CNN’s Don Lemon is having a tough year. In September, he was taken out of primetime and moved to a morning show. Then he made a dumb comment about Nikki Haley, for which he was forced to apologize.
Lemon’s conflicts with his female co-hosts have been widely reported as well. All of this is causing some people to wonder why CNN is still standing by him.
FOX News reports:
CNN insiders baffled why network stands by Don Lemon as controversies mount: ‘One of the biggest mysteries’Ratings-challenged host Don Lemon has emerged as Teflon at CNN, with the network standing by his every move despite the constant negative attention he creates.CNN’s latest defense of the embattled anchor came last week when Variety published a bombshell report revealing scandalous allegations about him such as sending threatening text messages to a colleague from a burner phone and repeatedly exhibiting misogynistic and “diva-like” behavior. A spokesperson on behalf of Lemon ripped the claims in a strongly worded statement distributed by CNN that blasted the report as “riddled with patently false anecdotes” and “based on unsourced, unsubstantiated, 15-year-old anonymous gossip.”CNN itself put an emphasis on Lemon denying the claims, and he has appeared on “CNN This Morning” per usual. A longtime media industry executive who previously worked at CNN is baffled that the network continues to stand by him.”Well before the Variety article appeared, it’s been one of the biggest mysteries in TV news why CNN keeps Don Lemon around. He rates poorly, he is a source of constant embarrassment and his new morning show is an unqualified disaster,” the media insider told Fox News Digital.”Now his long history of degrading women has been laid bare,” they continued. “What mysterious hold does he have over his bosses that explains his longevity?”
Even the new boss over at CNN knows Lemon is a handful.
The New York Post reports:
CNN boss Chris Licht admits Don Lemon is a ‘lightning rod’ after sexist rant, misogyny historyDon Lemon’s boss at CNN admitted on Monday that the former primetime star has been a “lightning rod” for controversy — days after a damning report alleged years of “diva-like” and misogynistic behavior by the embattled “CNN This Morning” co-host.CNN CEO Chris Licht was asked about Lemon — who recently drew scorn for saying that 51-year-old GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley was “not in her prime” — during an appearance at a media conference hosted by the news startup Semafor.“Don Lemon is a lightning rod because he really came to prominence during an era where that was celebrated and encouraged in prime time,” Licht told Semafor’s Ben Smith when asked to comment on how he deals with the press coverage surrounding Lemon.“CNN has moved on from that and Don has moved on from that,” Licht said.
It’s amazing that the guy is still employed at CNN.
Other people have lost jobs for so much less.
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