As Don Lemon’s career continues its downward spiral, reports are emerging that CNN’s once-star primetime anchor suffered a meltdown on his failing morning show and “screamed” at his co-host Kaitlan Collins.
CNN’s new morning show is sinking in the ratings and tensions are boiling over on the set.
According to a new report, Lemon was ordered to leave the set and “cool off” after he screamed at co-host Collins after the show’s Thursday, December 8 broadcast, accusing her of “interrupting” him on air.
The New York Post is reporting the incident left the cast and crew “rattled” and the damage has not been repaired.
“At this point, Kaitlan wants to be on set with Don as little as possible,” a source told the Post. “It’s messy.”
“Don screamed at Kaitlan, who was visibly upset and ran out of the studio,” a source told the Post about the meltdown.
Lemon, who is rumored to be on thin ice at CNN after being demoted from his primetime show, was reportedly told by CNN CEO Chris Licht “to take the next day off to cool off.”
Last month, Eric Hall, executive producer of “CNN This Morning,” was removed from his post amid the ratings slump and moved to a new role at the 11 p.m. hour of “CNN Tonight.”
The ratings have been a disaster for Lemon’s new show, falling every month, which is always a bad sign.
As I’ve said before. Most in CNN mgmt. knew this combination would fail and Don’s ego couldn’t handle going from his own show to sharing. They will fire him based on his behavior and ratings. Stay tuned.
— Jon Nicosia (@NewsPolitics) February 2, 2023
He knows his days are numbered. 👉Don Lemon ‘screamed’ at ‘@CNN This Morning’ co-host, left crew ‘rattled’: sources https://t.co/6de3GWSBzX
— Jon Nicosia (@NewsPolitics) February 2, 2023
Don Lemon ‘screamed’ at ‘CNN This Morning’ co-host, left crew ‘rattled’: sources https://t.co/WKdXwreoJO pic.twitter.com/GKuU3Xu357
— New York Post (@nypost) February 2, 2023
According to Fox News:
CNN’s morning show centered around Don Lemon has been on a steady ratings decline through its first three months, shedding additional viewers from its audience each time the calendar flips.
In November, “CNN This Morning” averaged an underwhelming 454,000 total viewers.
The following month, it managed only 389,000 in December.
“CNN This Morning” then dropped to 373,000 average viewers in January, shedding 18% of November’s audience.
“New Day” averaged 413,000 daily viewers in 2022 before it was canceled to outdraw its Lemon-helmed replacement’s January viewership by 10%.
It was much of the same among the advertiser-coveted demographic of adults age 25-54, as “CNN This Morning” managed only 74,000 average viewers among the critical category in January for a 25% drop compared to its launch month.
