Roommates, it looks like CNN will be cutting Don Lemon a CHECK check! According to The Wrap, CNN has agreed to cough up $24.5 million to settle his contract following his termination last year.
Sources exclusively brought the tea to The Wrap. Apparently, the $24.5 million is Don’s “full complete pay from his final contract.” Representatives for Don Lemon have not responded to requests for comment from The Wrap and PEOPLE.
As previously reported, the media giant let go of the primetime host in April 2023. At the time, Don had spent 17 years in front of CNN’s audiences, reporting everything from hard news to politics and local stories. The Wrap reports that his final contract had an extension of 3.5 years left when CNN terminated him.
Don Lemon Told Fans CNN “Stunned” Him With Their Decision
Like his longtime fans, Don Lemon said CNN blindsided him with the termination. In a statement last year, he revealed that he learned the news from his agent. No one at CNN had contacted him directly after nearly two decades with the company.
“I am stunned. After 17 years at CNN I would have thought that someone in management would have had the decency to tell me directly. At no time was I ever given any indication that I would not continue to do the work I have loved at the network. It is clear that there are some larger issues at play.”
Additionally, Lemon thanked his “colleagues and the many teams” he worked with at the outlet, calling them the “most talented journalists in the business.”
SWIPE below for the full statement.
But CNN wasn’t going out like that in the public eye. Soon after Don’s statement, they released their two-sentence rebuttal, seemingly suggesting he was lying.
“Don Lemon’s statement about this morning’s events is inaccurate. He was offered an opportunity to meet with management but instead released a statement on Twitter,” @CNNPR, on X, posted on April 24.
Meanwhile, CNN’s CEO at the time, Chris Licht, released a much more gentle statement,
thanking Don for his “contributions.”
While what
exactly led to his termination was never disclosed, reports have cited at least two incidents that caused tension at CNN. The first was when Don suggested
Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley was “past her prime” in Feb. 2023 on ‘CNN This Morning.’
He
later apologized amid ageist and sexist accusations and agreed to “formal training.” Then, two months after, he conducted a spicy interview with another GOP presidential candidate, Vivek Ramaswamy, which was said to have “exasperated” CNN leaders, per PEOPLE.
But Don-Don has since moved on from his CNN days with grace! In addition to securing the $24.5 million payout, he’s launching a self-titled newscast that will stream on X (formerly Twitter) starting next month!
Cassandra SantiagoCassandra Santiago is a multimedia journalist, editor, and editorial strategist with over a decade of experience shaping conversations across arts, entertainment, culture, and global news. A graduate of the University of Iowa, she has built a cross-platform career spanning newspapers, magazines, radio, and digital media. She joined The Shade Room five years ago and currently serves as a Senior Editor, where she leads editorial direction, oversees exclusive coverage, and trains and edits a team of writers. Cassandra has played a key role in developing high-impact content and editorial strategies for an audience of more than 30 million, contributing to platform growth, engagement, and monetization across multiple channels. In addition to her leadership role, she remains a daily contributor, with her articles generating more than 41 million views since 2023. Beyond The Shade Room, Cassandra offers freelance social media strategy services, speaks on the influence and impact of Black media at public panels, and owns Did It For You, an event design company in the DC, Maryland, and Virginia area. She is Poynter Institute–certified and was named to the DMV’s 35 Under 35 list in 2024.
