Don Lemon won’t return to CNN despite the resignation of his nemesis Chris Licht, a source close to the anchor told The Post on Thursday..
“[I] don’t see any scenario” where Lemon would accept another position as an on-air personality at the network, the source said.
Lemon was fired by Licht on April 24 after 17 years at the news channel following a series of on-air gaffes and internal feuds.
But Licht’s downfall Wednesday after a scathing, 15,000-word exposé in the Atlantic stirred speculation about whether Lemon would “return from exile.”
“I wonder if any of the talent Licht dismissed will be returning? Don Lemon comes to mind,” one Twitter user wrote.
Some called on the news channel to rehire the “CNN This Morning” anchor.
“I hope whoever winds up running CNN after Licht has the good sense to beg you to return and offers you a huge sum to do so,” another wrote.
Why did Chris Licht step down as CEO from CNN?
Chris Licht stepped down as CEO of CNN Wednesday morning, after staffers and senior figures at the networks called for his head following a scathing magazine profile.
CNN staffers were enraged by Licht’s criticism of the network’s COVID-19 coverage.
Licht’s exit from CNN comes after former CEO Jeff Zucker’s departure from the network over a year ago. Zucker was forced to leave over a relationship with a co-worker.
Licht has accused Zucker of undermining his leadership and spreading negative stories about the news operation.
CNN announced that Licht will be replaced by a group “comprising seasoned programming leaders” including Amy Entelis, the executive vice president of talent and content development.
Others were upset with Licht’s decision to stage a live town hall event with Donald Trump.
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Lemon also reportedly reveled at Licht’s comeuppance after the Atlantic article revealed how the network honcho alienated rank-and-file employees with his aloof and increasingly paranoid management style.
He has been “laughing at Chris’ mounting failures,” a source told Radar Online.
The two started a fraught relationship reportedly on Lemon’s first day of his ill-fated stint as host of “CNN This Morning” — when Licht hated Lemon’s over-the-top outfit.
Their strife deepened when Licht didn’t like Lemon’s excessive commentary during the morning show, including when he described 51-year-old Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley as not “in her prime,” the Atlantic report revealed.
The two butted heads again when Lemon “pitched an attempt at damage control” in the wake of outrage over the misogynistic comment where he would host a roundtable of women.
Licht rejected the idea and instead put Lemon on a three-day hiatus, during which struggling “CNN This Morning” saw a 5% jump in ratings.
In the wake of outrage over the misogynistic comment, the Atlantic report revealed that Lemon told allies that Al Sharpton, Ben Crump and other black leaders would “come to his aid if he were axed from the network, and would defend his firing as a move to bolster CNN’s whiteness.”
A spokesperson for Lemon denied this account to the outlet, and said Licht’s team spread rumors about Lemon to distract from his own failures as the boss.
Licht finally axed Lemon because he had become a major distraction.
According to a fiery tweet, Lemon was allegedly blindsided by the news, saying he was informed he was dropped from CNN via his agent, UTA’s Jay Sures.
CNN fired back, calling Lemon’s account of his firing “inaccurate.”
“He was offered an opportunity to meet with management but instead released a statement on Twitter,” CNN said in a tweet.
This story originally appeared on NYPost
