Don Lemon has reportedly reached an agreement with CNN to settle his firing from the company. In turn, the network will pay out the remainder of his contract dating three-and-a-half years from the time of his firing. The deal lands him $24.5 million total.
Lemon spent 17 years with CNN before his firing. He had been facing backlash for comments he made about Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley at the time. Appearing on CNN This Morning, Lemon remarked that Haley is "past her prime." He later apologized and "agreed to participate in formal training." Two months later, he was out from the network.
Don Lemon Attends Pre-Grammy Gala
“I am stunned after 17 years at CNN I would have thought that someone in management would have the decency to tell me directly,” Lemon wrote on social media at the time. "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." Afterward, CNN's public relations team released its own statement, claiming the former anchor misrepresented what went down. "Don Lemon's statement about this morning's events is inaccurate," the CNN Communications account tweeted. "He was offered an opportunity to meet with management but instead released a statement on Twitter."
The settlement with CNN comes as Lemon is preparing to launch The Don Lemon Show on X in the coming weeks. That move follows in the footsteps of Tucker Carlson who similarly launched his own series on the platform after being let go from Fox in 2023. Be on the lookout for further updates on Don Lemon on HotNewHipHop.
[Via]