Soledad O’Brien called out CNN colleague Don Lemon‘s “idiotic” comments after several bombshells were unearthed in a new report detailing Lemon’s alleged hostile off-screen behavior towards her and others at the network. Several former and current colleagues of Lemon have outlined alleged misogynistic, inappropriate, and diva-like behaviors at the cable network in an exposé published in Variety on Wednesday. One of the documented incidents occurred in 2008, before the launch of CNN’s Black in America docuseries, a high-profile hosting opportunity Lemon was said to resent losing to O’Brien. Sources who attended an editorial call with Lemon and roughly 30 staffers at the time claim that he suggested O’Brien isn’t Black. The outlet’s sources found the characterization wildly offensive. An anonymous colleague added that Lemon “always wanted to be front and center on anything high-profile, especially anything involving race.”
Although O’Brien wasn’t on the call, she weighed in on Lemon’s alleged comment. “Don has long had a habit of saying idiotic and inaccurate things, so it sounds pretty on brand for him,” she told Variety.
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“Don, Soledad, and others have in the past correctly referred to her Afro-Cuban heritage as it is a unique part of her personal story,” said a CNN spokesperson in response. “But Don denies making any related remark in a derogatory way.” In response to the whole report, a spokesperson for Lemon told TheWrap, “The story, which is riddled with patently false anecdotes and no concrete evidence, is entirely based on unsourced, unsubstantiated, 15-year-old anonymous gossip. “It’s amazing and disappointing that Variety would be so reckless.”
The deep dive comes nearly two months after Lemon received backlash for his sexist remarks on CNN This Morning in February, which led Variety to examine his behavior in more detail. When Lemon spoke, he said former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, who had just announced her run for president, wasn’t “in her prime,” because women are “considered to be in their prime in their 20s and 30s and maybe 40s.” After his comments sparked criticism, Lemon sat out several subsequent broadcasts of the daily show and agreed to participate in a series of “formal training” sessions following his return. “I appreciate the opportunity to be back on [CNN This Morning]
today,” Lemon tweeted on Feb. 22. “To my network, my colleagues and our incredible audience — I’m sorry. I’ve heard you, I’m learning from you, and I’m committed to doing better.”
