The remaining “CNN This Morning” anchors said farewell on-air Tuesday to former anchor Don Lemon, who the network ousted the previous day.
Lemon announced he was “stunned” after being terminated from CNN after working at the network for 17 years. He faced scrutiny over several reports about his past and most notably after making a remark about Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley being past her “prime” on “CNN This Morning,” the program he co-hosted at the time of his firing.
“As you may have heard yesterday, CNN parted ways with anchor Don Lemon,” co-host Poppy Harlow said. “In a statement, CEO Chris Licht thanked Don for his contributions over the past 17 years, writing, in part, ‘Don will forever be a part of the CNN family. We wish him well and will be cheering him on in his future endeavors.'”
“Absolutely. Of course, Don was a big part of this show for the last six months. He was one of the first anchors on CNN to have me on his show, that is something I’ll obviously never forget,” co-host and former Daily Caller reporter Kaitlan Collins said. “I agree with Chris, we wish him the best.”
“Don was one of my first friends here at CNN. I was so thankful to have worked alongside him and for his support for nearly 15 years here, and I wish him all good things ahead,” Harlow added. (RELATED: ‘Still In My Prime’: Nikki Haley Mocks Don Lemon’s Termination)
In a statement posted to Twitter, Lemon accused CNN’s management of being terminated without warning. The network pushed back against him, saying that they offered Lemon to meet with management but instead posted a statement to social media.