These fucking tethers need to be deported
These GAY TETHERS need to be exterminated
These GAY TETHERS need to be exterminated
CNN’s Don Lemon, 56, claims Nikki Haley, 51, ‘isn’t in her prime’
- Thread starter MASTERBAKER
- Start date
Hell no that's your fetish.Yeah, chicks with dicks.
Don Lemon doesn't get it. The new CNN head Chris Licht apparently wants him gone. First he removed him from his prime time solo gig and now he has been publicly taken to the wood shed by having to undergo some bullshit formal remedial sensitivity training for uttering the most innocuous of statements about a woman's prime years implying Nikki Haley at 51 was past hers.
Lemon mistakenly confused the age when by most accounts a woman reaches her sexual peak in her 20's and fertiity peak in their 30's with a woman's cognitive and intellectual peak which varies from person to person and could extend well past their physical prime.
But should Lemon be publicly shamed and pilloried by those women who were sooooooo offended by his ill conceived comment? After all is Lemon's perceived misogyny any worse than Nikki Haley's call for mental testing of politicians male and female who are in the 70's. Where's the uproar directed at her stated ageism? Have those so putout about Lemon's comment called for Haley to attend "formal training"? Nope. Both Lemon and Haley were wrong but the blowback directed at each certainly hasn't been equal. I wonder why that is.
Lemon mistakenly confused the age when by most accounts a woman reaches her sexual peak in her 20's and fertiity peak in their 30's with a woman's cognitive and intellectual peak which varies from person to person and could extend well past their physical prime.
But should Lemon be publicly shamed and pilloried by those women who were sooooooo offended by his ill conceived comment? After all is Lemon's perceived misogyny any worse than Nikki Haley's call for mental testing of politicians male and female who are in the 70's. Where's the uproar directed at her stated ageism? Have those so putout about Lemon's comment called for Haley to attend "formal training"? Nope. Both Lemon and Haley were wrong but the blowback directed at each certainly hasn't been equal. I wonder why that is.
She should show her box and if it looks old, rusty, unkept, and tetanus filled. She should get the fuck on and wish her opponents good luck.
Where is he gonna go? The Roland Martin Show? They are showing these negroes the door left and right. This faux black voices have been propped up by major media platforms for long they actually think black people listen to them, but they don't. Ask Tiffany Cross.It's think Don Lemon should leave CNN..It's not the same over there!!.....Fuck it!!
It's think Don Lemon should leave CNN..It's not the same over there!!..
I agree...
Chris Licht who is a Republican and the new head of CNN doesn't care for Lemon or any progressive voice for that matter and is steadily moving CNN to the right.
Lemon should reteam with Chris Cuomo over at NewsNation. There are some good progrssive journalists over there. https://www.newsnationnow.com/meet-the-team/
As for Tiffany Cross, her show had decent ratings but her boss, who is a black woman btw, caved to those who didn't like her outspokeness and when Tiffany refused to tow the line they canceled her show.
My point is these old media platforms are dead. They can't attract an organic audience at all, but for her gig at MSNBC, people could give two shits about Tiffany Cross's opinion. Last I checked she was on twitter looking for movie recommendations.Chris Licht who is a Republican and the new head of CNN doesn't care for Lemon or any progressive voice for that matter and is steadily moving CNN to the right.
Lemon should reteam with Chris Cuomo over at NewsNation. There are some good progrssive journalists over there. https://www.newsnationnow.com/meet-the-team/
As for Tiffany Cross, her show had decent ratings but her boss, who is a black woman btw, caved to those who didn't like her outspokeness and when Tiffany refused to tow the line they canceled her show.
Well opinions vary, but I am one among many who do give two shits about her opinion, regretably you seem not to. She's been speaking truth to power long before her gig at MSNBC and they canned for not willing to be the good Negro and she has my respect, if not yours, for that.
Chris Licht who is a Republican and the new head of CNN doesn't care for Lemon or any progressive voice for that matter and is steadily moving CNN to the right.
Lemon should reteam with Chris Cuomo over at NewsNation. There are some good progrssive journalists over there. https://www.newsnationnow.com/meet-the-team/
As for Tiffany Cross, her show had decent ratings but her boss, who is a black woman btw, caved to those who didn't like her outspokeness and when Tiffany refused to tow the line they canceled her show.
NewsNation would be a nice fit for Don Lemon...Bring back that Cuomo/Lemon connection like they were on CNN!!...
...
Old bish is past her prime
MEDIA
Don Lemon returning to CNN show Wednesday after ‘frank’ talk with boss
By
David Propper
February 21, 2023 1:18am
Updated
0 seconds of 15 secondsVolume 82%
CNN anchor Don Lemon will be back on the air Wednesday morning and will undergo “formal training” after his return over sexist comments he made last week, according to multiple reports.
The development was shared with staff in a Monday night memo from CNN boss Chris Licht, who said he had a “frank and meaningful conversation” with Lemon, who’s been absent as co-host of “CNN This Morning” since last Friday.
A day earlier, Lemon controversially remarked on air that 51-year-old GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley “isn’t in her prime.”
