CNN provided its own fact check to terminated employee Don Lemon's statement on Monday, saying that his claims were inaccurate.
The network's statement was released shortly after Lemon offered his own words in response to the decision on social media.
CNN Blasts Don Lemon Over Statement, Claims It’s False https://t.co/PInQ6cF6la pic.twitter.com/6jSTqDiR49
— Daily Wire News (@DailyWireNews) April 24, 2023
“Don Lemon’s statement about this morning’s events is inaccurate,” CNN Communications said in a statement.
“He was offered an opportunity to meet with management but instead released a statement on Twitter," it added.
BREAKING: Don Lemon Fired from CNN https://t.co/e36TxTQVn6
— ALX 🇺🇸 (@alx) April 24, 2023
“After 17 years at CNN I would have thought that someone in management would have had the decency to tell me directly," Lemon wrote online.
“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,” he continued. “It is clear that there are some larger issues at play. With that said, I want to thank my colleagues and the many teams I have worked with for an incredible run.”
Don Lemon fired from CNN, ‘stunned’ by how he found out https://t.co/onWd2FldPq pic.twitter.com/c2kmeLMH7d
— New York Post (@nypost) April 24, 2023
CNN did not explain the reasons for Lemon's firing. Lemon has been the source of many controversies leading up to his release.
"In December last year, Lemon is said to have “screamed” at his co-anchor, Kaitlan Collins, after an on-air segment, sources told The Post at the time," the New York Post reported.
"When the cameras stopped rolling after the Dec. 8 show, he allegedly approached Collins and unleashed on her in front of staffers for supposedly 'interrupting' him on air," it added.
Lemon also faced criticism over his words after Nikki Haley announced her run as a GOP presidential candidate. He argued that she was not "in her prime." Haley is 51 years old, while President Joe Biden is 80 and former President Donald Trump is 76.
The termination oddly came on the same day that Fox News and Tucker Carlson announced they are parting ways, with Carlson leaving the network effective immediately.
The major news day for top cable networks is part of serious shakeups among top outlets in response to a variety of market changes in post-Covid America that are transforming the media landscape, including CNN's ousting of Lemon.
