Don Lemon Is Suspended for “Derogatory” Comments Commentary on Nancy Grace, Soledad O’Brien, and Other Topics

Don Lemon has a history of making unsavoury remarks, but since his “women in their prime” outburst, a new exposé covering his time at CNN claims that he has been making fun of and attacking his coworkers for more than 15 years.

Don Lemon Is Suspended for “Derogatory”

Back in ’08, a little drama went down at CNN. Apparently, Don Lemon was not pleased with his colleague Kyra Phillips being assigned to cover Iraq. So much so, that he ripped up some notes and sent her threatening texts from a burner phone. Yikes. CNN leadership caught wind of it and traced the number back to Lemon. Let’s just say, the message he sent doesn’t exactly fit a friendly tone. An investigation was launched with HR, and Don Lemon ended up with a bit of a demotion – covering the weekend shift. Well, that escalated quickly.

This is only one of several instances where Lemon is said to have reacted angrily when a female coworker was given opportunities that he was unable to, such as in 2008 when Soledad O’Brien hosted CNN’s Black in America series. According to reports, Lemon claimed that O’Brien wasn’t Black on an editorial call introducing the series anchor.

“Don has long had a tendency of saying dumb and wrong things, so that seems very on character for him,” O’Brien, who wasn’t on the conversation, told Variety.

A CNN spokeswoman disagreed, saying that “Don, Soledad, and others have in the past accurately referred to her Afro-Cuban origin since it is a distinctive component of her personal story.” Don Lemon , though, disputes making any disparaging remarks about the subject.

Other incidents, described in the story, including times when Lemon reportedly would forget editorial calls and arrive at work late in what insiders referred to as “diva-like conduct” to Variety. The outlet also lists other insensitive remarks made by the reporter on-air, including the claim that a Bill Cosby victim should have bit his penis, making fun of Nancy Grace, inquiring as to whether political commentator S.E. Cupp had “mommy brain,” and claiming that the men’s national soccer team should be paid more than the women’s team because the men are “more interesting to watch.”

Also Read : Don Lemon Rejects ‘Patently Wrong’ Claims That He Has Shown ‘Troubling Handling of Women’

The Nancy Grace incident happened in the late 2000s, when Lemon is alleged to have mocked Nancy Grace when they were both on television. Also, he was charged of being “rude and dismissive” to Grace, who according to a source thinks of Lemon as “an ass.”

Another occasion, management had to intervene to keep Don Lemon under control when he apparently became irate that Anderson Cooper and Conan O’Brien got more coverage than he did during a 2009 Michael Jackson tribute.

A former CNN executive said, “It led to a come-to-Jesus moment.” “Don, you need to confront your conduct,” was the advice given. Your reporting skills are excellent. Your conduct has to change. If you don’t take care, it’s going to lead to your downfall.

The direct approach, however, doesn’t seem to have had much of an impact; after Jeff Zucker took over CNN in 2013, Don Lemon started to rise to prominence inside the network and kept doing so. After this, according to reports from the exposé, Don Lemon became aloof and shifted his focus more on achieving personal goals than creating powerful stories.

“I saw a new Don emerge, and I didn’t like the new Don,” a pal told Variety. “He enjoys celebrities. He enjoys fame and power. He wasn’t the same person anymore.

Don Lemon

A CNN representative commented on Lemon’s behalf to The Daily Beast, saying, “The report, which is littered with demonstrably untrue stories and no real proof, is solely based on unsourced, unproven, 15-year-old anonymous hearsay.” “It’s amazing and terrible that Variety would be so careless.”