Lemon’s comments drew immediate blowback and he didn’t appear on the show with co-hosts Kaitlan Collins and Poppy Harlow on Friday or Monday, but will be back Wednesday, per the internal memo viewed by the Wall Street Journal.
CNN boss Chris Licht said he and Don Lemon had a “frank and meaningful conversation” about the remarks regarding Haley.Getty Images for CNN
Licht said in the memo Lemon will “participate in formal training” after he’s back, according to the newspaper.
00:0301:39
“I sat down with Don and had a frank and meaningful conversation. He has agreed to participate in formal training, as well as continuing to listen and learn. We take this situation very seriously,” Licht said in the memo obtained by Fox News Digital.
Don Lemon will return to CNN television Wednesday morning following his brief hiatus.CNN
“It is important to me that CNN balances accountability with a fostering a culture in which people can own, learn and grow from their mistakes. To that end, Don will return to ‘CNN This Morning’ on Wednesday,” Licht additionally said, according to Fox News.
Lemon’s comments came after he responded to Haley’s call for mental competency tests for politicians older than 75 during her presidential kickoff last Wednesday.
“This whole talk about age makes me uncomfortable,” Lemon said. “I think it’s the wrong road to go down. She says people, you know, politicians are suddenly not in their prime. Nikki Haley isn’t in her prime, sorry — when a woman is considered to be in her prime in her 20s and 30s and maybe 40s.”
Don Lemon made a brief comment about Nikki Haley’s proposal that politicians older than 75 take competency tests.CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Imag
Lemon apologized later that day on Twitter, and then to CNN staff on a call Friday. On that same call, Licht called Lemon’s statements “unacceptable.”
516
What do you think? Post a comment.
A CNN spokesperson told the New York Times Monday night that “the company has a number of resources and Don is committed to our recommendation.”
The spokesperson did not say more because it is a personnel matter.
Don Lemon returning to CNN show Wednesday after ‘frank’ talk with boss
By
David Propper
February 21, 2023 1:18am
Updated
0 seconds of 15 secondsVolume 82%
CNN anchor Don Lemon will be back on the air Wednesday morning and will undergo “formal training” after his return over sexist comments he made last week, according to multiple reports.
The development was shared with staff in a Monday night memo from CNN boss Chris Licht, who said he had a “frank and meaningful conversation” with Lemon, who’s been absent as co-host of “CNN This Morning” since last Friday.
A day earlier, Lemon controversially remarked on air that 51-year-old GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley “isn’t in her prime.”
Lemon’s comments drew immediate blowback and he didn’t appear on the show with co-hosts Kaitlan Collins and Poppy Harlow on Friday or Monday, but will be back Wednesday, per the internal memo viewed by the Wall Street Journal.
CNN boss Chris Licht said he and Don Lemon had a “frank and meaningful conversation” about the remarks regarding Haley.Getty Images for CNNLicht said in the memo Lemon will “participate in formal training” after he’s back, according to the newspaper.
00:0301:39
“I sat down with Don and had a frank and meaningful conversation. He has agreed to participate in formal training, as well as continuing to listen and learn. We take this situation very seriously,” Licht said in the memo obtained by Fox News Digital.
Don Lemon will return to CNN television Wednesday morning following his brief hiatus.CNN“It is important to me that CNN balances accountability with a fostering a culture in which people can own, learn and grow from their mistakes. To that end, Don will return to ‘CNN This Morning’ on Wednesday,” Licht additionally said, according to Fox News.
Lemon’s comments came after he responded to Haley’s call for mental competency tests for politicians older than 75 during her presidential kickoff last Wednesday.
“This whole talk about age makes me uncomfortable,” Lemon said. “I think it’s the wrong road to go down. She says people, you know, politicians are suddenly not in their prime. Nikki Haley isn’t in her prime, sorry — when a woman is considered to be in her prime in her 20s and 30s and maybe 40s.”
Don Lemon made a brief comment about Nikki Haley’s proposal that politicians older than 75 take competency tests.CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty ImagLemon apologized later that day on Twitter, and then to CNN staff on a call Friday. On that same call, Licht called Lemon’s statements “unacceptable.”
516
What do you think? Post a comment.
A CNN spokesperson told the New York Times Monday night that “the company has a number of resources and Don is committed to our recommendation.”
The spokesperson did not say more because it is a personnel matter.
You hit on something. That would be a good move on her part. Glad the bitch doesn't know about BGOL.
she's a white woman...no matter how don lemon identifies...he can't beat that
I went and watched the morning show on CNN..You can tell Don Lemon doesn't want to be there no more!!... ..He knows this is some bullshit now!!..
..He knows this is some bullshit now!!..
Last edited:
‘I’m sorry’: Don Lemon returns to CNN after online apology for sexist comments
By
Lee Brown
February 22, 2023 6:58am
Don Lemon returned to CNN early Wednesday, making no mention of the scandal over his sexist comments — saving it for a brief apology online moments before going on air.
After skipping the previous three episodes of “CNN This Morning,” the under-fire host immediately got back to business at 6 a.m. by praising President Biden.
