CNN axes Don Lemon from primetime, moved to morning show in anchor shakeup
nypost.comChris Licht announced Thursday.Lemon will join Kaitlan Collins and Poppy Harlow to replace current “New Day” hosts John Berman and Brianna Keilar.Lemon’s long-anticipated demotion comes after Licht was tasked by new corporate overlord Warner Bros.
Discovery to shift CNN away from opinion-based shows to more centrist reporting of the news. Last month, the network canned Brian Stelter, the outspoken host of the now canceled “Reliable Sources.”Lemon — who often espoused his liberal opinions on his 10 pm show “Don Lemon Tonight” — helmed the lowest-ranked program in primetime in August, averaging 660,000 viewers to finish a distant third to Fox and MSNBC.A rep for CNN said the network will be making an announcement on who will replace Lemon in the next few weeks.
Insiders have earmarked Kasie Hunt as a possible replacement for Lemon, or for the 9 p.m. slot, which was left open when Chris Cuomo was fired last year over his role in advising his older brother, then-New York Gov.
Andrew Cuomo, in his sex harassment scandal.Sources recently told The Post that Licht “has his work cut out for him” as he tries to pump up the network’s ratings.In August, Fox News dominated with nine shows making the top 10 highest-rated cable news shows.
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