Carlson on Fox and Lemon at CNN, within minutes of each other.  Wow!

The Lemon firing can't have come as a huge surprise to the longtime anchor - he'd been embroiled in a series of controversies for months over dumb statements he made on and off air. Some at the network were refusing to work with him. Here's the network's own terse story on his departure:

Don Lemon leaves CNN

But the dismissal of Carlson - who hosted Fox's top rated show - is stunning. I wonder how his loyal viewers will react and if they'll bombard the network with complaints. (They'll think it was all a conspiracy and if it wasn't, they'll invent one!) Here's the Fox story on letting go one of their biggest stars:

FOX News Media, Tucker Carlson part ways

Notice the similar "we want to thank them for their contributions" statements from both of them, the boiler plate for when someone is suddenly let go. 

What an incredible news day for the media, but not in a good way. 

I suspect Carlson's fate will be similar to Glenn Beck's. Without a primetime slot he'll fade into the background of the right-wing noise machine. Whether or not he tempers his fascist discourse remains to be seen, but in better times there were consequences for being a NAZI broadcaster.

 

Apparently, Lemon was told about his firing by his agent and not anyone in management. According to Deadline:

“I am stunned,” Lemon said. “After 17 years at CNN I would have thought someone in management would have had the decency to tell me directly. At no time was I ever given any indication that I would not be able to continue to do the work I have loved at the network.” 

RadioActive wrote:

I wonder how his loyal Fox viewers will react and if they'll bombard the network with complaints. (They'll think it was all a conspiracy and if it wasn't, they'll invent one!) 

And it's already started. According to Sauga960's Marc Patrone, Canada's small-time version of Tucker Carlson, commenting on the firing, "If you go after the Deep State, they'll eventually come and get you."

So now Fox is in bed with the Deep State? Whew, you can't tell your enemy without a scorecard. 

This is just the beginning of this craziness. I would not want to be on the switchboard at Fox H.Q. right now. 

Wonder if Fox got rid of Carlson because he would be their highest paid personality. Good ratings or not his show and Laura Ingraham have had trouble attracting and holding on to strong advertisers.  And Fox has a big bill to pay very soon. Makes one wonder if the hundreds of millions to Dominion and Carlson's dismissal are related.

Hosts Carlson and Ingraham have wallowed in conspiracy theories over the years.  Both even taunted high school students who survived the mass shooting in Parkland Florida because they were pleading for better gun control.  Soon after big advertisers started to cancel ads on these shows and even the network. 

Go to the Fox website, and it is interesting how Don Lemon's firing is the number one trending story but Tucker's is not.  Also Lemon's article is much longer, listing all of his transgressions over the years and CNN's problems but Carlson's is straight forward with no detail.  Fox has allowed comments after Lemon's story but no comments after Tucker's firing.  Isn't Fox supposed to be all about freedom??

Actually, Carlson and Lemon weren't the first to be let go this week. In a separate media story that got little attention, a guy named Jeff Shell was fired for allegedly having an inappropriate relationship at work and accused of sexual harassment aimed at an employee.

Who's Jeff Shell? Up until this weekend, he was the CEO of NBCUniversal, owner of NBC, Peacock and with an interest in Hulu. Not exactly a small-time guy.  

That makes three big honchos who've exited their media work in a hurry in less than 48 hours.

That's simply incredible and I can't think of a time when so many big names have been shown the door in virtually the same time period.  

NBCUniversal CEO Jeff Shell Forced Out After Sexual Harassment Claim 

How a Recent Don Lemon Interview May Have Been the Final Straw for CNN

Dial Twister wrote:

I think that Lemon has been on the chopping block for some time now; likely since shortly after CNN's new right-wing ownership took over.

Monday's sudden announcement of Carlson's departure from Fake News gave CNN's Chairman and CEO Licht a bit of cover to pull the plug on Lemon.

Don't know if I would classify the new owners as right wing.  They have moved CNN more to the centre which to me is where they should be. 

MSNBC is a fair bit more left centred than they were even a couple of years ago, and FOX News Network is a mess in pretty much every aspect IMO. I don't care if they are the number one news channel in the US, they are a garbage network, with second rate on air talent. Regardless of being number one, their ratings really aren't that good.  FOX is just highest in a poor bunch.   

I didn't mind Don Lemon, preferred him in his evening show.  The ratings for CNN's new morning show have been very weak.  Don, Poppy and Kaitlan didn't gel on air.   Lemon was the senior anchor and made some poorly thought out statements on air over past few months and no doubt CNN monitors what viewers are saying.

Like Tucker Carlson, Don Lemon was rumoured to be difficult to work with and didn't/wouldn't take advice, so all of these factors lead to his firing in my opinion. Whether these rumours are true, who knows?  

I find CNN a better network now than they were six months ago.  Whether their new programming and apparent move to the centre works for them remains to be seen.   

 

A sour Lemon returns.

Don Lemon has revealed he'll be coming back to media with a show on Twitter/X. The irony. He couldn't be more different than Tucker Carlson, yet both were fired on the same day and both are now doing their respective shows on the same platform.

‘Don Lemon Show’ Launching On X—9 Months After CNN Fired Host