He made eye contact with Poppy Harlow, the co-host who reportedly stormed off after his outrageous on-air claim last week that 51-year-old GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley “isn’t in her prime” because she’s a woman.
“What a day,” said Harlow, 40, seemingly also referring to Biden’s European trip supporting Ukraine and not her 56-year-old co-host’s recent scandal-spurred absence.
“Good morning, everyone, Don and I are here in New York, we’re glad you’re with us,” Harlow said as fellow co-host Kaitlan Collins was covering the president in Poland.
The video player is currently playing an ad. You can skip the ad in 5 sec with a mouse or keyboard
Lemon made no mention of his scandal as he returned Wednesday morning alongside co-host Poppy Harlow.cnn
Less than 30 minutes before returning to CNN, Lemon tweeted that he was “learning” and “committed to doing better,” and saying: “I’m sorry.”
Lemon spent his much-criticized time off air relaxing on the beach in Miami.MEGA
Neither made mention of the ongoing scandal of Lemon’s on-air comments — but Lemon noted the backlash in a tweeted apology posted less than half an hour before he reappeared on his morning show.
“I appreciate the opportunity to be back on @CNNThisMorning today,” he wrote amid calls for him to have been fired.
“To my network, my colleagues and our incredible audience — I’m sorry.
SEE ALSO
Don Lemon offers bizarre apology, gets rebuke from CNN CEO over sexist remarks
“I’ve heard you, I’m learning from you, and I’m committed to doing better. See you soon,” he wrote.
It came after an earlier apology in which he said: “The reference I made to a woman’s ‘prime’ this morning was inartful and irrelevant, as colleagues and loved ones have pointed out, and I regret it.
“A woman’s age doesn’t define her either personally or professionally. I have countless women in my life who prove that every day.”
CNN boss Chris Licht had told staff in a memo that he had a “frank and meaningful conversation” with Lemon before approving the network’s controversial anchor’s return.
“He has agreed to participate in formal training, as well as continuing to listen and learn. We take this situation very seriously,” Licht said in the memo obtained by Fox News Digital.
Many critics continued to rip the network for allowing him back, however, including Megyn Kelly, who called Lemon’s so-called re-education “a farce and a lie.”
Critics still raged at Lemon for saying that women like Nikki Haley (above) aren’t in their “prime” at 51.REUTERS
“Do women matter? Does our offense matter to CNN or does someone have to grab a boob for us to count?” she asked Licht.
348
What do you think? Post a comment.
“Because this guy managed to piss off half the country. It’s not left or right, it’s male and female — and by the way, a lot of the men are with us
“You don’t have to be a #MeToo supporter to be irritated and offended by what Doin Lemon said,” she raged in a video shared on Twitter.
By
Lee Brown
February 22, 2023 6:58am
Don Lemon returned to CNN early Wednesday, making no mention of the scandal over his sexist comments — saving it for a brief apology online moments before going on air.
After skipping the previous three episodes of “CNN This Morning,” the under-fire host immediately got back to business at 6 a.m. by praising President Biden.
He made eye contact with Poppy Harlow, the co-host who reportedly stormed off after his outrageous on-air claim last week that 51-year-old GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley “isn’t in her prime” because she’s a woman.
“What a day,” said Harlow, 40, seemingly also referring to Biden’s European trip supporting Ukraine and not her 56-year-old co-host’s recent scandal-spurred absence.
“Good morning, everyone, Don and I are here in New York, we’re glad you’re with us,” Harlow said as fellow co-host Kaitlan Collins was covering the president in Poland.
The video player is currently playing an ad. You can skip the ad in 5 sec with a mouse or keyboard
Lemon made no mention of his scandal as he returned Wednesday morning alongside co-host Poppy Harlow.cnn
Less than 30 minutes before returning to CNN, Lemon tweeted that he was “learning” and “committed to doing better,” and saying: “I’m sorry.”
Lemon spent his much-criticized time off air relaxing on the beach in Miami.MEGANeither made mention of the ongoing scandal of Lemon’s on-air comments — but Lemon noted the backlash in a tweeted apology posted less than half an hour before he reappeared on his morning show.
“I appreciate the opportunity to be back on @CNNThisMorning today,” he wrote amid calls for him to have been fired.
“To my network, my colleagues and our incredible audience — I’m sorry.
SEE ALSO
Don Lemon offers bizarre apology, gets rebuke from CNN CEO over sexist remarks
“I’ve heard you, I’m learning from you, and I’m committed to doing better. See you soon,” he wrote.
It came after an earlier apology in which he said: “The reference I made to a woman’s ‘prime’ this morning was inartful and irrelevant, as colleagues and loved ones have pointed out, and I regret it.
“A woman’s age doesn’t define her either personally or professionally. I have countless women in my life who prove that every day.”
CNN boss Chris Licht had told staff in a memo that he had a “frank and meaningful conversation” with Lemon before approving the network’s controversial anchor’s return.
“He has agreed to participate in formal training, as well as continuing to listen and learn. We take this situation very seriously,” Licht said in the memo obtained by Fox News Digital.
Many critics continued to rip the network for allowing him back, however, including Megyn Kelly, who called Lemon’s so-called re-education “a farce and a lie.”
