Don and Tuck Are Out. What’s The Story?
Behind the sudden departure of CNN and Fox News key talking heads.
Behind the sudden departure of CNN and Fox News key talking heads.
Two cable news giants lost notable hosts in the last week of April.
On April 24th, FOX News announced its split with host Tucker Carlson, three days after his last show.
(1).
The same day, CNN host Don Lemon announced via Twitter that he had been “terminated” only hours after appearing on his morning show.
(2).
Both networks released their hosts for their respective reasons.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Carlson’s departure comes days after FOX News settled a lawsuit with Dominion Voting Systems.
The company filed a defamation suit against FOX News after several anchors — Carlson included — accused it of committing voter fraud during the 2020 election.
Insiders, however, state that FOX Corps. Chairman Rupert Murdoch’s decision to terminate Carlson’s program had little to do with the lawsuit.
As for Don Lemon, he claimed to have received word of his termination through his agent instead of a meeting with senior executives.
CNN Communications refuted this claim, asserting that Lemon had been offered a chance to meet with management beforehand but took to Twitter instead.
Carlson and Lemon gained fame as talking heads from opposite ends of the political spectrum — Tucker Carlson on the right and Don Lemon on the left.
At the same time, their downfall appears to share a common trend of hostile and inappropriate work environments.
The LA Times observes that FOX News’ decision to remove Tucker Carlson stems from a lawsuit filed by ex-producer Abby Grossberg, who claims to have been subjected to bullying and harassment in Carlson’s studio.
(3).
The 79-page lawsuit lists cases where in Tucker Carlson’s studio:
Doctored photos of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi half-naked in “plunging swimsuits” were plastered all over the studio’s offices, including Grossberg’s computer
Senior executive producer Justin Wells (who was also let go Monday) asked her sexual questions about her former boss Maria Bartiromo
Staffers held “misogynistic views of women as objects to be judged solely based on their appearance.”
She was “unknowingly” demoted from her senior producer position in November 2022
Rupert Murdoch and senior FOX executives also reportedly expressed concern over Carlson’s coverage of the January 6th riots, which he insisted was an inside job orchestrated by FBI agents at one point.
Grossberg also asserts that FOX lawyers pushed her to spread misleading information regarding the Dominion Voting Systems case.
Ultimately, the LA Times identifies Grossberg’s lawsuit as the main culprit behind Carlson’s departure.
On a similar note, Don Lemon’s release from CNN comes weeks after a report by Variety revealed Lemon’s history of abuse towards co-workers and malicious behavior dating back to 2008 (4).
Lemon’s history of harassment and intimidation includes:
tearing up photos and notes around his and co-worker Kyra Philips’ news pod in frustration over being sidelined for a story in Iraq
sending a threatening text to Philips, prompting a human resources investigation and his removal from duties with her
calling a producer “fat” to her face
Having an editorial call with 30 staffers to claim Soledad O’Brien (of Afro-Cuban descent) was not “Black” following her gig with CNN’s “Black In America” docuseries
taking to social media to complain about co-hosts Anderson Cooper and Soledad O’Brien getting more air-time than him, prompting a “come-to-Jesus moment” with senior executives
CNN’s latest headache with Lemon came in February 2023, when he stated on air that Republican candidate Nikki Haley was passed “her prime” to run for president at 51 (5).
When pressed by co-host Poppy Harlow to elaborate, Lemon claimed women are often in their “prime” during their 20s, 30s, and 40s and to “Google it.”
Some, such as Allison Butler of Ms. Magazine, pointed out how Lemon’s comments referred to women’s fertility years.
(6). Lemon later regretted the statement (once more, via Twitter).
While removing Carlson and Lemon from their respective networks may shock some, Axios observes how viewership among cable news has been steadily dropping in recent years (7).
As consumers continually turn to stream services, embattled executives are reportedly making necessary adjustments to cope with the changing needs of consumers by doing “more with less.”