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Former CNN host Don Lemon was spotted at an Apple Store in New York City on Monday, hours after he was fired from the network following his disastrous run as morning show host.
Lemon, 57, was spotted with his partner, Tim Malone, as they could be seen looking at iPhones in the store.
The news anchor tried to draw as little attention as possible by hiding his face behind a pair of dark sunglasses and a black baseball cap.
His dismissal from the network comes just over two months after he apologized for on-air comments about the death of Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley in her term. This move quickly turned bad.
While CNN Chairman and CEO Chris Licht announced after Lemon co-hosted the show earlier in the day that they had “parted ways,” Lemon called it a firing and said it came as a surprise to him.
Former CNN host Don Lemon was seen with his partner at an Apple Store in New York hours after he was fired from his position as morning show host
The news anchor tried to draw as little attention as possible by hiding his face behind dark sunglasses and a black baseball cap.
Lemon was spotted with his partner Tim Malone as they can be seen looking at an iPhone in the store.
His partner, Tim Malone, right, seemed glued to his phone the entire time the pair were at the Apple Store
“After 17 years at CNN, I would have thought someone in management would have the decency to tell me directly,” Lemon said. CNN said Lemon was given the opportunity to meet with management but issued a statement on Twitter instead.
CNN has provided no public explanation for Lemon’s dismissal.
During a discussion in February on CNN This Morning with co-hosts Poppy Harlow and Kaitlan Collins about the ages of politicians, he said the 51-year-old Hayley wasn’t “in her prime.” He said that a woman was considered to be in her prime “in her twenties, thirties and maybe forties”.
Harlow challenged Lemon, trying to make it clear what he was referring to: ‘I think we need to qualify. Are you talking about the prime of childbearing or are you talking about the prime of being prime? ‘
Lemon replied, “Don’t shoot the messenger, I’m just saying what the facts are.”
At one point Lemon can be seen pointing at something while waiting to be served
At one point, Lemon was seen holding two phones in his hands while browsing the store
Lemon seemed to be looking at both of his devices while his partner seemed worried about biting his nails
An employee from the Apple Store, shown in green, came to the husband’s aid
Lemon released a statement the same day saying he regretted his “impolite and irrelevant” comments. After that, he missed the show for three days, returning the following week with an apology on Twitter but not mentioning the episode on air.
Hayley, who criticized Lemon’s remarks as sexist and used the incident as a fundraiser in February, took to Twitter Monday to call Lemon’s takedown “a great day for women everywhere,” linking to drink sleeves emblazoned with “Prime past my? Hold my beer.”
Lemon used to host Don Lemon Tonight in prime time, but he made a move when the network launched CNN This Morning last November, just before the US midterm elections, as one of the first major programming moves under Licht.
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He attracted negative attention last fall by saying that the US men’s soccer team should be paid more than the women’s team, saying the men were “more interesting to watch.”
Lemon also had a well-publicized on-air altercation with Collins last December, when he accused her of trying to interrupt him.
Last week, Lemon also gave a tense on-air interview last week with Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, in which Lemon, who is black, questioned Ramaswamy’s interpretation of racial history.
It all looks bad for a morning news program, where the audience is primarily women and the anchors try to pass themselves off as one big happy family.
The show held a slight lead in the ratings against the more popular Fox & Friends and Morning Joe over news competitors.
Bad sentiment is starting to cost CNN ad sales and some potential guests are becoming reluctant to appear on CNN This Morning, according to a CNN staff member familiar with Lemon’s firing but not authorized to speak publicly.
Some people close to Lemon suggested that the morning job was essentially a demotion, and he received little support for success.
Lemon said he learned of his firing from his agent.
“At no time did I give any indication that I would not be able to continue to do the work that I loved at the network,” he said.
Fired anchor Don Lemon is spotted browsing in Apple store for the first time after being sacked