Hosts Carlson and Lemon Fired In Broadcast ‘Bloodbath’
By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent
NEW YORK (Worthy News) – America’s Fox News Channel and the Cable News Network dumped two hosts who came to define their programs but had upset the political establishment and those concerned about women’s rights.
Fox News said Monday that it would no longer broadcast prime-time host Tucker Carlson, whose commentaries about Russia and political theories were at the heart of the network’s ideology and impacted Republican politics.
The break came after Fox agreed to pay $787 million last week to settle a lawsuit with Dominion Voting Systems over the network’s airing of what it said were “false claims” about fraud in the 2020 presidential election.
Carlson was also reportedly named in a lawsuit by a former Fox producer who said the show had “a cruel and misogynistic workplace.”
CNN axed its controversial anchor, Don Lemon, as part of a one-day bloodletting in cable television news.
In February, Lemon made headlines for offensive statements about former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, for which he apologized later that month.
In an on-air discussion with his co-hosts, Lemon said Haley isn’t “in her prime.”
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Lemon discussed Haley’s presidential campaign announcement on air and her call for “mandatory mental competency tests for politicians over 75 years old.”
Lemon, 57, told co-hosts that Haley’s “talk about age” makes him uncomfortable and said her comments were the “wrong road” to go down, adding that Haley “is not in her prime.” Haley is 51.
“She says people, politicians are not in their prime,” he said. “Nikki Haley is not in her prime, sorry. A woman is considered to be in her prime in her 20s, 30s, and maybe her 40s.”
He apologized the following week after a break from being on air.
CNN CEO Chris Licht said in published remarks that the network wishes him well and will cheer him on as he pursues future endeavors, echoing what he wrote in an email to CNN staffers.
“To my CNN Colleagues, CNN and Don have parted ways. Don will forever be a part of the CNN family, and we thank him for his contributions over the past 17 years,” Licht said.
However, “I am stunned,” Lemon wrote on the social networking platform Twitter. “After 17 years at CNN, I would have thought someone in management would have had the decency to tell me directly.”
NOT ACCURATE?
In a tweet, CNN claimed Lemon’s account was “inaccurate.” The network said he was offered a chance to meet with management but “instead released a statement on Twitter.”
Back at Fox News, staffers were reeling from Tucker’s dismissal.
Dominion had contended that some Fox programs had “falsely aired” allegations that the online network rigged the election against President Donald J. Trump.
Carlson’s show was not among them. However, emails and text messages revealed as part of the lawsuit showed him personally profanely ridiculing one of the accusers.
Carlson has also been outspoken in questioning the United States’ support of Ukraine following its invasion by Moscow.
“It might be worth asking yourself since it is getting pretty serious: What is this really about?” Carlson said on his show. “Why do I hate Putin so much? Has Putin ever called me a racist? Has he threatened to get me fired for disagreeing with him? Has he shipped every middle-class job in my town to Russia?”
Carlson, a viewership magnet, did not immediately comment on Monday. Yet, he leaves behind a network in turmoil.
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