Longtime CNN anchor Don Lemon is out at the network, Lemon confirmed on social media Monday.

Lemon, who worked at CNN for 17 years, most recently hosting the network's CNN This Morning show with Poppy Harlow and Kaitlan Collins, said in a tweet that he was informed of his dismissal by his agent. 

“I am stunned. After 17 years at CNN I would have thought that someone in management would have the decency to tell me directly,” Lemon said in the tweet. “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.”

On the CNN Communications (@CNNPR) Twitter account, the network said Lemon’s statement was “inaccurate. He was offered an opportunity to meet with management but instead released a statement on Twitter.”

“CNN and Don have parted ways,” another CNN Communications tweet said. “Don will forever be a part of the CNN family, and we thank him for his contributions over the past 17 years. We wish him well and will be cheering him on in his future endeavors.”

CNN CEO Chris Licht said in a statement that Lemon “will forever be a part of the CNN family, and we thank him for his contributions over the past 17 years.”

In February 2023, Lemon was off the air following derogatory comments he made toward older women during a discussion about Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley. 

Lemon’s departure comes on the heels of Fox News Channel’s decision to let go of popular primetime host Tucker Carlson.

New CNN chairman Chris Licht continued his shake-up of the news network by announcing a new morning show.

Don Lemon will be moving from primetime to anchor the show, along with Poppy Harlow and Kaitlan Collins.

The new morning program will have a new name, format and set, CNN said. 

Also: New CNN Head Chris Licht Explains Plans for Network

“There is no stronger combination of talent than Don, Poppy and Kaitlan to deliver on our promise of a game-changing morning news program,” Licht said. “They are each uniquely intelligent, reliable and compelling; together they have a rare and palpable chemistry. Combined with CNN’s resources and global newsgathering capabilities, we will offer a smart, bold and refreshing way to start the day.”

Moving Lemon from his hour-long primetime slot also continues a trend of eliminating commentary that was critical of Donald Trump, making the network more centrist or conservative.

“The last eight years have been an incredible ride. I’ve had the opportunity to work with one of the best show teams in the business, but it’s time to shake things up. I am so appreciative of the Don Lemon Tonight team, my wonderful, loyal viewers and everyone who has believed in me,” Lemon said. “I was honestly floored when Chris Licht asked me to do this and I’m honored by his belief in me. It’s going to be a thrill to take on this challenge with Poppy and Kaitlan. I’ll get to work with two of my dearest friends. Set your alarms folks, because we’re going to have a lot of fun.”

Harlow is currently an anchor of CNN Newsroom from 9-11 a.m. ET and host of the CNN podcast Boss Files. She joined the network in 2008.

Collins joined CNN in 2017 and became the network’s youngest-ever chief White House correspondent at age 29. She will serve as co-anchor and chief correspondent for the show.

John Berman and Brianna Keilar will continue to anchor New Day, CNN’s current morning show, until the new program premieres. Both will assume new roles at the network later this year, CNN said. ■

CNN’s Don Lemon and Pamela Adlon of FX’s Better Things headline this year’s Promax conference, which will have a very different look because of COVID-19 and new demands for diversity.

Because of the pandemic, the conference will take place online. The Promax Virtual Experience is July 7-9.

The day one speaker is Lemon, who in addition to anchoring CNN Tonight, is host of the Silence Is Not an Option podcast. He’s followed by Verna Myers, VP, inclusion strategy at Netflix, who is scheduled to speak about “Overcoming Bias and Disrupting Institutional Racism: From Neutrality to Action.”

Jeanine Liburd, BET’s chief social impact officer, is the opening speaker on day two.

On day three, Adlon opens with a talk about “Being Better, Doing Better.”

Other speakers on the program are from Hulu, Showtime, Nickelodeon, BET, Disney, Discovery, FX, TNT, Fox and Pepsi.

CNN’s Don Lemon and Pamela Adlon of FX’s Better Things headline this year’s Promax conference, which will have a very different look because of COVID-19 and new demands for diversity.

Because of the pandemic, the conference will take place online. The Promax Virtual Experience is July 7-9.

The day one speaker is Lemon, who in addition to anchoring CNN Tonight, is host of the Silence Is Not an Option podcast. He’s followed by Verna Myers, VP, inclusion strategy at Netflix, who is scheduled to speak about “Overcoming Bias and Disrupting Institutional Racism: From Neutrality to Action.”

Jeanine Liburd, BET’s chief social impact officer, is the opening speaker on day two.

On day three, Adlon opens with a talk about “Being Better, Doing Better.”

Other speakers on the program are from Hulu, Showtime, Nickelodeon, BET, Disney, Discovery, FX, TNT, Fox and Pepsi.