Critics still raged at Lemon for saying that women like Nikki Haley (above) aren’t in their “prime” at 51.REUTERS“Do women matter? Does our offense matter to CNN or does someone have to grab a boob for us to count?” she asked Licht.
348
What do you think? Post a comment.
“Because this guy managed to piss off half the country. It’s not left or right, it’s male and female — and by the way, a lot of the men are with us
“You don’t have to be a #MeToo supporter to be irritated and offended by what Doin Lemon said,” she raged in a video shared on Twitter.
I went and watched the morning show on CNN..You can tell Don Lemon doesn't want to be there no more!!...
well fuck him because he was hired as a vehicle for which they can spew their anti black racism and say "well don lemon said it and its ok because he black"
they not gonna let him start talking greasy about any white person.
tiffany cross learned that lesson as well(she got shit canned for talking about a white man)
They settin' dude up to get fired; I bet he was only spewing his 'girlfriend' work gossip to his co-workers and it got leaked.
Don Lemon's 'girlfriend' work gossip:
@Camille
I had NO IDEA this was going to go this far
variety.com
Don Lemon’s Misogyny at CNN, Exposed: Malicious Texts, Mocking Female Co-Workers and ‘Diva-Like Behavior’
By Tatiana Siegel
Back in 2008, Don Lemon was co-anchoring CNN’s “Live From” weekday show with Kyra Phillips, a gig that he landed after he arrived at the network two years prior from local news in Chicago. For months, tensions between the pair kept mounting. On more than one occasion, a “Live From” producer and a newsroom supervisor had to pull Lemon off the air during a commercial break because of the anchor’s provocative antics, not unlike his recent declaration that the 51-year-old Nikki Haley isn’t a viable presidential candidate because she “isn’t in her prime.” Amid the charged atmosphere, sources say Lemon disrespected colleague Nancy Grace on the air and Soledad O’Brien during an editorial meeting attended by roughly 30 staffers.
Related Stories
VIP+
Survey Suggests Viewers Are Forgiving of Don Lemon
But his antipathy toward Phillips was particularly concerning and had many members of the close-knit Atlanta news team on edge. While Phillips was on assignment in Iraq — a high-profile gig that Lemon coveted — he vented his disappointment at being passed over by tearing up pictures and notes on top of and inside Phillips’ desk in the news pod they shared, according to two sources who worked there at the time. When she returned from Iraq, things only got weirder. One night while dining with members of the news team, she received the first of two threatening text messages from an unknown number on her flip phone that warned, “Now you’ve crossed the line, and you’re going to pay for it.” Phillips was visibly rattled and quickly enlisted CNN’s higher ups to identify the sender.
Remarkably, the texts were traced back to Lemon, according to those same sources. A human resources investigation was launched, and while the findings were never disclosed to the growing pool of staffers who were aware of the situation, Lemon was abruptly pulled from his co-anchor duties with Phillips and moved to the weekends. It was a demotion by any objective measure and understood to be some kind of disciplinary action. It appears to be the last time he was paired with a female anchor until his most recent assignment on “CNN This Morning With Don Lemon, Poppy Harlow and Kaitlan Collins.”
Phillips, who joined ABC as a Washington-based correspondent in 2018, declined comment. A spokesperson for CNN said, “Don says the alleged incident never occurred and that he was never notified of any investigation. CNN cannot corroborate the alleged events from 15 years ago.”
In the wake of Lemon’s Feb. 16 Haley comments — derided as “unacceptable” and “sexist” by everyone from CNN chair Chris Licht to Haley herself, and even referenced by Oscar-winner Michelle Yeoh during her best actress acceptance speech — his fate at CNN hung in the balance, with many colleagues privately calling for his ouster. Despite the outcry, he landed back on his feet after riding the bench for two days, posting a Twitter mea culpa in which he insisted that he is “committed to doing better” and ignoring the matter altogether during his Feb. 22 on-air return. Still, the incident has spotlighted Lemon’s troubling treatment of women and unprofessional antics, dating back nearly two decades. Variety spoke with more than a dozen former and current colleagues who painted a picture of a journalist who flouted rules and cozied up to power all while displaying open hostility to many female co-workers. Each and every time, he appeared to charm his way out of facing any meaningful consequences.
Those who worked with him say he was a shameless name dropper and left behind hints that he socialized with important people, like a hand-written note from Stedman Graham that he had taped on his computer. Some were unnerved by his talk of his previous lawsuits, believing it signaled that he was litigious. He frequently let drop that he successfully sued Tower Records as well as the Chicago PD for racial profiling and didn’t need to worry about money thanks to the settlements. (Variety can only find record of the former, which was settled in 2001 and appears to be sealed. Through a CNN spokesperson, Lemon says he never sued the Chicago PD). All the while, he began openly dating a fresh-out-of-college staffer despite a major age difference and power imbalance. (Lemon was 41, while the staffer was 22.) The ambitious anchor, who is gay, was not out of the closet at the time, but wasn’t hiding it either. The pair would drive to work together in Lemon’s car and began a long-term open relationship. Dating a junior employee was frowned upon at the time.
