NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — CNN fired Don Lemon after 17 years with the network, he said on Monday — the same day Fox News announced Tucker Carlson's exit.
Lemon, 57, said in a statement posted on Twitter that he was informed by his agent that he was being "terminated." He had appeared on his "CNN This Morning" show Monday morning.
"I am stunned," he wrote. "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."
The firing comes after he was widely panned in February for saying 2024 Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley, who is 51, wasn't "in her prime."
Lemon issued a statement saying he regretted his "inartful and irrelevant" comments, which Haley herself called sexist and used to fundraise. He was subsequently absent from the show for three days, returning the following week with a tweeted apology but no mention of the episode on air.
CNN chair Chris Licht told staffers in a memo at the time that Lemon would undergo "formal training," but did not specify what that would entail. Licht added that it was important to him that the network "balances accountability with … fostering a culture in which people can own, learn and grow from their mistakes."
Earlier this month, Variety published a story alleging that Lemon mistreated his female colleagues while at the network.
On Monday, Licht confirmed in a memo to staff that the network and the longtime anchor have "parted ways."
"Don will forever be a part of the CNN family, and we thank him for his contributions over the past 17 years," the memo added. "We wish him well and will be cheering him on in his future endeavors."
CNN did not provide a public explanation for Lemon's departure but said his account of how he was fired was "inaccurate."
"He was offered an opportunity to meet with management but instead released a statement on Twitter," the network said on Twitter.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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