As we’ve been reporting, things have not been going well for CNN. Their ratings across all their shows are awful, the lowest they’ve been at in nine years for the week beginning Jan. 16 to Jan. 22. Chris Wallace’s show, which was kept after CNN+ imploded, is tanking big time in the latest ratings and it’s karma served up to Wallace, who fled Fox News.
Don Lemon has been demoted and moved to the morning show, and that show has been in the toilet as well.
Now there’s more on Lemon’s “CNN This Morning” show.
According to a new report, the tensions are crazy on the set and Lemon screamed at co-host Kaitlan Collins in an ugly incident in December that upset the cast and crew.
According to two sources with knowledge of the situation, the 56-year-old Lemon approached 30-year-old Collins following the show’s Thursday Dec. 8 broadcast — and unloaded on her in front of staffers as he accused her of “interrupting” him on air.
“Don screamed at Kaitlan, who was visibly upset and ran out of the studio,” one source with knowledge of the skirmish said. [….]
“At this point, Kaitlan wants to be on set with Don as little as possible,” a source with knowledge of the situation added. “It’s messy.”
CEO Chris Licht heard about it and was supposedly appalled according to the report, and had a producer talk to Lemon about his behavior, to “cool off.”
Lemon has been told by the producers “not to talk so much, to let other people talk.”
But it’s Don Lemon — he thinks the world revolves around him and he thinks he knows more than anyone else. Word is he doesn’t like sharing the spotlight with his two co-hosts, he’s not happy, and thinks the focus should be on him.
“Don has an intractable ego,” a source close to both Licht and Lemon said. “My understanding is he wants the show to be about him. I don’t know how you fix that. It’s a very difficult situation.”
The night following the blow-up with Lemon, all three of the co-hosts were supposed to attend the White House Christmas party together but it didn’t happen, they ended up going separately and Lemon had a late dinner with his agent, Jay Sures. Sures is also Collins’ agent. Supposedly now Collins’ relationship with Sures has gone downhill and Sures, who represents many CNN clients, met with Licht on Thursday.
What does all that add up to? It sounds to me like neither that show nor Lemon may be long for the network, if things continue along that way, between the bad ratings and the tantrums.
John Nicosia of Newscycle, who seems to have had some good inside sources about what has been going on at CNN, agrees.
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
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