How Do Don Lemon's Co-Workers Feel About His CNN Return?

By Dustin Rowles | TV | February 21, 2023 |

By Dustin Rowles | TV | February 21, 2023 |

After sitting down with Don Lemon and having a “meaningful conversation,” CNN President Chris Licht sent a memo to staff saying that the This Morning anchor will return to work on Wednesday. Lemon has also apparently agreed to “participate in formal training,” although it’s unclear what kind of training that will entail.

Don Lemon has done good work over the course of his career. He earned his primetime spot on CNN, where he excelled in the 10 p.m. hour, as well as serving as one of the hosts of the New Year’s Eve bash each year. He has generated a number of headlines over the years — some positive, and some negative — and when CNN was more defined by its opposition to Donald Trump, Lemon was a real star on the network because he gave as much sh*t as he took from the former President.

I don’t really understand why Chris Licht kept him — even while firing guys like Brian Stelter — when the network pivoted to whatever it is now: Both-sides paste that’s attempting to sustain the network with “trust” instead of ratings. In either case, Licht probably should have known better than to take one of its more outspoken anchors and put him on a morning show where he would have to share the spotlight with two other anchors.

Don Lemon is an accomplished 56-year-old man. What good is “formal training” going to do for someone who has probably learned all that he is going to learn? The man said something dumb as hell last Thursday, but that wasn’t the first time Lemon has done something stupid.

It’s different this time because it’s not just about Don Lemon. He has co-anchors now. He shares the screen with Kaitlan Collins and Poppy Harlow. If Lemon had not been an asshole to Harlow and Collins in recent weeks, the stupid thing that Lemon said might not have exploded the way it has. But he said something sexist, and not only did he get pushback from one of his co-anchors, but after the way he’s treated them — on air, and off the air — he has no one coming to his defense. In fact, the crew complained off the record that his comments would cost them the ability to book older women on the show. They’re hanging him out to dry, and that’s what happens when you’re a jerk.

Now he’s returning to the desk, where he has to continue working with two women who probably privately dislike him for the way he’s treated them in the few months they’ve worked together, the spotlight is shining even brighter on Lemon now, the ratings for This Morning are not improving, and at 56, Lemon probably doesn’t have a lot of capacity for change. Unless he suddenly starts treating Collins and Harlow with the same fondness he has shown to, er, Jussee Smollett, he’s not going to make it to the summer.