“As fast as you could make a rule, Don would bend it,” says one senior executive at the time.
More troubling was his misogynistic behavior, multiple sources say. Lemon called one of his producers fat to her face. Not long before he was identified as sending threatening texts to Phillips, he mocked Grace on air by mimicking her, shocking fellow colleagues. Grace declined comment but a person close to her tells Variety that “she thinks he’s an ass” and that he was always “rude, dismissive and really unfamiliar with the [news] content being discussed.”
“That was the beginning of when you knew that Don was kind of volatile and didn’t say good things about women,” says a witness to the Grace incident.
If Lemon felt threatened by Grace, the biggest star at CNN/Headline News at the time, she wasn’t the only one. He was upset that O’Brien landed the gig of hosting CNN’s high-profile “Black in America” docuseries, which launched in 2008. During an editorial call attended by roughly 30 staffers, he suggested O’Brien isn’t Black, according to two witnesses, who found the characterization wildly offensive. “Don always wanted to be front and center on anything high profile, especially anything involving race,” says a colleague.
O’Brien, who wasn’t present, tells Variety, “Don has long had a habit of saying idiotic and inaccurate things, so it sounds pretty on brand for him.”
The CNN spokesperson said, “Don, Soledad and others have in the past correctly referred to her Afro-Cuban heritage as it is a unique part of her personal story. But Don denies making any related remark in a derogatory way.”
When he wasn’t shocking his cohorts, he was annoying them with “diva-like behavior,” says one, like skipping editorial calls, showing up late to the newsroom or just generally exhibiting disengaged behavior. In 2009, CNN was allowed to send one journalist into the Staples Center to cover the Michael Jackson memorial. Lemon was the choice, while Anderson Cooper and O’Brien anchored outside. Sources remember Lemon complaining on social media that Cooper got more airtime.
“That led to a come-to-Jesus moment,” says another senior executive from the era. “Don was told, ‘Look, you’ve got to address your behavior. Your performance as a reporter is great. It’s your behavior that’s gotta improve. It’s what’s going to derail you if you’re not careful.’”
Instead of reining in Lemon, his superiors let things slide, perhaps because he had fostered a close friendship with then-Turner Broadcasting System chairman and CEO Phil Kent, sitting in the Turner box alongside Kent at sporting events.
After Kent hired Jeff Zucker to run the network in 2013, Lemon only became more of a provocateur. About six months after Zucker arrived, Lemon gave his on-air take on five ways the Black community could fix its problems, including suggesting “pull up your pants.” He went on to add: “Walking around with your ass and your underwear showing is not OK. In fact, it comes from prison when they take away belts from the prisoner so that they can’t make a weapon. And then it evolved into which role a prisoner would have during male-on-male prison sex. The one with the really low pants is a submissive one. You get my point.” Goldie Taylor, a former CNN consultant who appeared frequently as a guest on Lemon’s weekend show, said she was blacklisted at the network for critiquing Lemon’s controversial comments. “I am personally banned from a network b/c, ironically enough, I dared disagree w/ a black man publicly abt black life […] I don’t throw rocks and hide my hand. That network is @CNN and the anchor is @donlemon,” she tweeted in 2016.
Taylor remains steadfast in her criticism of Lemon.
“I’m never surprised when Don gets in trouble,” she tells Variety. “It makes me neither happy nor sad to see him undermine his own success. There was a time when it appeared that Black people were most often the subject of his ire. Now, it seems to me that when he says something offensive, there’s almost always a woman on the other side.”
(A CNN spokesperson says he does not know why the network cut ties with Taylor.)
One female colleague who had been close to the anchor in his early days at the network found that during the Zucker era, Lemon was losing touch with his former friends. She adds that the change showed in his journalistic choices, with the anchor neglecting important stories affecting the Black community.
“I saw a new Don emerging, and I didn’t like the new Don,” she says. “He likes celebrity. He likes fame, likes power. He was no longer the same person.”
He became increasingly polarizing, particularly when it came to discussing women, which sometimes came off as tone-deaf. In 2014, he drew widespread condemnation when he told a Bill Cosby rape accuser that she could have stopped an attack by biting the comedian’s penis.
Over the years, Lemon relied upon his charm to win over would-be adversaries, particularly men. Even the opposing counsel in the Tower Records lawsuit speaks glowingly of the anchor.
“I thought he was a quality person and a pleasure to be in his company,” says attorney Paul Rosen, who represented Tower Records in the civil suit. “I remember him working with me on a number of cases I had in Philadelphia [after the settlement] and it’s a pleasure to see [him] on air and what he has achieved in the broadcasting field.”
Likewise, Zucker never wavered with his support for Lemon. In 2016, he landed in the primetime lineup with his own show, “Don Lemon Tonight.” That same year, Donald Trump called Lemon “dumb as a rock,” which only contributed to the anchor’s rising star. The more Trump criticized Lemon, the more his fame grew as he quickly became a household name alongside Cooper.
But some colleagues questioned his journalistic ethics. In 2021, disgraced actor Jussie Smollett testified in court that he first learned that Chicago police doubted his story about being the victim of a MAGA-inspired attack after he received a text message warning from Lemon. As a result, Lemon opted not to hand his phone records over to cops.