CNN Tonight anchor Don Lemon will host the 22nd Cable Hall of Fame celebration, slated or May 2 at the Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York City.

Lemon will emcee the event, which will begin with a cocktail reception, followed by dinner and the induction ceremony honoring: Ellis Edits, Inc. president Leslie Ellis; former Turner Broadcasting System chairman and CEOPhil Kent; Comcast SVP customer experience Kyle McSlarrow; Advance/Newhouse CEO Steve Miron; MTV, founding creators – Mark Booth, Tom Freston, Judy McGrath, Bob Pittman, Fred Seibert, and John Sykes; and C-SPAN president and co-CEOs Susan Swain and Rob Kennedy. The Bresnan Ethics in Business Award will also be presented posthumously to James O. Robbins.

“We are thrilled to welcome Don as this year’s Cable Hall of Fame master of ceremonies,” said The Cable Center president and CEO Jana Henthorn in a press release. “The Cable Hall of Fame is only a couple of weeks away, and we can’t wait to welcome all of our industry friends and associates as we gather to salute our honorees.”

Lemon joined CNN in September 2006 and also serves as a correspondent across CNN/U.S. programming. He has won an Edward R. Murrow award for his coverage of the capture of the Washington, D.C. snipers, anan Emmy for a special report on real estate in Chicagoland and various other awards for his reporting on the AIDS epidemic in Africa and Hurricane Katrina. He serves on the Board of Trustees at Brooklyn College, where he earned a degree in broadcast journalism.

The 22nd annual Cable Hall of Fame is sponsored by Carlsen Resources; CommScope, Inc.; Anna and John J. Sie Foundation; Charter Communications; Shaw Communications; ARRIS; Advance; Discovery, Inc.; Cablefax; Multichannel News; FierceVideo; Cynopsis; Light Reading; and Vision Graphics.

The news media is under siege but its role in society has never been more important and needed than in today’s hyper-political environment, according to CNN news anchor Don Lemon.

“Everyday it’s like drinking from a fire hose of news … it is exhausting,” said Lemon, who serve as the keynote speaker Tuesday at the 32nd annual NAMIC Conference. “Everything has changed when it comes to this new world order and beyond in the media.”

Lemon, who anchors CNN Tonight with Don Lemon, said he never expected to experience the current level of vitriol and attacks directed at the mainstream news media when he first began his TV journalism career.

“It was never my intent to be fighting people who write and say the most vile and racist things about me on social media and television,” he said. “It was not what I intended [to see] that my profession would constantly be under attack by the Oval office and from masses of Americans. But let me tell you, I’m here for it and I’m ready to live up to that challenge.”

Lemon, the only African-American journalist currently hosting a primetime cable news show, said that right now is the most important time in recent history to be a journalist to serve as a reliable check and balance to often misleading and unreliable information coming from all corners of the political spectrum. He added it’s also a perilous time for reporters, pointing to the recent disappearance and suspected murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

“In the context of this new world order of dramatic political, social, and unparalleled technological change, the role of media has never been more important, and it's also never been more dangerous,” Lemon said. "Foreign reporters in war zones, as well as domestic reporters and journalists like me in war zones of our own here at home, are facing angry people and the threats of violence.”

Lemon also said traditional news media outlets also face threats from social media, which often posts inaccurate news and information. “It is incumbent upon the owners and managers of those sites like Facebook and Twitter to do their due diligence, and it’s incumbent upon you and the rest of America to make sure that they do it,” he said.

The National Association for Multi-ethnicity in Communications (NAMIC) has named CNN journalist Don Lemon as the keynote speaker for its 32nd annual NAMIC Conference this fall.

Lemon, who hosts the news network’s CNN Tonight news series, will open the Oct. 16-17 conference, which will feature as its theme “Empower Leaders, Create Superheroes,” according to the organization.

“We are honored to have Don as our opening keynote speaker,” Joiava Philpott, vice president of regulatory affairs, Law & Policy department, Cox Communications, and chair of the NAMIC National Board of Directors said in a statement. “He is the consummate journalist who brings his authentic self to everything he does, and I know everyone attending the NAMIC Conference will walk away with something from his story and the insights he will bring during his talk.”

Along with education sessions and networking events, the 32nd Annual NAMIC Conference will be highlighted by the L. Patrick Mellon Mentorship Program Luncheon, which honors the recipient of the Mickey Leland Humanitarian Achievement Award, along with the 2018 class of Next Generation Leaders and Luminaries. NAMIC will also present the Excellence in Multicultural Marketing Awards (EMMA) during the conference, according to NAMIC.