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Don Lemon has said he feels ‘vindicated’ after Chris Licht was axed by CNN, just months after the former network boss unceremoniously fired him.
The controversial broadcaster took aim at Licht’s tumultuous tenure as network chief, which was blighted by mass layoffs, dwindling ratings and a disastrous town hall with Donald Trump.
Lemon, 57, also claimed the public ‘miss’ him and want him back on air, despite the sexism storm that triggered his own sacking in April.
The former This Morning host had been at CNN 16 years before Licht’s arrival as network boss and it was immediately clear he was not in favor with the new man in charge.
Licht initially bumped Lemon from primetime to mornings before pushing the veteran anchor out following a spate of controversies.
Former CNN This Morning host Don Lemon said he felt ‘vindicated’ by the sacking of his former boss, iconwin Chris Licht, just months after Licht had fired him
Licht was axed by the network after a tumultuous 13-month stint best known for mass layoffs, dwindling ratings and a disastrous town hall with Donald Trump
Licht had also alienated staff through his mission to rid CNN of its inherent left-wing bias
Asked by Pivot podcast co-host Kara Swisher if he felt vindicated by Licht’s own ousting, Lemon replied: ‘Yes, I do. Read the story and you and you speak to the people who are there, and I think people get what happened.
‘All you have to do is read The Altantic story, read the subsequent stories that came out, and how it played out.
‘They’re gone now. So do I feel vindicated in that sense? Yes, I do.’
Lemon was referencing the scathing profile in The Altantic that sealed his former boss’ fate. The devastating article, which Licht enthusiastically participated in, portrayed him as aloof and detailed how he alienated staff with his mission to cleanse the network of its left-wing bias.
The humiliating profile, which was widely reported, was apparently the last straw for network chiefs, who ditched Licht days after its publication, despite his groveling apology to staff.
Lemon also claimed he wasn’t given the opportunity to address publicly comments he made on-air about Nikki Haley, which sparked his own downfall.
The broadcaster had said the GOP presidential candidate was no longer in her ‘prime’ because she is in her early 50s, prompting accusations of sexism.
Speaking on Pivot, Lemon said: ‘I was never allowed to address the issue on air. I wish that I could have, but I was never allowed to.’
The 57-year-old said he hadn’t spoken to Licht since they parted ways, but revealed how he had been spending his time since coming off air.
Lemon claimed he was more in touch with everyday people now that he was outside the ‘bubble’ of cable news.
The final straw for Licht was this Atlantic profile published over the weekend in which Licht made disparaging remarks about the network’s coverage before he took over
Among Licht’s efforts to revive the network was his morning show, CNN This Morning. He brought lightning-rod host Don Lemon down from an evening primetime slot to co-host the show with Poppy Harlow, a veteran reporter, and rising star Kaitlan Collins
Licht’s strategy included an hour-long town hall with Donald Trump. It boosted ratings but saw the former president railroad Kaitlan Collins and enrage staff who were furious that Trump had been given a platform
‘I’ve been going around traveling a lot, actually,’ he said. ‘I’ve been doing a lot of traveling. Spending time with my family, my fiancé, and my dogs. I’ve been to Baton Rouge where my family lives. I’ve gone to New Orleans. I’ve gone to Park City and I’ve gone to Italy. I’ve spent some time in Europe, and I’ve been talking to a lot of people.’
He claimed his time out had helped him break out of the echo chamber of network television and understand the issues that really matter to people.
Lemon also asserted that, in his conversations with the public, they had told him they want him back on air.
‘They’re worried about walking down the street in certain parts of the country, in certain cities. They want to be able to afford their families. How high rents are, how mortgage rates,’ he said. ‘That’s what they talk to me about, and they say they miss me on CNN.’
He also made a pitch for the return of his friend and former boss Jeff Zucker, who was Licht’s predecessor as CEO.
Lemon, who has vacationed with Zucker recently and retains his girlfriend and former CNN executive Allison Gollust as a PR consultant, claimed his old friend was the best placed man to reverse the network’s decline.
‘There isn’t a better person alive who could run CNN, and I don’t know if there’s anyone who could do it. look, someone can do it. I don’t know if they’ll do it well, but I think the best person to run CNN was and would be Jeff Zucker,’ he said. ‘If anyone could save CNN if it needs saving, if you want to put it in that context, it would be Jeff Zucker.’
Lemon also hinted that his future may lie in podcasting, but did not rule out a return to television.
‘I was having dinner with an old friend last night who was in television who ran a network for a long time, and he said that, just recently, that streaming and digital or online had surpassed linear television for the first time,’ he said. ‘So that gives you an indication to where I’m going.’
He added: ‘I don’t know if it’s streaming. It’s going to be probably streaming and in the digital space. It doesn’t mean that I don’t want to work in traditional, linear television anymore, especially over the next 14 months. I expect to have a voice. So stay tuned for that.’