Says Washington State University journalism professor Ryan Thomas, “Ethically speaking, we can distinguish between conflicts of interest that should be avoided and conflicts of interests that, if they can’t be avoided, should be mitigated and disclosed. [The Smollett case is] very clearly in the former category. … Involving yourself in a story involving a public figure — whether to warn, advise or coach — is as clear and bright and flashing an ethical red line as it gets in journalism. A freshman journalism student would clearly recognize the problems inherent.”
Adds one long-time colleague: “He should have been benched in that instance. No question.”
But CNN says it looked into the matter and found Lemon behaved appropriately. “CNN reviewed the incident in question at the time and found that any interaction was an act of journalism as Don was attempting to prompt a response from Mr. Smollett and book him for his show,” a spokesperson for the network said.
Regardless, Zucker stood by Lemon despite firing anchor Chris Cuomo for advising his brother, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, as the latter faced sexual harassment allegations. In arbitration filings, Chris Cuomo’s attorneys argued that his transgressions were similar to Lemon’s. After Zucker was ousted in 2022, many believed that Lemon would be on the chopping block. But Lemon survived the regime change at parent company WarnerMedia following its merger with Discovery that same year. Still, higher-ups were suddenly paying attention to his behavior amid his woeful ratings. In September, he relied on a sexist trope on air to try to explain why fellow panelist S.E. Cupp was stumbling over a statistic about Republicans. “Is it fair to say this because I’m not a mommy, but is it mommy brain?” he asked Cupp. An awkward silence ensued before Cupp answered, “No, Don, I just forgot what I was going to say,” she said.
Then, Lemon was moved back to mornings in November and paired with two female anchors, Poppy Harlow and Kaitlan Collins, for the first time since the Phillips debacle. One executive noted that it was a recipe for disaster. And the gaffes continued. One month into the new gig, Lemon drew ire for saying the U.S. men’s national soccer team should get paid more than the women’s team and insisted the former is “more interesting to watch.”
Three months later came the Haley comments, which sources say prompted Harlow to flee the set with Collins following her to try to talk to her. An intense news cycle ensued, with the CNN brand taking a hit at a time when the network’s ratings continue to nosedive as it tries to find its footing in the Licht era. But once again, Lemon survived the outcry.
Still, if there was a past laissez-faire attitude about Lemon, those days appear to be over. CNN is making him undergo “formal training.” Now, more and more people are willing to call him to task, like a critical Washington Post op-ed titled “Does Don Lemon’s punishment fit the crime?” But he remains planted behind the anchors’ desk.
Says attorney Devin McRae, who specializes in entertainment contract litigation, “These provisions that [CNN anchors] have in their contracts that define what is cause for termination, it’s pretty abstract. That allows CNN to subjectively apply it. Ultimately, it does seem to come down to, ‘How is Lemon’s behavior making CNN look?’”
I had NO IDEA this was going to go this far
Don Lemon’s Misogyny at CNN, Exposed: Malicious Texts, Mocking Female Co-Workers and ‘Diva-Like Behavior’
CNN anchor Don Lemon displayed misogynistic and unprofessional behavior for more than a decade, colleagues and insiders say.
variety.com
Don Lemon’s Misogyny at CNN, Exposed: Malicious Texts, Mocking Female Co-Workers and ‘Diva-Like Behavior’
By Tatiana Siegel
Back in 2008, Don Lemon was co-anchoring CNN’s “Live From” weekday show with Kyra Phillips, a gig that he landed after he arrived at the network two years prior from local news in Chicago. For months, tensions between the pair kept mounting. On more than one occasion, a “Live From” producer and a newsroom supervisor had to pull Lemon off the air during a commercial break because of the anchor’s provocative antics, not unlike his recent declaration that the 51-year-old Nikki Haley isn’t a viable presidential candidate because she “isn’t in her prime.” Amid the charged atmosphere, sources say Lemon disrespected colleague Nancy Grace on the air and Soledad O’Brien during an editorial meeting attended by roughly 30 staffers.
Related Stories
VIP+
Survey Suggests Viewers Are Forgiving of Don Lemon
But his antipathy toward Phillips was particularly concerning and had many members of the close-knit Atlanta news team on edge. While Phillips was on assignment in Iraq — a high-profile gig that Lemon coveted — he vented his disappointment at being passed over by tearing up pictures and notes on top of and inside Phillips’ desk in the news pod they shared, according to two sources who worked there at the time. When she returned from Iraq, things only got weirder. One night while dining with members of the news team, she received the first of two threatening text messages from an unknown number on her flip phone that warned, “Now you’ve crossed the line, and you’re going to pay for it.” Phillips was visibly rattled and quickly enlisted CNN’s higher ups to identify the sender.
Remarkably, the texts were traced back to Lemon, according to those same sources. A human resources investigation was launched, and while the findings were never disclosed to the growing pool of staffers who were aware of the situation, Lemon was abruptly pulled from his co-anchor duties with Phillips and moved to the weekends. It was a demotion by any objective measure and understood to be some kind of disciplinary action. It appears to be the last time he was paired with a female anchor until his most recent assignment on “CNN This Morning With Don Lemon, Poppy Harlow and Kaitlan Collins.”
