Don Lemon has not been without his supporters in the wake of his CNN exit, and many of them are reveling in the firing of Chris Licht, the network’s now-former CEO. On April 24, Lemon announced that he had been let go from CNN. Licht initially confirmed Lemon’s exit by stating, “Don will forever be a part of the CNN family, and we thank him for his contributions over the past 17 years. We wish him well and will be cheering him on in his future endeavors.”
However, in his own statement, Lemon wrote, “I was informed this morning by my agent that I have been terminated by CNN. I am stunned. After 17 years at CNN I would have thought that someone in management would have 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. It is clear there are some larger issues at play.” Fast forward to early June, Licht found himself out at CNN as well, and Lemon’s fans have a lot of thoughts about it. Scroll down to read more and see some reactions.
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“Checking The TL”
There has been speculation as to whether or not Lemon would return to CNN, following Licht’s exit, but there is no official word the journalist has a desire to rejoin the network.
“Cackling”
Speaking to the NY Post, a source reportedly laughed and said they “don’t see any scenario” in which the former host would be compelled to rejoin CNN.
“Getting The Axe”
Seemingly in response, a separate source added that Lemon has joked about returning “to save the network. However, this is in contrast to what another insider had today about Lemon’s plans.
“Canned”
According to Radar Online, a source claims that Lemon has been “laughing at Chris’ mounting failures” for weeks, culminating in Licht’s expulsion from CNN. Additionally, the outlet also quite an insider as saying, “CNN staffers feel embarrassed to be part of the systematic destruction of a once respected news brand. People consider Chris to be the worst network head they’ve ever seen.”
“Waking Up”
Lemon and Licht had a notoriously tumultuous working relationship. Things between the two seemed to take a very intense turn when Licht fired Lemon back in April.
“I Just Know…”
“This was an exciting but incredibly challenging assignment and I learned a lot over the past 13 months,” Licht said in a statement on his exit. “I’ve been lucky enough to have had a successful, fulfilling career and I look forward to my next chapter. I wish the team at CNN the very best, always.”
“Pop Pop”
On June 7, it was reported that David Zaslav — the chief executive of CNN’s parent company Warner Bros. Discovery — informed CNN employees of Licht’s exit during the network’s daily editorial meeting. “I met with Chris and he will be leaving CNN,” Zaslav said.