More than a dozen former and current colleagues of CNN’s Don Lemon are speaking out about his behavior at the network.
Variety published a story on Lemon and his alleged troubling behavior at CNN, including his attitude toward women and willingness to bend the rules.
At one point during Lemon’s career, he began openly dating a staffer that had just graduated college despite the 19-year age difference.
Variety noted dating a junior employee was not looked highly upon at the time of their relationship.
“As fast as you could make a rule, Don would bend it,” one senior executive said.
Several sources explained how Lemon’s misogynistic behavior was more troubling.
Lemon allegedly called one of his producers fat to her face, per Variety.
He also mocked colleague Nancy Grace on air by mimicking her, leaving other colleagues stunned.
An individual close to Grace told Variety “she thinks he’s an ass” and he was always “rude, dismissive and really unfamiliar with the [news] content being discussed.”
A witness to the matter involving Grace added, “That was the beginning of when you knew that Don was kind of volatile and didn’t say good things about women.”
In another instance, Lemon expressed his frustration with the opportunity Soledad O’Brien was given to host CNN’s “Black in America” docuseries.
Lemon suggested O’Brien was not Black during a call with approximately 30 staffers, as Variety reported.
“Don always wanted to be front and center on anything high profile, especially anything involving race,” a colleague said.
O’Brien told the outlet, “Don has long had a habit of saying idiotic and inaccurate things, so it sounds pretty on brand for him.”
A CNN spokesperson commented on the matter, saying, “Don, Soledad and others have in the past correctly referred to her Afro-Cuban heritage as it is a unique part of her personal story. But Don denies making any related remark in a derogatory way.”
Additionally, Lemon apparently showed “diva-like” behavior.
He reportedly skipped out on editorial calls, arrived late at the newsroom or showed disengaged behavior.
After the network covered the Michael Jackson memorial, Lemon complained about Anderson Cooper’s airtime.
“That led to a come-to-Jesus moment,” another senior executive from the time said.
The executive added, “Don was told, ‘Look, you’ve got to address your behavior. Your performance as a reporter is great. It’s your behavior that’s gotta improve. It’s what’s going to derail you if you’re not careful.’”
Goldie Taylor, a former CNN consultant, has remained adamant about her criticism of Lemon despite being backlisted at the network over her remarks.
“I’m never surprised when Don gets in trouble,” she told the outlet.
Taylor continued, “It makes me neither happy nor sad to see him undermine his own success. There was a time when it appeared that Black people were most often the subject of his ire. Now, it seems to me that when he says something offensive, there’s almost always a woman on the other side.”
The report comes just a month after Lemon landed himself in hot water after suggesting Republican presidential hopeful Nikki Haley is past her prime, as IJR reported.
