OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
Longtime CNN anchor Don Lemon just got brutal news after an off-air tirade against his own co-host Kaitlan Collins.
“CNN This Morning” — which is co-hosted by Lemon, Collins, and Poppy Harlow — is the network’s lowest-rated morning show in nearly a decade. CNN has struggled for years to keep pace with its cable news competitors Fox News and MSNBC during the morning hours, but it hasn’t been this bad in a long time.
“Since its Nov. 1, 2022 launch, “CNN This Morning” has drawn in the lowest viewership among adults 25-54, the key demographic for cable news, and the second-lowest total viewership among each iteration of the network’s morning programming since “New Day” was launched in June 2013, according to Nielsen data,” The Wrap reported. “Specifically, Lemon has sunk total viewership of 16.2% compared to the most recent iteration of New Day. In the demo, viewership has decreased by 21% with the show’s first three months on-air. ‘CNN This Morning’ draws fewer than 400,000 viewers a day.”
The show’s plummeting ratings come as Lemon has made quite a few headlines in recent weeks.
Lemon rattled his fellow morning show talent as well as crew following an off-camera confrontation with co-host Collins, during which he “screamed” at her for allegedly interrupting him on the air.
According to the New York Post, a number of sources described the incident and the aftermath on the set of “CNN This Morning.” Tensions are rising as the show tanks and as Lemon, apparently, is unhappy sharing on-air duties.
The Post noted:
According to two sources with knowledge of the situation, the 56-year-old Lemon approached 30-year-old Collins following the show’s Thursday, Dec. 8 broadcast — and unloaded on her in front of staffers as he accused her of “interrupting” him on air.
News of the explosive incident made its way up to CNN CEO Chris Licht, who is said to have been appalled by Lemon’s behavior, according to a source. A second source said a producer talked to Lemon at the behest of Licht and told the anchor to take the next day off to “cool off.”
“Don screamed at Kaitlan, who was visibly upset and ran out of the studio,” one source with knowledge of the incident told The Post.
Don Lemon 'screamed' at 'CNN This Morning' co-host, left crew 'rattled': sources https://t.co/WKdXwreoJO pic.twitter.com/GKuU3Xu357
— New York Post (@nypost) February 2, 2023
The outlet reported as well that the night after the incident, Lemon, Harlow, and Collins were scheduled to get drinks and travel together to a White House Christmas party for media figures, the source noted. However, the gathering never took place and the three traveled to the party separately, said “an insider.” Following the party, Lemon and his agent, Jay Sures, had a late-night dinner, sources added.
The Post went on to note that things are “especially awkward” because Collins, viewed as “a rising star” with the network whose most recent assignment prior to taking the morning show gig was serving as CNN’s youngest White House correspondent, is also represented by “the powerful and well-connected Sures.”
“At this point, Kaitlan wants to be on set with Don as little as possible,” one source with knowledge of what’s going on told The Post. “It’s messy.”
Last week, Lemon upped the ante and delayed a commercial break because he just could not believe comments made by a House Republican in an interview with Collins, his co-host whom he previously screamed at.
The segment began by playing a clip of Collins’s interview earlier this week with GOP Rep. James Comer, the chairman of the House Oversight Committee. Collins and Comer were discussing upcoming House investigations into Hunter Biden and his infamous laptop.
Comer also noted the Twitter Files and how internal emails appeared to show the FBI targeted stories related to Biden for suppression. It also included messages from prior Twitter employees about the decision to censor the New York Post for breaking the story on Hunter Biden’s laptop in October 2020, just one month before the presidential election.
When the clip was done playing, Lemon couldn’t contain himself and refused to cut to a planned commercial.
Instead, he not only tore into Comer for his comments, but he also seemed to take a few swipes at Collins.
“That’s the time that we’re in, where facts are sort of flexible and you just throw things out there – citing uncredible sources, like citing the New York Post as a credible source and saying that facts are – it’s just, I can’t believe that we’re here,” Lemon said.
Co-host Poppy Harlow jumped in to defend Collins, saying she was “great” in the interview.
Lemon awkwardly did not initially join in on the praise and once “outro music” began to play so the show could cut to a commercial, Lemon refused to move on.
“Hold on please with the music,” he said, the music immediately shutting off.
He then claimed there is no “shared reality” with someone like Comer.
“American people are going to have to suffer through all of this stuff from election deniers to people who don’t believe in facts, we don’t have a shared reality. And now it has taken center stage,” he said.
Harlow praised Collins a second time but Lemon again refused to join her. It wasn’t until later in the show that Lemon finally praised Collins before moving on.
WATCH:
Dip💩 @donlemon Calls Off Commercial Break to Go Off on @kaitlancollins Interview With #JamesComer. Which I don't understand, since she did a good job. Props to @PoppyHarlowCNN for standing up for her colleague. pic.twitter.com/TFiznFyqjb
— Sn00pster 🎙️ (@sn00pdad) February 8, 2023
