During Semafor’s inaugural media summit in New York City, CNN CEO Christ Licht acknowledged Don Lemon’s polarizing reputation and indirectly criticized former CNN CEO Jeff Zucker for encouraging sensationalism. Licht, who assumed his position last year, has sought to tone down CNN’s far-left image and reduce spectacle.
Licht moved Lemon from primetime to host a new morning show, hoping to showcase a different side of the anchor. However, Lemon continues to generate negative headlines, such as his recent denial of a scandalous Variety report accusing him of threatening a colleague and exhibiting diva-like behavior.
“Don Lemon is a lightning rod because he came to prominence during an era where that was celebrated and encouraged in primetime. That was CNN’s primetime,” Licht said. “The world has moved on from that, and Don has moved on from that. Don was the first to go, ‘I’m tired of having to set my hair on fire every night and I want to try something new.”
Despite the move, Lemon has maintained his “lightning rod” status, creating trouble for CNN regularly. Licht referred to Lemon’s previous stint in CNN’s primetime lineup alongside Chris Cuomo, who was fired in 2021, where the two frequently expressed far-left political opinions.
Since its launch in November, “CNN This Morning” with Don Lemon has seen a decline in viewership each month, with an average of only 346,000 total viewers in the last month. In an attempt to boost ratings, Licht has changed CNN’s primetime lineup, but a permanent replacement for Chris Cuomo at the 9 p.m. ET spot has yet to be named. The network has tried filling the void with various specials, town halls, and guest hosts, but they have yet to achieve the desired ratings.
Licht commended the “incredible reporting” Lemon provided from Memphis and stated that this is the Don Lemon they want in the morning.
“The Don Lemon who is in Memphis, getting that incredible reporting, is the Don Lemon we have in the morning, not the one who was in primetime, and we both agree that that’s the Don Lemon we want,” added Licht.
