Heartless: CNN's Poppy Harlow & Kaitlan Collins Cheerfully Wish Don Lemon 'Well' In First Show After His Firing
April 25 2023, Published 12:00 p.m. ET
Poppy Harlow and Kaitlan Collins seemed way too cheerful to return to television for the first time since their CNN This Morning cohost Don Lemon was axed without warning. The two newswomen appeared gleeful when addressing Don's absence on Tuesday's program, wishing their ex-colleague "good luck" following a series of scandals that reportedly led to his firing, RadarOnline.com has learned.
Poppy and Kaitlan — who each had their run-ins with Lemon — smiled while speeding through the introduction without the embattled anchor, devoting only 39 seconds to his departure.
Most of the tribute included reading CNN boss Chris Licht's internal email announcing Lemon's abrupt exit.
Poppy led off the segment.
"Well, good morning, everyone. It is Tuesday, April 25th. Welcome to CNN this morning. We’re so glad you’re with us. We do begin, though, with news about this show. As you may have heard yesterday, CNN parted ways with anchor Don Lemon. In a statement, CNN CEO Chris Licht thanked Don for his contributions over the past 17 years, writing in part, Don will forever be a part of the CNN family. We wish him well and we’ll be cheering him on in his future endeavors," she stated.
Kaitlan — who reportedly wanted to work with Don "as little as possible" after he "screamed" at her following their December 8 broadcast —chimed in.
"Absolutely. Of course, Don was a big part of this show over the last six months. He was one of the first anchors on CNN to have me on his show. That’s something I’ll obviously never forget. I agree with Chris. We wish him the best," she said.
"Yeah, we certainly do. Don was one of my first friends here at CNN, and I’m so thankful to have worked alongside him and for his support for nearly 15 years here. And I wish him all good things ahead," Poppy responded. "Kaitlan and I are really proud of this show. We are so proud of the dedicated team that works around the clock to bring you the news every morning. And our priority is you, the viewer. We’re grateful you welcome us into your home each morning."
Kaitlan took it from there, tying up their short-lived Lemon tribute with a nice little bow.
"Absolutely. And, of course, this morning we want to keep it within the focus on the news, where that belongs. So let’s get to it. CNN This Morning starts right now," she stated.
As RadarOnline.com reported, Lemon took to Twitter to announce his firing. Don claimed he only found out he was unemployed from his agent — not CNN management.
But the network hit back, calling his statement "inaccurate."
"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," a CNN spokesperson said on Monday.
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Lemon skated by scandal after scandal. Not only did he blow up on Kaitlan for allegedly "interrupting" him, but he also offended women everywhere when he claimed that Nikki Haley "isn't in her prime" at 51 years old.
RadarOnline.com told you first — Don had a second temper tantrum after he discovered his outburst on Kaitlan was highlighted in the company newsletter.
The straw that allegedly broke the camel's back was his on-air confrontation with Vivek Ramaswamy, in which Lemon accused the GOP presidential candidate of "splaining" Black history to him.
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