NewsNation hosts were visibly stunned on air as news broke Monday that now-former CNN anchor Don Lemon had been fired from the network.
The hosts discussed the departure of Daily Caller co-founder Tucker Carlson from Fox News when they simultaneously learned of CNN firing Lemon.
“Don Lemon is now tweeting that he has been informed that he has been terminated by CNN. Did anyone see this one coming?” the anchor asked. (RELATED: Tucker Out At Fox)
“Wow,” NewsNation media contributor Colby Hall said in apparent shock. “I knew that as, um … that is stunning. I had spoken to Don recently, and he was worried about that very thing stemming from the moment … about two months ago, he made fun of Nikki Haley.”
Lemon came under fire after exclaiming in a Feb. 16 episode of “CNN This Morning” that Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley is past her “prime” age. The former anchor issued an apology later that day and said he regretted making an “irrelevant” point about a woman’s age.
Lemon underwent “formal training” for the remarks, which CNN President Chris Licht reportedly condemned during an editorial meeting the following day.
Hall said top executives at CNN “were really concerned” because his comment about Haley “stuck a dagger” into the network’s target viewership.
Variety published a report April 5 outlining several scandalous allegations from Lemon’s past. Lemon reportedly dated a junior staffer nearly 20 years younger than him and threatened a colleague via text message in 2008 after allegedly becoming jealous of her assignment in Iraq.