Don Lemon’s Misogyny At CNN: Malicious Texts, Mocking Female Co-Workers And “Diva-Like Behavior”
A fascinating Variety exposé on Don Lemon’s misogyny at CNN, including the revelation that he once sent anonymous texts to a female co-anchor in which he threatened her life, but instead of being fired, Lemon was demoted to a weekend anchor spot. This is insane:
But his antipathy toward [Kyra] Phillips was particularly concerning and had many members of the close-knit Atlanta news team on edge. While Phillips was on assignment in Iraq — a high-profile gig that Lemon coveted — he vented his disappointment at being passed over by tearing up pictures and notes on top of and inside Phillips’ 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, “Now you’ve crossed the line, and you’re going to pay for it.” Phillips was visibly rattled and quickly enlisted CNN’s higher ups to identify the sender.
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 disclosed 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. It was a demotion by any objective measure and understood to be some kind of disciplinary action. It appears to be the last time he was paired with a female anchor until his most recent assignment on “CNN This Morning With Don Lemon, Poppy Harlow and Kaitlan Collins.”
Variety spoke with more than a dozen former and current colleagues who painted a picture of a journalist who flouted rules and cozied up to power all while displaying open hostility to many female co-workers. Each and every time, he appeared to charm his way out of facing any meaningful consequences.
[Variety]
Much more at the link, including Lemon’s mocking of Nancy Grace, calling a producer “fat” to her face, and saying that Soledad O’Brien wasn’t black enough to host a “Black In America” series. Lemon allegedly underwent some kind of “training” earlier this year after fighting with his female co-anchors on CNN’s disastrous morning show.
