Nolte: CNN Moves to Axe Don Lemon with Nothingburger Hit Piece Planted at Variety

In an obvious move to get rid of failed morning anchor Don Lemon, CNN planted a hit piece with far-left Variety.

Based on Variety’s headline and resulting social media storm, you get the impression that this story is the kill shot that will end Lemon’s CNN career. And it might very well be that kill shot. But it’s still a big, fat nothingburger that doesn’t live up to the headline.

I would break the article down this way: It’s one-third stuff we already knew, one-third speculation, and one-third people pretending to be offended over absolutely nothing.

Here’s the Variety’s anti-science headline: “Don Lemon’s Misogyny at CNN, Exposed: Malicious Texts, Mocking Female Co-Workers and ‘Diva-Like Behavior.’”

To begin with, the “malicious texts” are only speculated to have come from Lemon. Moreover, the alleged incident happened all the way back in 2008. The whole episode is framed under the assumption Lemon disliked his then-co-host Kyra Phillips only because she’s a woman. There’s no proof of that. Then we’re told he sent her a cryptic text that read, “Now you’ve crossed the line, and you’re going to pay for it.”

Variety claims the text was traced back to Lemon but offers no proof. Even so, we’re not told the context of the text.

Lemon denies this happened, and CNN told Variety it “cannot corroborate the alleged events from 15 years ago.”

Lemon is also accused of being *gasp* a “name dropper! Example: “a hand-written note from Stedman Graham that he had taped on his computer.” The horror. The horror.

Lemon is accused of—man alive, how absurd is this…

Some were unnerved by his talk of his previous lawsuits, believing it signaled that he was litigious. He frequently let drop that he successfully sued Tower Records as well as the Chicago PD for racial profiling and didn’t need to worry about money thanks to the settlements.

Unnerved? I read this as further proof “”””journalists”””” are babies.

Lemon is accused of dating a 22-year-old subordinate when he was 41. “Dating a junior employee was frowned upon at the time.“

Uhm, “frowned upon” is not against the rules, and there is no allegation that the relationship interfered with work.

CNN's Don Lemon returns Wednesday after being absent on air for several days following sexist remarks he made about presidential candidate Nikki Haley. As part of his return, the co-anchor has agreed to participate in "formal training." pic.twitter.com/sShqjIAGN7

— Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) February 22, 2023

Lemon is accused of mocking then-Headline News star Nancy Grace, which his colleagues found “shocking.” This happened before the text thing, so we’re talking more than 15 years ago.

Lemon is accused of suggesting Soledad O’Brien isn’t really black during a staff call…15 years ago. A CNN spokesperson told Variety: “Don, Soledad and others have in the past correctly referred to her Afro-Cuban heritage as it is a unique part of her personal story. But Don denies making any related remark in a derogatory way.”

Here are the examples of Lemon’s “diva-like behavior”:

When he wasn’t shocking his cohorts, he was annoying them with “diva-like behavior,” says one, like skipping editorial calls, showing up late to the newsroom or just generally exhibiting disengaged behavior. In 2009, CNN was allowed to send one journalist into the Staples Center to cover the Michael Jackson memorial. Lemon was the choice, while Anderson Cooper and O’Brien anchored outside. Sources remember Lemon complaining on social media that Cooper got more airtime.

Then someone complains because Lemon once told black kids to pull up their pants. Apparently, giving good advice violates CNN policies.

Then someone complains because Lemon’s “neglecting important stories affecting the [b]lack community. “

Then old scandals are dredged up like the time he “told a Bill Cosby rape accuser that she could have stopped an attack by biting the comedian’s penis.”

That was nine years ago!

The only legitimate complaint comes from 2021 when Lemon was caught warning (via text) convicted race-hoaxer Jussie Smollett that the police didn’t believe his story about being attacked by Trump supporters.

BUT.

That sin pales compared to CNN serial liar Jake Tapper getting caught interfering in a consequential congressional election and then lying about it.

Here’s what this is all about…

CNN wants to fire Lemon, but they can’t fire him for being what he is—an unprofessional, dishonest, left-wing, basement-rated failure. You see, if CNN fires Lemon for that, CNN will have to fire everyone for that. So, CNN is instead smearing him as a misogynist, making his firing acceptable to the handful of far-leftists who still watch CNNLOL.

Lemon may very well be a woman-hater. But nothing in this shameless and transparent hit-piece proves anything other than what we already knew: CNN is a fiery garbage pile of fake news, awful human beings, and lies.

Follow John Nolte on Twitter @NolteNC. Follow his Facebook Page here.