Don Lemon Accused of Making ‘Derogatory’ Comments About Nancy Grace, Soledad O’Brien & More
Don Lemon has made less than savory comments throughout his career, but after his “women in their prime” moment, a new expose has surfaced detailing his tenure at CNN, which reportedly says he’s ridiculed and attacked his colleagues for over 15 years.
The report dates back to 2008, according to Variety, where he was enraged that his then-colleague Kyra Phillips was assigned to cover Iraq, so much so that he tore up notes at their shared news pod and threatened her via text from a burner phone. According to the expose, leadership at CNN traced the number back to Lemon, which sent a text: “Now you’ve crossed the line, and you’re going to pay for it.” An investigation with HR was launched, and as a result, Lemon was made to cover the weekend shift, considered a demotion at the time, says Variety.
This is just one of many incidents where Lemon allegedly lashed out when a female counterpart got opportunities he couldn’t, including when Soledad O’Brien anchored CNN’s Black in America series in 2008. During an editorial call announcing the series anchor, Lemon reportedly said that O’Brien wasn’t Black.
“Don has long had a habit of saying idiotic and inaccurate things, so it sounds pretty on brand for him,” O’Brien, who wasn’t present on the call, told Variety.
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“Don, Soledad, and others have in the past correctly referred to her Afro-Cuban heritage as it is a unique part of her personal story,” a CNN spokesperson countered. “But Don denies making any related remark in a derogatory way.”
There were other instances detailed in the report, including moments where Lemon would allegedly miss editorial calls and show up to work late in what sources called “diva-like behavior” to Variety. The outlet also mentions other insensitive comments made by the reporter on-air, such as alleging a victim of Bill Cosby should have bitten his penis, mocking colleague Nancy Grace, asking political commentator S.E. Cupp if she had “mommy brain,” and saying the men’s national soccer team should get paid more than the women’s team because the men are “more interesting to watch.”
The incident with Nancy Grace dates back to the late 2000s when Lemon is said to have mimicked her condescendingly while the pair were on air. He was also accused of being “rude and dismissive” to Grace, who a source is reported as saying regards Lemon as “an ass.”
Another time things hit boiling point was when Lemon was allegedly frustrated that Anderson Cooper and O’Brien received more airtime than he did during a 2009 Michael Jackson memorial, where management had to try to get him under control.
“That led to a come-to-Jesus moment,” a former CNN executive told Variety. “Don was told, ‘Look, you’ve got to address your behavior. Your performance as a reporter is great. It’s your behavior that’s gotta improve. It’s what’s going to derail you if you’re not careful.’”
However, the direct approach appears not to have done much; as Jeff Zucker took control of CNN in 2013, Lemon began to gain prominence within the network and continued to do so. Reports from the expose say they found Lemon distant after this, shifting toward attaining personal gains than telling impactful stories.
“I saw a new Don emerging, and I didn’t like the new Don,” a friend told Variety. “He likes celebrity. He likes fame, likes power. He was no longer the same person.”
“The story, which is riddled with patently false anecdotes and no concrete evidence, is entirely based on unsourced, unsubstantiated, 15-year-old anonymous gossip,” a CNN spokesperson, on behalf of Lemon, told The Daily Beast. “It’s amazing and disappointing that Variety would be so reckless.”
