Nearly a year after being fired from CNN, show host Don Lemon is expected to be granted roughly $24.5 million from a deal cut with the outlet, according to a new report.
The left-wing anchor had his contract with the mainstream media outlet suddenly severed in April 2023 in response to accusations that he was engaged in unprofessional conduct. An exclusive report published by The Wrap on Feb. 26 reveals that Lemon has finally reached an agreement with CNN.
The deal will award him money he would have earned in the three years he was supposed to stay on staff until his contract expired. Unnamed sources provided the information to The Wrap. Representatives for CNN and Lemon—including Bryan Freedman, his attorney—did not immediately respond to the outlet’s request for comment.
Lemon has since moved on from the mainstream media outlet and is set to launch “The Don Lemon Show” on X, Elon Musk’s platform that boasts its commitment to free speech. This move echoes the choice of many popular media personalities, including conservative former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, who have shifted to the social media platform after parting ways with major media outlets.
Last year, Lemon was terminated following two viral moments on the CNN prime time show he hosted. In one clip that dominated headlines for days, the anchor claimed that 51-year-old “Nikki Haley isn’t in her prime,” saying that a woman “is considered to be in her prime” in her 20s and 30s, “maybe 40s.”
When pressed by co-anchor Poppy Harlow if he was referring to a woman’s prime reproductive years, Lemon said, “Don’t shoot the messenger” and told Harlow to “Google it.”
Don Lemon: "Nikki Haley isn’t in her prime. Sorry, when a woman is considered to be in her prime in her 20s, and 30s, and maybe 40s…"
Poppy Harlow: "Are you talking about prime for like child bearing?"
"Don’t shoot the messenger! I’m just saying what the facts are! Google it!" pic.twitter.com/n1HmtkWTpl
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) February 16, 2023
Another moment that preceded Lemon’s dismissal from CNN was an interview he conducted with then-GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. The heated conversation turned heads for the notable amount of tension seen by Lemon as the two argued about the end of slavery and a dispute about Black people having “secured their freedoms after the Civil War.”
Following his firing from CNN, Lemon revealed his disappointment and frustration that he had only heard of the sudden move—which took place shortly after his comments about Haley—through his agent instead of outlet management.
CNN later stated that the host had been offered a chance to meet with the higher-ups at the organization but refused.
