk for fraud and breach of contract. Today, Lemon continues "The Don Lemon Show" but away from network television. Like many previous anchors, he's moved to the online space with a YouTube channel and a podcast.