According to a shocking exposé from The Atlantic, tensions between Don Lemon and Chris Licht first started in November 2022. At the time, the network was preparing for the release of “CNN This Morning,” which featured Lemon as co-anchor alongside Poppy Harlow and Kaitlan Collins. While Licht thought that the trio would bring more “fun” to CNN, things quickly took a drastic turn during the final rehearsal for the show. After a brief break, Lemon surprised the crew and producers when he returned to the set wearing a white jacket with a fur collar. In response to the outfit change, Licht reportedly said, “What the f*** is he wearing.” Due to his response, a producer informed Lemon that production wasn’t “too crazy about the jacket,” which resulted in an annoyed look from the journalist and a somewhat appeased reaction from Licht.
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In addition to his outfit choices, the CEO had issues with Lemon’s opinions, ad-libs, and on-air flubs during the rehearsal. While reporting on Kanye “Ye” West’s antisemitic comments and past offensive statements, Lemon “butchered” the opening line, resulting in Licht stating, “Read the f**king prompter.” He also voiced his opposition to the Ye-based segment due to it not being morning TV friendly. “Do you think if I’m on my way to work, at 7:40 in the morning, I have time to absorb this?” he asked. Lastly, Licht reportedly slammed Lemon for “commenting after every single story for the sake of commenting on every story.”
