'CNN This Morning' Fate Revealed After Don Lemon's Firing

By Brenda Alexander

CNN This Morning will go on without Don Lemon. Days after Lemon says he was fired without warning and unable to give a proper on-air goodbye, his two co-hosts will continue without him. In a memo (via Oliver Darcy's Twitter account), CNN CEO Chris Licht wrote: "CNN and Don have parted ways. Don will forever be 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. CNN This Morning has been on air for nearly six months, and we are committed to its success." 

Lemon co-hosted the morning news program alongside Poppy Harlow and Kaitlan Collins on weekdays. He previously hosted Don Lemon Tonight alone before being switched from primetime to the morning show. Rumors of Lemon being on thin ice at the network ran for months.

Weeks before his firing was announced, Variety released a report of Lemon's alleged toxic behavior in the workplace, which was filled with allegations of sexism, superiority, malicious texts, and romantic relationships with subordinates that were said to be consensual. Lemon was labeled as a diva, with behavior deemed intolerable for 15 years. Lemon reportedly had outbursts at company meetings where he berated women. The report came after his controversial statement that 51-year-old Nikki Haley isn't a viable presidential candidate because she "isn't in her prime." Lemon later apologized. Still, Lemon claims he was blindsided by the firing.

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He wrote in a statement he released to the public: "I am stunned. 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 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. 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." CNN denied his claim, alleging he was invited to a meeting to discuss things further, but declined. He's reportedly now owed $25 million from his contract payout, and had hired an attorney.

But he says he's in no rush to find a new job. The 51-year-old attended a Time Magazine party and spoke on the incident, noting that he looks forward to taking some time off. "I do, I want to work again, but I'm lucky enough to be in a position where I don't have to worry about those things. I'm going to spend my summer on the beach and on the boat with my family and just chill out and I'll see what happens next," he said.

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