Phillips, who joined ABC as a Washington-based correspondent in 2018, declined comment. A spokesperson for CNN said, “Don says the alleged incident never occurred and that he was never notified of any investigation. CNN cannot corroborate the alleged events from 15 years ago.”
In the wake of Lemon’s Feb. 16 Haley comments — derided as “unacceptable” and “sexist” by everyone from CNN chair Chris Licht to Haley herself, and even referenced by Oscar-winner Michelle Yeoh during her best actress acceptance speech — his fate at CNN hung in the balance, with many colleagues privately calling for his ouster. Despite the outcry, he landed back on his feet after riding the bench for two days, posting a Twitter mea culpa in which he insisted that he is “committed to doing better” and ignoring the matter altogether during his Feb. 22 on-air return. Still, the incident has spotlighted Lemon’s troubling treatment of women and unprofessional antics, dating back nearly two decades. Variety spoke with more than a dozen former and current colleagues who painted a picture of a journalist who flouted rules and cozied up to power all while displaying open hostility to many female co-workers. Each and every time, he appeared to charm his way out of facing any meaningful consequences.
Those who worked with him say he was a shameless name dropper and left behind hints that he socialized with important people, like a hand-written note from Stedman Graham that he had taped on his computer. Some were unnerved by his talk of his previous lawsuits, believing it signaled that he was litigious. He frequently let drop that he successfully sued Tower Records as well as the Chicago PD for racial profiling and didn’t need to worry about money thanks to the settlements. (Variety can only find record of the former, which was settled in 2001 and appears to be sealed. Through a CNN spokesperson, Lemon says he never sued the Chicago PD). All the while, he began openly dating a fresh-out-of-college staffer despite a major age difference and power imbalance. (Lemon was 41, while the staffer was 22.) The ambitious anchor, who is gay, was not out of the closet at the time, but wasn’t hiding it either. The pair would drive to work together in Lemon’s car and began a long-term open relationship. Dating a junior employee was frowned upon at the time.
“As fast as you could make a rule, Don would bend it,” says one senior executive at the time.
More troubling was his misogynistic behavior, multiple sources say. Lemon called one of his producers fat to her face. Not long before he was identified as sending threatening texts to Phillips, he mocked Grace on air by mimicking her, shocking fellow colleagues. Grace declined comment but a person close to her tells Variety that “she thinks he’s an ass” and that he was always “rude, dismissive and really unfamiliar with the [news] content being discussed.”
“That was the beginning of when you knew that Don was kind of volatile and didn’t say good things about women,” says a witness to the Grace incident.
If Lemon felt threatened by Grace, the biggest star at CNN/Headline News at the time, she wasn’t the only one. He was upset that O’Brien landed the gig of hosting CNN’s high-profile “Black in America” docuseries, which launched in 2008. During an editorial call attended by roughly 30 staffers, he suggested O’Brien isn’t Black, according to two witnesses, who found the characterization wildly offensive. “Don always wanted to be front and center on anything high profile, especially anything involving race,” says a colleague.
O’Brien, who wasn’t present, tells Variety, “Don has long had a habit of saying idiotic and inaccurate things, so it sounds pretty on brand for him.”
The CNN spokesperson said, “Don, Soledad and others have in the past correctly referred to her Afro-Cuban heritage as it is a unique part of her personal story. But Don denies making any related remark in a derogatory way.”
When he wasn’t shocking his cohorts, he was annoying them with “diva-like behavior,” says one, like skipping editorial calls, showing up late to the newsroom or just generally exhibiting disengaged behavior. In 2009, CNN was allowed to send one journalist into the Staples Center to cover the Michael Jackson memorial. Lemon was the choice, while Anderson Cooper and O’Brien anchored outside. Sources remember Lemon complaining on social media that Cooper got more airtime.
“That led to a come-to-Jesus moment,” says another senior executive from the era. “Don was told, ‘Look, you’ve got to address your behavior. Your performance as a reporter is great. It’s your behavior that’s gotta improve. It’s what’s going to derail you if you’re not careful.’”
Instead of reining in Lemon, his superiors let things slide, perhaps because he had fostered a close friendship with then-Turner Broadcasting System chairman and CEO Phil Kent, sitting in the Turner box alongside Kent at sporting events.
After Kent hired Jeff Zucker to run the network in 2013, Lemon only became more of a provocateur. About six months after Zucker arrived, Lemon gave his on-air take on five ways the Black community could fix its problems, including suggesting “pull up your pants.” He went on to add: “Walking around with your ass and your underwear showing is not OK. In fact, it comes from prison when they take away belts from the prisoner so that they can’t make a weapon. And then it evolved into which role a prisoner would have during male-on-male prison sex. The one with the really low pants is a submissive one. You get my point.” Goldie Taylor, a former CNN consultant who appeared frequently as a guest on Lemon’s weekend show, said she was blacklisted at the network for critiquing Lemon’s controversial comments. “I am personally banned from a network b/c, ironically enough, I dared disagree w/ a black man publicly abt black life […] I don’t throw rocks and hide my hand. That network is @CNN and the anchor is @donlemon,” she tweeted in 2016.
