CNN’s Don Lemon is celebrating the network’s latest shakeup that will see him lose his primetime gig to co-host the new morning show with Kaitlan Collins and Poppy Harlow.
Speaking on Thursday night, Lemon dubbed the change a promotion and insisted that the network wasn’t making him change his left-leaning views after a wave of firings in the network against journalists overly critical of Donald Trump and the GOP.
‘This is not someone saying you must move to the right, Don Lemon, and must not give so much of your perspective. None of that has happened,’ Lemon said. ‘All of that is Fodder for Twitter.
‘I was not demoted. None of that,’ he added. This is an opportunity. This is a promotion.
‘This is an opportunity for me to create something around me and I get to work with two great ladies.’
Along with Harlow and Collins, the trio’s production is set to replace the ‘New Day’ show hosted by John Berman and Brianna Keilar that runs from 6 to 9am.
Don Lemon (left) claimed Thursday night that losing his primetime gig to join Poppy Harlow and Kaitlan Collins to star in CNN’s new morning show in October was a promotion
Kaitlan Collins (left) and Poppy Harlow (right) will appear in the new morning show
CEO Chris Licht (above) called the trio ‘compelling and reliable’ as CNN experiences a shift in operations, with Licht leading the purge against journalists overly critical of the GOP
John Berman and Brianna Keilar’s ‘New Day’ morning show will be cancelled once the revamped show airs. The pair will move into other roles in the company
‘There is no stronger combination of talent than Don, Poppy, and Kaitlan to deliver on our promise of a game-changing morning news program,’ CEO Chris Licht wrote in a statement.
‘They are uniquely intelligent, reliable and compelling; together they have a rare and palpable chemistry. Combined with CNN’s resources and global newsgathering capabilities, we will offer a smart, bold and refreshing way to start the day.’
The call is one of Licht’s most prominent decisions as he seeks to rid of and steer the outlet away from ‘opinion-based partisan news’ and anchors who slam conservatives and the GOP.
Lemon, 56, will conclude Don Lemon Tonight, his evening program, in preparation for his morning debut.
The seasoned anchor has worked at CNN for 16 of his 40 years in journalism and served as a co-moderator for the 2020 Democratic Presidential Debate.
Now, Lemon said it’s time to ‘shake things up’ as he shares the spotlight with two of his ‘dearest friends.’
Lemon is a big-time critic of former President Trump and Republicans. He has previously called Trump ‘the biggest snowflake of them all’ following the 2021 White House raid on January 6.
He was also widely outspoken about election fraud following the 2020 Presidential Election, and claimed Trump and Republicans were feeding GOP supporters ‘bullsh**t.’
Don Lemon (above) ranted on his show: ‘He (Trump) is the biggest snowflake of them all – the biggest one’
Lemon has been an outspoken critic of Trump and the GOP. Pictured: Lemon on Charlamagne the God’s ‘Hell Of A Week’ show
Collins, 30, serves as the White House Correspondent for CNN and has a track record of being one of Trump’s least favorite reporters.
The infamous reporter was asked at a 2020 coronavirus press briefing to swap seats with another reporter several rows behind her, minutes before the press conference started.
She refused to move across the room and cited the WHCA guidelines despite officials threatening to involve the secret service.
Soon after, Trump cut his briefing short after previously stating they weren’t ‘worth the time and effort’ because the ‘Lamestream Media asks nothing but hostile questions.’
Meanwhile, Harlow is currently the host of Boss Files, a CNN podcast, and an anchor for CNN New Room. She has been with the news media since 2008.
Harlow, 40, said she was in ‘awe’ of the milestone.’
‘I can’t wait to laugh with [Lemon and Collins] and learn from them each morning.’
The debut of the show will conclude Berman and Keilar’s New Day program with the duo filling other unknown roles.
Collins (left) is known for causing controversy in the White House under former President Trump’s Administration. She currently serves as the White House Correspondent
The show is one of many changes within the CNN network as Licht attempts to purge the company’s reputation of being a woke media source
CNN has been purging itself of the reputation of being a woke media source since Licht pledged to make the network reliable to the people again by halting the slander of Republicans.
The new movement has resulted in the termination of popular CNN hosts, including John Harwood and Brian Stelter, along with their shows.
Licht previously warned CNN staffers that changes to the network were coming to the network that they would ‘not understand’ or ‘like.’
It’s unclear when the new morning show will be released in October, or if the anchors will abide by Licht’s new policies, but the new CEO doesn’t appear to be shy terminate large profile journalists.
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