Don Lemon Paid $24.5 Million Settlement From CNN

Photo Credit: Sophy Holland for Variety

Former CNN anchor Don Lemon and CNN have reportedly reached an agreement after he was fired last year. The company has agreed to pay Lemon a $24.5 million payout. People.com reports that the amount he is receiving is the amount of money he was set to receive if his final contract ended in 3 and a half years.

Lemon spent 17 years with the company before being ousted. He announced that he would no longer be on the network in April 2023 on an X, formerly known as Twitter post.

"I was informed this morning by my agent I have been terminated by CNN. I am stunned," Lemon wrote.

He also went on to say that he was never given any indication that he would not be able to continue to do the work he loved at the network.

After Lemon's post, the network released a statement saying, "Don Lemon's statement about this morning's events is inaccurate," CNN Communications tweeted. "He was offered an opportunity to meet with management but instead released a statement on Twitter."

His exit from the network came after he made remarks on Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley's age during a segment on the show with co-hosts at the time Poppy Harlow and Kaitlan Collins and that did not go well with a lot of people.

Then, two months later the former CNN anchor conducted an interview with former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, which was rumored to have left "several CNN leaders exasperated". It is also rumored that the interview contributed to the channel’s decision to part ways with him.

Since leaving CNN, the journalist announced he launched a new media company and plans on launching a new show called "The Don Lemon Show" through his new media company.

Reuters

The 30 minute episodes will air exclusively on X for anyone to watch before reaching other media platforms.

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