[ad_1]
Don Lemon allegedly ‘screamed’ at his CNN This Morning co-host after he accused her of interrupting him several times while on air.
Kaitlan Collins, 30, ran off the set in tears on December 8 after the 56-year-old yelled at her in front of the television crew and their other co-host Poppy Harlow, sources told The New York Post.
CNN boss Chris Licht, who pledged to give CNN a makeover since taking over the outlet last year and then announced shocking layoffs, was supposedly stunned at the news and told Lemon to take the following day off to ‘cool off.’
‘Don screamed at Kaitlan, who was visibly upset and ran out of the studio,’ the source told The Post.
CNN This Morning is a ratings bomb and early last month experienced its least-viewed week since launch, averaging just over 330,000 viewers
Don Lemon allegedly screamed at Kaitlan Collins off-air for interrupting him on December 8, sources say
Collins, 30, reportedly ran off the set in tears after the confrontation. Several production staff saw the incident unfold
The trio of co-hosts was supposed to arrive together the day after the off-air incident for the White House Christmas party, but they went separately and canceled their pre-party plans.
After the party, Lemon met up with the agent that represents him and Collins, while his other two co-hosts got together for drinks, the source claimed.
Collins and Lemon have starred alongside each other on the show since it started three months ago. The pair, along with Harlow, used to arrive to red carpets and events as a unit. But now, they arrive separate and seem to want to stay far away from each other.
‘At this point, Kaitlan wants to be on set with Don as little as possible,’ a source told The Post. ‘It’s messy.’
To Collins’ advantage, CEO Licht wants the morning show hosts out in the field more than on set.
Collins, who is also CNN’s White House correspondent, has recently spent a lot of time in DC.
Collins and Lemon have starred alongside each other on the show since it started three months ago
Poppy Harlow (center) is the also stars alongside the pair on the CNN morning show
While it’s unclear if whether Collins intentionally interrupted Lemon, one source referred to him as ‘bossy’ and ‘difficult to work with.’
The source added that he was given notes to talk less during the show and share the stage with Harlow and Collins.
Lemon used to have his own show Don Lemon Tonight, before Licht canceled it and created the new morning show.
‘He was a solo act before,’ the source said while another added that the CNN anchor isn’t happy about having co-hosts.
‘My understanding is he wants the show to be about him,’ a source close to Lemon told the news outlet. ‘I don’t know how you fix that. It’s a very difficult situation.’
While it’s unclear if whether Collins intentionally interrupted Lemon, one source referred to him as ‘bossy’ and ‘difficult to work with
Before Lemon allegedly shouted at Collins, he caused yet more controversy after ‘mansplaining’ to his female co-hosts why men’s sports bring in more money.
On December 1, Harlow and Collins struggled to get a word in after it was revealed the US Women’s National Soccer Team will earn more from the men’s world cup than they did from their 2019 World Cup championship.
Lemon, who has been responsible for a spate of controversial on-air statements, attempted to explain to his colleagues that the US women’s soccer team has historically earned less than their male counterparts because there is simply limited interest in their playing of the sport.
‘You cannot make people become interested in something they are not interested in,’ he said.
CNN This Morning co-host Don Lemon gets defensive about his stance that no one really wants to watch women’s soccer
Harlow and Collins argued that women’s sports are undervalued by the entities which control advertising dollars because potential fans are not exposed to them enough for their marketing value to rise.
Collins pointed out that in some cases, including on the world soccer stage, the US women’s team have a more impressive recent record than the men.
‘The women have better skills,’ she said, as Lemon argued that women are generally worse at athletic competition and if the women’s team were to play the men’s team, they would lose.
‘I’m just being honest,’ he said, capping off the awkward segment.
Upon receiving swift pushback from co-host Harlow, he quickly caveated his opinion with the blanket statement: ‘I’m not sexist.’
‘I grew up the only boy in a family of all women,’ he added, before recounting that when he goes to sports bars and women’s games are playing, a near-universal response from the crowd tends to be: ‘I don’t want to watch this.’
[ad_2]
Source link
