Former CNN anchor Don Lemon has reportedly reached an agreement with his former employer that will net him roughly $24.5 million in compensation after he was fired last year with about three years left in his contract.
Lemon, who hosted a prime-time weeknight program for years before then-network boss Chris Licht moved him to co-host status on a doomed morning show and ultimately fired him altogether in April.
The multimillion-dollar deal announced this week was described as the estimated earnings he would have received if he had remained on the payroll throughout the remainder of his contract.
Lemon’s 17-year tenure at the cable news network was marked by troubling allegations and problematic on-air remarks — including a comment about GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley that opened him up to allegations of sexism.
He was fired just weeks after claiming that Haley was past “her prime,” noting at the time that he received the news through his agent rather than from Licht himself.
“I am stunned after 17 years at CNN I would have thought that someone in management would have the decency to tell me directly,” he wrote in a social media post. “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.”
CNN disputed Lemon’s depiction, insisting that he refused to meet with management when given the opportunity to do so.
Lemon subsequently opined further regarding the circumstances of his ouster, claiming: “CNN, the strategy and their content and the direction they wanted to go in, I was not a part of that.”
Like former Fox News Channel host Tucker Carlson, it appears that Lemon’s next move might be to social media — specifically X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, which teased a forthcoming show last month.
Welcome to X!@donlemon @TulsiGabbard @jimrome pic.twitter.com/WlZSV5Zymt
— Business (@XBusiness) January 9, 2024
“We’re delighted to announce a new content partnership with Don Lemon for his new project, The Don Lemon Show,” a post by X announced. “The award-winning TV journalist will share his unique and honest voice in 30-minute episodes, three times a week, covering politics, culture, sports, and entertainment.”
