There’s no arguing that Don Lemon and Anderson Cooper are among CNN’s most prominent anchors, but there seems to be some tension between the two — at least on Lemon’s part.
In Variety’s bombshell exposé on Lemon, the embattled host reportedly expressed aggravation when Cooper was given more airtime than him. The incident dates back to 2009 when Lemon was assigned to cover Michael Jackson’s memorial at the Staples Center while Cooper and Soledad O’Brien were stationed outside for additional reporting. According to sources familiar with the situation, Lemon complained about Cooper receiving more TV exposure than him, which led to intervention by network executives. “That led to a come-to-Jesus moment,” a network executive told the outlet. “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.'”
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But Lemon’s contempt for Cooper is laxer than his alleged treatment of his former co-anchor Kyra Philipps, whose desk he vandalized after she was chosen for an assignment he wanted. In a statement to The Wrap, however, Lemon maintained his innocence. “The story, which is riddled with patently false anecdotes and no concrete evidence, is entirely based on unsourced, unsubstantiated, 15-year-old anonymous gossip,” his spokesperson told the outlet. “It’s amazing and disappointing that Variety would be so reckless.”
