Don Lemon says he has been fired by CNN: 'I am stunned'

It's been quite a day for cable news firings.

Shortly after the shock announcement that Tucker Carlson is out at Fox News, Don Lemon tweeted that CNN has "terminated" him, which he learned through his agent.

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

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A reason for Lemon's exit wasn't provided, but it came after he drew backlash in February for saying former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R) isn't in her "prime" at age 51. "When a woman is considered to be in her prime [is] in her 20s and 30s and maybe 40," he said. Lemon apologized for the "inartful and irrelevant" comment and was off the air for several days.

In April, Variety then reported on Lemon's alleged "troubling treatment of women and unprofessional antics, dating back nearly two decades." In one incident described in the report, he allegedly sent threatening text messages to a female co-anchor after she received an assignment he wanted.

CNN confirmed it has "parted ways" with Lemon, adding that he "will forever be a part of the CNN family, and we thank him for his contributions over the past 17 years." But CNN also said Lemon's Twitter statement "is inaccurate" because he "was offered an opportunity to meet with management but instead released a statement on Twitter."

Lemon joined CNN in 2006. In 2022, he was moved from a prime time show to CNN's new morning programming, which he anchored with Kaitlan Collins and Poppy Harlow. In his tweet, Lemon claimed that "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," adding that "it is clear that there are some larger issues at play." News of his ouster came just about an hour after Fox News confirmed it has "parted ways" with Tucker Carlson.