CNNâs Don Lemon is a misogynist, according to an article in entertainment trade publication Variety published Wednesday.
Varietyâs Tatiana Siegel wrote that sheâd spoken with âmore than a dozen former and current colleagues who painted a picture of a journalist who flouted rules and cozied up to power all while displaying open hostility to many female co-workers,â but had never suffered serious consequences for his actions.
Some of the bigger names at CNN who were allegedly targeted by Lemon include Soledad OâBrien, Nancy Grace, and one-time co-anchor Kyra Phillips.
Lemon apparently claimed that OâBrien, who refers to herself as Afro-Cuban, isnât actually black â and did so on an editorial call involving 30 staffers, two witnesses told Variety.
âDon denies making any related remark in a derogatory way,â CNN said of the claim, but OâBrien, who wasnât on the call, had another take.
âDon has long had a habit of saying idiotic and inaccurate things, so it sounds pretty on brand for him,â she said.
Lemon also mocked Grace on-air with a sarcastic impersonation of her, an incident Grace wasnât willing to comment on â but âa person close to herâ told Variety that Grace considers him an âassâ who was consistently ârude, dismissive and really unfamiliar with the content being discussed.â
Perhaps most disturbingly, Lemon allegedly tore up picture and notes on and in the desk then-co-anchor of âLive Fromâ Phillips in 2008, after sheâd been assigned to cover Iraq, a role Lemon apparently wanted for himself.
When she returned from Iraq, Siegel wrote, âthings only got weirder.â
Thatâs when Lemon reportedly sent a pair of threatening texts to her cellphone, according to Variety.
âNow youâve crossed the line, and youâre going to pay for it,â read the text, sent to Phillipsâ cellphone from an unknown number that CNN eventually traced back to Lemon.
Lemon was demoted to weekend duty as a result, but he remained with the network.
Most recently, of course, Lemon suggested on-air that former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley shouldnât be running for president because, at 51, she âisnât in her prime.â
According to Variety, a CNN spokesperson didnât exactly deny the accusations.
ââDon says the alleged incident never occurred and that he was never notified of any investigation,â the spokesperson said. âCNN cannot corroborate the alleged events from 15 years ago.â
Following the publication of the piece, an unnamed spokesperson for Lemon denied the accusations in a statement to Mediaite.
âThe story, which is riddled with patently false anecdotes and no concrete evidence, is entirely based on unsourced, unsubstantiated, 15-year-old anonymous gossip,â the spokesperson said. âItâs amazing and disappointing that Variety would be so reckless.â
CNN âs statement to the outlet was another non-denial denial.
âThe Variety story provides no actual proof, and instead relies on anonymous sources and unsubstantiated claims from 10 to 15 years ago,â the statement read. âCNN is unable to corroborate the alleged accounts.â
Twitter users, at least, didnât seem mollified by CNNâs statements.
For now, however, CNN apparently remains committed to keeping Lemon on the air, though he is reportedly being required to attend âformal trading,â Variety said.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
