Fired CNN Host Don Lemon 'Put Feelers Out' To Jump Ship After Backlash Over 'Sexist' Nikki Haley Remarks

Don Lemon's termination from CNN without warning took the embattled television personality by surprise, but insiders told RadarOnline.com he may have sensed the writing was on the wall.

Insiders claimed that his co-workers had grown frustrated in recent months and accused him of having a "colossal ego" which rubbed staffers the wrong way.

Tension boiled over last fall when Lemon reportedly reduced cohost Kaitlan Collins to tears after she interrupted him during a show last December.

It was claimed that cast and crew were walking on eggshells around Lemon afterward as he also clashed on-air with Poppy Harlow.

Lemon later faced accusations of being sexist following a February episode of CNN This Morning, during which he said presidential candidate Nikki Haley shouldn't promote competency tests for elderly politicians because she was "past her prime" at 51 years old.

Although he issued an apology publicly and during an internal meeting with CNN CEO Chris Licht, sources told us that Lemon and others got the vibe they could be let go due to the behind-the-scenes drama spilling over into the public eye.

"Don still thinks very highly of himself and he's continuing to put feelers out elsewhere, though it's going to be a tough sell," claimed the tipster. "Nobody's going to want Don or any of his miserable co-workers with those bad ratings trailing after them."

There were rumbles that Lemon was annoyed that Licht made him leave behind his 10 PM primetime gig to co-host CNN This Morning, a move he embraced in a statement while also shutting down rumors that he was "demoted."

More recently, a rep for Lemon fired back at claims he had a history of misogyny that was laid bare in an explosive Variety story, stating the piece was "riddled with patently false anecdotes and no concrete evidence."

Lemon anchored on Monday, and said he was left in shock when CNN gave him the boot afterward.

"I was informed this morning by my agent that I have been terminated by CNN," he wrote on Twitter Monday. "After 17 years at CNN I would have thought that someone in management would have had the decency to tell me directly."

"It is clear that there are some larger issues at play," Lemon continued, adding that he has no bad blood toward his coworkers.

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"With that said, I want to thank my colleagues and the many teams I worked with for an incredible run," he concluded. "They are the most talented journalists in the business and I wish them the very best."

RadarOnline.com has since learned that CNN cast doubt on Lemon's claims about his departure, stating he was "offered an opportunity to meet with management but instead released a statement on Twitter."