Don Lemon’s Firing Referenced on CNN New Year’s Eve Broadcast

Former CNN host Don Lemon’s 2023 firing was the subject of Roy Wood Jr.’s joke as the comedian took aim at the journalist during the network’s annual New Year’s Eve show with Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen.

As Cooper and Cohen hosted the festivities for CNN in Times Square, the Bravo personality offered tequila shots to Wood and his Have I Got News For You co-stars Michael Ian Black and Amber Ruffin.

While Black and Ruffin accepted the drink offer, Wood turned down the shot, quipping, “The last Black man to drink on this network got fired.” The comedian continued that he would “stick with water for now” as he needed “stability” for the rest of the night. In response to Wood’s joke about Lemon, Cohen quickly changed the subject, while Cooper took off his glasses to rub his face.

Lemon, who was fired from CNN in 2023, was known for his wild antics while drinking during the network’s New Year’s Eve show. In 2016, Lemon got his ear pierced on live TV after the ball dropped, while during another broadcast, Lemon declared that he was a “grown-ass man” who was “able to share my point of view on television and it freaks people out and you know what.” He continued, “You can kiss my behind, I do not care. I don’t care.”

Following Lemon’s antics, former CNN CEO Chris Licht announced that on-air talents would not be able to drink on-air during the show, with Cooper and Cohen regaining their alcohol privileges after a dry year featuring shots of pickle juice.

In 2023, Lemon took to social media to lambast CNN for the manner in which he was fired. “I was informed this morning by my agent that I have been terminated by CNN. I am stunned,” he said at the time. “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. It is clear that there are some larger issues at play.”

Wood has made jokes about Lemon’s firing in the past, referencing the journalist’s termination during the 2023 White House Correspondents’ Dinner. At the time, Wood joked that the ousted CNN host was fired because “Lemon can’t even accurately report a story about Don Lemon.” Lemon now hosts his online series The Don Lemon Show.