CNN’s Don Lemon says TV network fired him as Fox News parts ways with Tucker Carlson

Cable television network CNN has fired longtime host Don Lemon, the news anchor said in a post on Twitter on Monday, adding he was “stunned” by the step and claiming he was not directly informed of the termination by the network.

“I was informed this morning by my agent that I have been terminated by CNN. I am stunned,” Lemon said.

“After 17 years at CNN, I would have thought someone in management would have had the decency to tell me directly. At no time was I ever given any indication I would not be able to continue to do the work I have loved at the network.”

In a statement CNN said the network and Lemon had parted ways. It said Lemon was offered a chance to meet with network management but he instead released a statement on his personal Twitter account. The network described Lemon's version of events as “inaccurate”.

Neither statement gave a reason for Lemon's departure.

Lemon joined CNN in 2006. He hosted the prime-time show Don Lemon Tonight for more than eight years and gained prominence during the presidency of Donald Trump for his commentary on the former Republican president, who he called a “racist”.

Trump welcomed Lemon's departure from CNN. On his Truth Social platform, the former president said: “My only question is, what took them so long?”

Lemon faced severe criticism earlier this year for comments made on air during a discussion about Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley's proposal that people over the age of 75 who wish to serve in the White House should prove their mental competence.

He said Haley was not in her prime and that a woman's prime is in her 20s, 30s or “maybe her 40s”. He later apologised for the sexist comments.

In response to Lemon's departure from CNN, Haley tweeted on Monday: “A great day for women everywhere.”

Lemon was on the air earlier on Monday for the CNN This Morning show, which he started hosting a few months ago.

CNN's top boss, Chris Licht, said the show, which Lemon hosted with journalists Kaitlan Collins and Poppy Harlow, will continue and CNN was “committed to its success”.

The cable television network is owned by Warner Bros Discovery.

Meanwhile, Fox News Media and its top-rated host Tucker Carlson have agreed to part ways  less than a week after the Fox Corp media company settled for $787.5m (about R1.4bn) a defamation lawsuit in which Carlson played a starring role.

The outspoken Carlson embraced conservative issues and delivered his views with a style that made his prime-time show Tucker Carlson Tonight the highest-rated cable news programme in the key 25-to-54 age demographic on the most-watched US cable news network. Shares of Fox closed 2.9% lower on the news, which the company announced on Monday.

Dominion Voting Systems alleged in its lawsuit that Carlson allowed debunked election fraud claims about the voting technology firm to air on his show, while casting doubts on the plausibility of the claims in private messages that emerged in legal filings.

Carlson is also key to additional legal battles facing Fox, including a lawsuit filed by his former head of booking Abby Grossberg, who said Fox coerced her testimony in the Dominion case.

Grossberg last month accused network lawyers of pressuring her to provide misleading testimony and said Fox exposed her and others to rampant sexism and misogyny. Fox fired Grossberg, saying her legal claims were “riddled with false allegations against Fox and our employees”.

Carlson's next move and the reason for his departure are unclear.

“We thank him for his service to the network as a host and prior to that as a contributor,” Fox News said.

While the departure leaves Fox without one of its biggest stars, advertisers have fled Carlson's show as he has embraced controversy.

Two sources familiar with the matter said Fox Corp CEO Lachlan Murdoch and Fox News Media CEO Suzanne Scott reached the decision on Friday night that it was time to part ways with Carlson.

A third person said the senior executive producer of Tucker Carlson Tonight, Justin Wells, was also let go from Fox News on Monday.

US Representative Thomas Massie, a Republican from Kentucky, said Fox would suffer from Carlson's departure.

"@TuckerCarlson leaving Fox News. He was the boldest they had! This is a big loss for Fox,” he wrote on Twitter.

CLAIMS OF MANIPULATION

In the immediate weeks after President Joe Biden was declared the winner of the 2020 election, smaller, more conservative rivals to Fox such as Newsmax gained viewers as they questioned election results. Dominion alleged Fox staff, ranging from Carlson and members of the newsroom to the board of directors, knew the statements about Dominion were false but continued to air them to avoid losing more viewers.

“For a while Fox News has been moving to become establishment media and Tucker Carlson’s removal is a big milestone in that effort,” Newsmax CEO Christopher Ruddy said.

In deeply conservative West Texas, some Fox viewers expressed shock and anger at Carlson’s removal.

“My wife and I think it’s a real bummer they took him off air because he’s a true conservative voice,” said Mark Gudelman, a 67-year-old retiree in Shallowater, Texas.

Four people in Shallowater who said they were conservative but would not give their full names told Reuters they stopped watching Fox after the perceived betrayal of Trump in 2020. They said they now preferred what they considered to be even more truly conservative outlets, such as Newsmax or One America News.

Dominion is also suing Newsmax and One America News for similar debunked claims about vote rigging.

Carlson’s last programme was on April 21, the company said. It said Fox News Tonight will air live at 8pm EDT starting on Monday as an interim show helmed by rotating Fox News personalities until a new host is named.

After the announcement of Carlson's departure, a Trump spokesperson tweeted: “Fox News is controlled opposition.”

Trump gave an interview to Carlson earlier this month that aired on Fox.

Republican US Representative Lauren Boebert, who has been a staunch Trump supporter, was quick to back Carlson.

“I stand with Tucker Carlson!” she tweeted shortly after the news broke.

Carlson joined Fox News as a contributor in 2009 and became a co-host of in 2012. He began hosting his prime-time show in November 2016. In 2021 Fox announced a multiyear deal with Carlson to provide content for its Fox Nation streaming service.