Out and about. Don Lemon was spotted in New York City for the first time since claiming he was “terminated” by CNN amid recent backlash.
The journalist, 57, kept a low profile in a black sweater and jeans teamed with a black hat and sunglasses after taking to Twitter on Monday, April 24, with the news of his exit from the network. Lemon attempted to draw little attention as he held a phone in each hand at a local Apple Store.
Lemon raised eyebrows on Monday when he alleged that he was blindsided by his termination from CNN after nearly two decades. “I was informed this morning by my agent that I have been terminated by CNN,” he wrote in a social media statement. “I am stunned. After 17 years at CNN I would have thought that someone in management would have had the decency to tell me directly. At 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.”
The Louisiana native had hosted CNN This Morning as usual earlier that day. “It is clear that there are some larger issues at play,” his statement continued. “With that said, I want to thank my colleagues and the many teams I have worked with for an incredible run. They are the most talented journalists in the business, and I wish them all the best.”
The broadcaster’s claims were swiftly shut down by the network’s communications team, who issued a response via Twitter. “Don Lemon’s statement about this morning’s events is inaccurate,” the post read. “He was offered an opportunity to meet with management but instead released a statement on Twitter.”
Lemon’s departure comes two months after he came under fire for saying former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley “isn’t in her prime” while discussing her bid for the presidency. “Don’t shoot the messenger, I’m just saying what the facts are,” he told cohost Poppy Harlow on CNN This Morning in February during a conversation about Haley’s suggestion that politicians over age 75 should take mental competency tests. “Google it.”
The former Today correspondent continued: “Nikki Haley should be careful about saying that politicians are not in their prime, and they need to be in their prime when they serve. Because she wouldn’t be in her prime, according to Google or whatever it is.”
His comments quickly ignited a debate on social media, and he publicly apologized before briefly being taken off the air in the wake of the controversy. Lemon returned to the news desk later that month.
Shortly after his firing made headlines, Megyn Kelly seemingly sided with her fellow journalist — and slammed CNN for taking a “classless” approach. “I mean, everybody knows I’m not exactly Don Lemon’s fan, but … he’s got a right to complain about that,” the former Fox News personality, 52, said on SiriusXM’s The Megyn Kelly Show on Monday.
Kelly hinted that if Lemon’s statement was “true,” it seemed like there might have been “a final straw” for his employment. “Something must have happened there. … Something else must have come out,” she alleged.
Sunny Hostin, meanwhile, defended her friend and former CNN colleague amid reports of his alleged misogynistic behavior. “I know that I’m biased here … and I will say I don’t believe — in my experience with him — that he’s a misogynist,” she said on The View on Tuesday, April 25. “I think he loves women. He loves his mother. He loved his sister. He loves me. He loves Joy Behar. … Don, yes, said some things that were sexist and, I think, ageist. He apologized for them and received formal training.”
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Scroll down for the first glimpse of Lemon since his CNN exit:
