{"id":2765,"date":"2023-04-12T13:57:08","date_gmt":"2023-04-12T18:57:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/?p=2765"},"modified":"2023-04-12T13:57:08","modified_gmt":"2023-04-12T18:57:08","slug":"don-lemons-misogyny-at-cnn-exposed-malicious-texts-mocking-female-co-workers-and-diva-like-behavior","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/?p=2765","title":{"rendered":"Don Lemon\u2019s Misogyny at CNN, Exposed: Malicious Texts, Mocking Female Co-Workers and \u2018Diva-Like Behavior\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns='http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg'%20viewBox='0%200%20370%20247'%3E%3C\/svg%3E\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image-57.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"zeen-lazy-load-base zeen-lazy-load wp-image-2766\"\/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"681\" height=\"383\" src=\"https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image-57.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2766\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image-57.png 681w, https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image-57-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image-57-293x165.png 293w, https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image-57-390x219.png 390w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 681px) 100vw, 681px\" \/><\/noscript><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Back in 2008,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/t\/don-lemon\/\">Don Lemon<\/a>\u00a0was co-anchoring\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/t\/cnn\/\">CNN<\/a>\u2019s \u201cLive From\u201d weekday show with Kyra Phillips, a gig that he landed after he arrived at the network two years prior from local news in Chicago. For months, tensions between the pair kept mounting. On more than one occasion, a \u201cLive From\u201d producer and a newsroom supervisor had to pull Lemon off the air during a commercial break because of the anchor\u2019s provocative antics, not\u00a0<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2023\/02\/20\/style\/don-lemon-cnn-nikki-haley.html\" target=\"_blank\">unlike his recent declaration<\/a>\u00a0that the 51-year-old\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/t\/nikki-haley\/\">Nikki Haley<\/a>\u00a0isn\u2019t a viable presidential candidate because she \u201cisn\u2019t in her prime.\u201d Amid the charged atmosphere, sources say Lemon disrespected colleague Nancy Grace on the air and Soledad O\u2019Brien during an editorial meeting attended by roughly 30 staffers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But his antipathy toward Phillips was particularly concerning and had many members of the close-knit Atlanta news team on edge. While Phillips was on assignment in Iraq \u2014 a high-profile gig that Lemon coveted \u2014 he vented his disappointment at being passed over by tearing up pictures and notes on top of and inside Phillips\u2019 desk in the news pod they shared, according to two sources who worked there at the time. When she returned from Iraq, things only got weirder. One night while dining with members of the news team, she received the first of two threatening text messages from an unknown number on her flip phone that warned, \u201cNow you\u2019ve crossed the line, and you\u2019re going to pay for it.\u201d Phillips was visibly rattled and quickly enlisted CNN\u2019s higher ups to identify the sender.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Remarkably, the texts were traced back to Lemon, according to those same sources. A human resources investigation was launched, and while the findings were never&nbsp;disclosed&nbsp;to the growing pool of staffers who were aware of the situation, Lemon was abruptly pulled from his co-anchor duties with Phillips and moved to the weekends.&nbsp;It was a demotion by any objective measure and understood to be some kind of disciplinary action.&nbsp;It&nbsp;appears to be&nbsp;the last time he was paired with a female anchor until his most recent assignment on \u201cCNN This Morning With Don Lemon, Poppy Harlow and Kaitlan Collins.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Phillips, who joined ABC as a Washington-based correspondent in 2018,&nbsp;declined comment.&nbsp;A spokesperson for CNN said, \u201cDon says the alleged incident never occurred and that he was never notified of any investigation. CNN cannot corroborate the alleged events from 15 years ago.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the wake of Lemon\u2019s Feb. 16 Haley comments \u2014 derided as \u201cunacceptable\u201d and \u201csexist\u201d by everyone from CNN chair Chris Licht to Haley herself, and even referenced by Oscar-winner Michelle Yeoh during her best\u00a0actress\u00a0acceptance speech \u2014 his fate at CNN hung in the balance, with many colleagues privately calling for his ouster. Despite the outcry, he landed back on his feet after riding the bench for two days, posting a Twitter\u00a0mea\u00a0culpa in which he insisted that he is \u201ccommitted to doing better\u201d and ignoring the matter altogether during his Feb. 22 on-air return. Still, the incident has spotlighted\u00a0Lemon\u2019s troubling treatment of women and unprofessional antics, dating back nearly two decades.\u00a0<em>Variety<\/em>\u00a0spoke with more than a dozen former and current colleagues who painted a picture of\u00a0a journalist\u00a0who flouted rules and cozied up to power all\u00a0while displaying open hostility\u00a0to\u00a0many\u00a0female co-workers.\u00a0Each and every time, he appeared to charm his way out of facing any meaningful consequences.\u00a0\u00a0<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Those who worked with him say he was a shameless name dropper and left behind hints that he socialized with important people, like a hand-written note from Stedman Graham that he had taped on his computer. Some were unnerved by his talk of his previous lawsuits, believing it signaled that he was litigious. He frequently let drop that he successfully sued Tower Records as well as the Chicago PD for racial profiling and didn\u2019t need to worry about money thanks to the settlements.&nbsp;(<em>Variety<\/em>&nbsp;can only find record of the former, which was settled in 2001 and appears to be sealed. Through a CNN spokesperson, Lemon says he never sued the Chicago PD). All the while, he began openly dating a fresh-out-of-college staffer despite a major age difference and power imbalance. (Lemon was&nbsp;41, while the staffer was&nbsp;22.) The ambitious anchor, who is gay, was not out of the closet at the time,&nbsp;but&nbsp;wasn\u2019t&nbsp;hiding it either. The pair would drive to work together in Lemon\u2019s car and&nbsp;began a<strong>&nbsp;<\/strong>long-term&nbsp;open relationship. Dating a junior employee was frowned upon at the time.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAs fast as you could make a rule, Don would bend it,\u201d says one senior executive at the time.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">More troubling was his misogynistic behavior, multiple sources say. Lemon called one of his producers&nbsp;fat&nbsp;to her face. Not long before he was identified as sending threatening texts to Phillips, he mocked Grace on air by mimicking her, shocking fellow colleagues. Grace declined comment but a person close to her tells&nbsp;<em>Variety<\/em>&nbsp;that \u201cshe thinks he\u2019s an ass\u201d and that he was always \u201crude, dismissive and really unfamiliar with the [news] content being discussed.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThat was the beginning of when you knew that Don was kind of volatile and didn\u2019t say good things about women,\u201d says a witness to the Grace incident.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If Lemon felt threatened by Grace, the biggest star&nbsp;at&nbsp;CNN\/Headline News at the time, she&nbsp;wasn\u2019t&nbsp;the only one.&nbsp;He was upset that O\u2019Brien&nbsp;landed the gig of hosting CNN\u2019s high-profile \u201cBlack in America\u201d docuseries,&nbsp;which launched in 2008. During an editorial call attended by roughly 30 staffers, he suggested O\u2019Brien&nbsp;isn\u2019t&nbsp;Black, according to two witnesses, who found the characterization wildly offensive. \u201cDon always wanted to be front and center on anything high profile, especially anything involving race,\u201d says a colleague.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">O\u2019Brien, who&nbsp;wasn\u2019t&nbsp;present,&nbsp;tells&nbsp;<em>Variety<\/em>, \u201cDon has long had a habit of saying idiotic and inaccurate&nbsp;things,&nbsp;so it sounds pretty on brand for him.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The CNN spokesperson said, \u201cDon, Soledad and others have in the past correctly referred to her Afro-Cuban heritage as it is a unique part of her personal story. But Don denies making any related remark in a derogatory way.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When he&nbsp;wasn\u2019t&nbsp;shocking his cohorts, he was annoying them with \u201cdiva-like behavior,\u201d says one, like skipping editorial calls, showing up late to the newsroom or just generally exhibiting disengaged behavior. In 2009, CNN was allowed to send one journalist into the Staples Center to cover the Michael Jackson memorial. Lemon was the choice, while Anderson Cooper and O\u2019Brien anchored outside. Sources remember Lemon complaining on social media that Cooper got more airtime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThat led to a come-to-Jesus&nbsp;moment,\u201d says another senior executive from the era. \u201cDon was told, \u2018Look,&nbsp;you\u2019ve&nbsp;got to address your behavior. Your performance as a reporter is great.&nbsp;It\u2019s&nbsp;your behavior that\u2019s&nbsp;gotta&nbsp;improve.&nbsp;It\u2019s&nbsp;what\u2019s&nbsp;going to derail you if&nbsp;you\u2019re&nbsp;not careful.\u2019\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Instead of reining in Lemon, his superiors let things slide, perhaps because he had fostered a close friendship with then-Turner Broadcasting System&nbsp;chairman&nbsp;and CEO Phil Kent, sitting in the Turner box alongside Kent at sporting events.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After Kent hired Jeff Zucker to run the network in 2013, Lemon only became more\u00a0of a provocateur.\u00a0About six months after Zucker arrived, Lemon\u00a0gave\u00a0his on-air\u00a0take on\u00a0five ways the Black community could fix its problems,\u00a0including suggesting \u201cpull up your pants.\u201d He went on to add: \u201cWalking around with your ass and your underwear showing is not\u00a0OK. In fact, it comes from prison when they take away belts\u00a0from the prisoner so that they\u00a0can\u2019t\u00a0make a weapon. And then it evolved into which role a prisoner would have during male-on-male prison sex. The one with the\u00a0really low\u00a0pants is a submissive one. You get my point.\u201d\u00a0Goldie Taylor, a former CNN\u00a0consultant\u00a0who appeared frequently\u00a0as a guest on Lemon\u2019s weekend show,\u00a0said she was blacklisted at the network\u00a0for critiquing\u00a0Lemon\u2019s\u00a0controversial comments.\u00a0\u201cI am personally banned from a network\u00a0b\/c, ironically\u00a0enough, I dared disagree w\/ a black man publicly\u00a0abt\u00a0black life [\u2026] I\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0throw rocks and hide my hand. That network is @CNN\u00a0and the anchor is @donlemon,\u201d\u00a0she tweeted in 2016.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Taylor&nbsp;remains&nbsp;steadfast in her criticism of Lemon.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI\u2019m never surprised when Don gets in trouble,\u201d&nbsp;she&nbsp;tells&nbsp;<em>Variety<\/em>.&nbsp;\u201cIt makes me neither happy nor sad to see him undermine his own success.&nbsp;There was a time when&nbsp;it appeared that Black people&nbsp;were most often the subject of his ire. Now, it seems to me that when he says something offensive,&nbsp;there\u2019s&nbsp;almost always&nbsp;a woman on the other side.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">(A CNN spokesperson says he does not know why the network cut ties with Taylor.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One female colleague who had been close to the anchor in his early days at the network found that&nbsp;during the Zucker era, Lemon&nbsp;was&nbsp;losing&nbsp;touch with his former friends. She adds that the change showed in his journalistic choices, with the anchor neglecting important stories affecting the Black community.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI saw a new Don emerging, and I didn\u2019t like the new Don,\u201d she says. \u201cHe likes celebrity. He likes fame, likes power. He was no longer the same person.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He&nbsp;became increasingly&nbsp;polarizing, particularly when it came to discussing women, which sometimes came off as tone-deaf. In 2014, he drew widespread condemnation when he told a Bill Cosby rape accuser that she could have stopped an attack by biting the comedian\u2019s penis.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Over the years, Lemon relied upon his charm to win over would-be adversaries, particularly men. Even the opposing counsel in the Tower Records lawsuit speaks glowingly of the anchor.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI thought he was a quality person and a pleasure to be in his company,\u201d says attorney Paul Rosen, who represented Tower Records in the civil suit. \u201cI remember him working with me on a number of cases I had in Philadelphia [after the settlement] and it\u2019s a pleasure to see [him] on air and what he has achieved in the broadcasting field.\u201d<strong><em>&nbsp;<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Likewise, Zucker never wavered with his support for Lemon.<strong>&nbsp;<\/strong>In 2016, he landed in the primetime lineup with his own show, \u201cDon Lemon Tonight.\u201d That same year, Donald Trump called Lemon \u201cdumb as a rock,\u201d which only contributed to the anchor\u2019s rising star. The more Trump criticized Lemon, the more his fame grew as he quickly became a household name alongside Cooper.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But&nbsp;some&nbsp;colleagues&nbsp;questioned&nbsp;his journalistic ethics. In 2021, disgraced actor Jussie Smollett testified in court that he first learned that Chicago police doubted his story about being the victim of a MAGA-inspired attack after he received a text message warning&nbsp;from&nbsp;Lemon. As a result, Lemon opted not to hand his phone records over&nbsp;to&nbsp;cops.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Says Washington State University journalism professor Ryan Thomas, \u201cEthically speaking, we can distinguish between conflicts of interest that should be avoided and conflicts of interests that, if they&nbsp;can\u2019t&nbsp;be avoided, should be&nbsp;mitigated&nbsp;and&nbsp;disclosed. [The Smollett case is] very clearly in the former category. \u2026&nbsp;Involving yourself in a story involving a public figure&nbsp;\u2014&nbsp;whether to warn, advise or coach&nbsp;\u2014&nbsp;is as clear and bright and flashing an ethical red line as it gets in journalism. A&nbsp;freshman&nbsp;journalism student would clearly recognize the problems inherent.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Adds one long-time colleague:&nbsp;\u201cHe should have been benched in that instance.