Don Lemon Terminated By CNN And Tucker Carlson Out At Fox
Two major hosts on US Cable TV Are Out!
There were some huge shakeups in cable news on Monday. Tucker Carlson was fired from Fox News on Friday, and CNN let Don Lemon go. There were probably several factors involved in both terminations.
Don Lemon
The news comes after Variety published a story this month about allegations that he mistreated his female colleagues over his career there. And earlier this year, he faced backlash over widely criticized comments he made on air.
Lemon announced the news on Twitter, saying he was informed by his agent that he was being terminated.
“I am stunned,” Lemon wrote. “After 17 years at CNN, I would have thought someone in management would have had the decency to tell me directly.”
In a tweet, CNN refuted Lemon’s account as “inaccurate.” The network said he was offered a chance to meet with management but “instead released a statement on Twitter.”
Lemon first came under fire in February during a segment on “CNN This Morning” in which he remarked that Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley, 51, was no longer in her “prime.” The comment was made while discussing a suggestion by Haley that candidates over the age of 75 should be subject to mental competency exams.
And down the street, FOX NEWS Dropped its Biggest Host
Tucker Carlson, the highest-rated cable TV host credited with setting the agenda for US conservatives, has left Fox News, the network announced.
In a statement, Fox News said it and Carlson had agreed to “part ways”.
His last TV programme was Friday 21 April, the statement added. His primetime slot will now be hosted by a series of interim hosts until a permanent replacement is found.
The Los Angeles Times, citing unnamed people familiar with the situation, reports that the decision to fire Carlson came from the top, including Fox chairman Rupert Murdoch and his son Lachlan.
The announcement of Carlson’s departure comes just days after Fox News settled a defamation lawsuit from the voting machine company Dominion over the cable network’s coverage of the 2020 presidential election.