Taylor remains steadfast in her criticism of Lemon.
“I’m never surprised when Don gets in trouble,” she tells Variety. “It makes me neither happy nor sad to see him undermine his own success. There was a time when it appeared that Black people were most often the subject of his ire. Now, it seems to me that when he says something offensive, there’s almost always a woman on the other side.”
(A CNN spokesperson says he does not know why the network cut ties with Taylor.)
One female colleague who had been close to the anchor in his early days at the network found that during the Zucker era, Lemon was losing touch with his former friends. She adds that the change showed in his journalistic choices, with the anchor neglecting important stories affecting the Black community.
“I saw a new Don emerging, and I didn’t like the new Don,” she says. “He likes celebrity. He likes fame, likes power. He was no longer the same person.”
He became increasingly polarizing, particularly when it came to discussing women, which sometimes came off as tone-deaf. In 2014, he drew widespread condemnation when he told a Bill Cosby rape accuser that she could have stopped an attack by biting the comedian’s penis.
Over the years, Lemon relied upon his charm to win over would-be adversaries, particularly men. Even the opposing counsel in the Tower Records lawsuit speaks glowingly of the anchor.
“I thought he was a quality person and a pleasure to be in his company,” says attorney Paul Rosen, who represented Tower Records in the civil suit. “I remember him working with me on a number of cases I had in Philadelphia [after the settlement] and it’s a pleasure to see [him] on air and what he has achieved in the broadcasting field.”
Likewise, Zucker never wavered with his support for Lemon. In 2016, he landed in the primetime lineup with his own show, “Don Lemon Tonight.” That same year, Donald Trump called Lemon “dumb as a rock,” which only contributed to the anchor’s rising star. The more Trump criticized Lemon, the more his fame grew as he quickly became a household name alongside Cooper.
But some colleagues questioned his journalistic ethics. In 2021, disgraced actor Jussie Smollett testified in court that he first learned that Chicago police doubted his story about being the victim of a MAGA-inspired attack after he received a text message warning from Lemon. As a result, Lemon opted not to hand his phone records over to cops.
Says Washington State University journalism professor Ryan Thomas, “Ethically speaking, we can distinguish between conflicts of interest that should be avoided and conflicts of interests that, if they can’t be avoided, should be mitigated and disclosed. [The Smollett case is] very clearly in the former category. … Involving yourself in a story involving a public figure — whether to warn, advise or coach — is as clear and bright and flashing an ethical red line as it gets in journalism. A freshman journalism student would clearly recognize the problems inherent.”
Adds one long-time colleague: “He should have been benched in that instance. No question.”
But CNN says it looked into the matter and found Lemon behaved appropriately. “CNN reviewed the incident in question at the time and found that any interaction was an act of journalism as Don was attempting to prompt a response from Mr. Smollett and book him for his show,” a spokesperson for the network said.
Regardless, Zucker stood by Lemon despite firing anchor Chris Cuomo for advising his brother, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, as the latter faced sexual harassment allegations. In arbitration filings, Chris Cuomo’s attorneys argued that his transgressions were similar to Lemon’s. After Zucker was ousted in 2022, many believed that Lemon would be on the chopping block. But Lemon survived the regime change at parent company WarnerMedia following its merger with Discovery that same year. Still, higher-ups were suddenly paying attention to his behavior amid his woeful ratings. In September, he relied on a sexist trope on air to try to explain why fellow panelist S.E. Cupp was stumbling over a statistic about Republicans. “Is it fair to say this because I’m not a mommy, but is it mommy brain?” he asked Cupp. An awkward silence ensued before Cupp answered, “No, Don, I just forgot what I was going to say,” she said.
Then, Lemon was moved back to mornings in November and paired with two female anchors, Poppy Harlow and Kaitlan Collins, for the first time since the Phillips debacle. One executive noted that it was a recipe for disaster. And the gaffes continued. One month into the new gig, Lemon drew ire for saying the U.S. men’s national soccer team should get paid more than the women’s team and insisted the former is “more interesting to watch.”
Three months later came the Haley comments, which sources say prompted Harlow to flee the set with Collins following her to try to talk to her. An intense news cycle ensued, with the CNN brand taking a hit at a time when the network’s ratings continue to nosedive as it tries to find its footing in the Licht era. But once again, Lemon survived the outcry.
Still, if there was a past laissez-faire attitude about Lemon, those days appear to be over. CNN is making him undergo “formal training.” Now, more and more people are willing to call him to task, like a critical Washington Post op-ed titled “Does Don Lemon’s punishment fit the crime?” But he remains planted behind the anchors’ desk.
Says attorney Devin McRae, who specializes in entertainment contract litigation, “These provisions that [CNN anchors] have in their contracts that define what is cause for termination, it’s pretty abstract. That allows CNN to subjectively apply it. Ultimately, it does seem to come down to, ‘How is Lemon’s behavior making CNN look?’”
Haley wanted to be a white woman so she is aging like Milk like a white woman. She looks like she is in her 60’s.
Similar threads