&nbsp;No question.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But CNN says it&nbsp;looked into&nbsp;the matter and found Lemon&nbsp;behaved&nbsp;appropriately. \u201cCNN reviewed the incident in question at the time and found that any interaction was an act of journalism as Don was&nbsp;attempting&nbsp;to prompt a response from Mr. Smollett and book him for his show,\u201d a spokesperson for the network said.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Regardless,&nbsp;Zucker&nbsp;stood by Lemon despite firing anchor Chris Cuomo for advising his brother, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, as the latter faced sexual harassment allegations.&nbsp;In arbitration filings, Chris Cuomo\u2019s attorneys argued that his transgressions were similar to Lemon\u2019s. After Zucker was ousted in 2022, many believed that Lemon would be on the chopping block. But Lemon survived the regime change at parent company&nbsp;WarnerMedia following its merger with Discovery that same year. Still, higher-ups were suddenly paying attention to his behavior amid his woeful ratings. In September, he relied on a sexist trope on air to try to explain why fellow panelist S.E. Cupp was stumbling over a statistic about Republicans. \u201cIs it fair to say this because&nbsp;I\u2019m not a&nbsp;mommy, but&nbsp;is it mommy brain?\u201d he asked Cupp. An awkward silence ensued before Cupp answered, \u201cNo, Don, I just forgot what I was going to say,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Then, Lemon was moved back to mornings in November and paired with two female anchors, Poppy\u00a0Harlow\u00a0and Kaitlan Collins, for the first time since the Phillips debacle. One executive noted that it was a recipe for disaster. And the gaffes continued. One month into the new gig, Lemon drew ire for saying the U.S. men\u2019s national soccer team should get paid more than the women\u2019s team and insisted the former is \u201cmore interesting to watch.\u201d\u00a0<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Three months later came the Haley comments, which sources say&nbsp;prompted Harlow to flee the set&nbsp;with Collins following&nbsp;her to try to talk to her. An intense news cycle ensued, with the CNN brand taking a hit at a time when the network\u2019s ratings continue to nosedive as it tries to find its footing in the Licht era. But once again, Lemon survived the outcry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Still, if there was a past laissez-faire attitude about Lemon, those days&nbsp;appear to be&nbsp;over. CNN is making him undergo \u201cformal training.\u201d Now,&nbsp;more and more&nbsp;people&nbsp;are willing to call him to task, like a critical&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/opinions\/2023\/02\/21\/cnn-don-lemon-sexism-punishment\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Washington Post op-ed titled<\/a>&nbsp;\u201cDoes Don Lemon\u2019s punishment fit the crime?\u201d&nbsp;But he&nbsp;remains&nbsp;planted behind the anchors\u2019 desk.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Says\u00a0attorney Devin McRae, who specializes in entertainment contract litigation,\u00a0\u201cThese provisions that [CNN anchors] have in their contracts that define what is cause for termination,\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0pretty abstract. That allows CNN to subjectively apply it.\u00a0Ultimately,\u00a0it\u00a0does seem to come down to, \u2018How is\u00a0Lemon\u2019s\u00a0behavior\u00a0making\u00a0CNN\u00a0look?\u2019\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Original Article: <a href=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/2023\/tv\/news\/cnn-don-lemon-misogyny-history-nikki-haley-1235574286\/\">https:\/\/variety.com\/2023\/tv\/news\/cnn-don-lemon-misogyny-history-nikki-haley-1235574286\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Back in 2008,\u00a0Don Lemon\u00a0was co-anchoring\u00a0CNN\u2019s \u201cLive From\u201d weekday show with Kyra Phillips, a gig that he landed after he arrived at the network two years prior from local news in Chicago. For months, tensions between the pair kept mounting. On more than one occasion, a \u201cLive From\u201d producer and a newsroom supervisor had to pull Lemon off the air during a commercial break because of the anchor\u2019s provocative antics, not\u00a0unlike his recent declaration\u00a0that the 51-year-old\u00a0Nikki Haley\u00a0isn\u2019t a viable presidential candidate [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2765","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-democrats"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2765","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2765"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2765\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2767,"href":"https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2765\/revisions\/2767"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2765"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2765"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2765"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}