News/Commentary

Don Lemon accused of ‘screaming’ at co-host Kaitlan Collins for interrupting him, sources

February 3, 2023 | | Print Article

Don Lemon allegedly screamed at his “CNN This Morning” co-host Kaitlan Collins in December for interrupting him on-air and then was told to take the day off in an ugly incident that has reportedly left the show’s cast and crew “rattled” since it happened.

Two unnamed sources told the New York Post that Lemon, 56, approached Collins, 30, following the show’s Dec. 8 broadcast and let her have it, hammering her in front of staffers while he railed at her for “interrupting” him on-air.

“Don screamed at Kaitlan, who was visibly upset and ran out of the studio,” one source recounted.

CNN CEO Chris Licht was reportedly appalled by Lemon’s behavior. Another unnamed source asserts that a producer had a word with Lemon at the request of Licht. He ostensibly told him to take the next day off to “cool off.”

**Update: Despite CNN formally pushing back, Mediaite can confirm that the events described by the Post are largely true — though Lemon’s alleged “screaming” is being overplayed.

The three CNN co-hosts were supposed to get drinks and arrive together at a White House Christmas party for the press the next night. Following the tense blowup earlier in the day, the pre-party get-together never occurred. The co-hosts arrived separately for the party. Following the event, Lemon had dinner with his agent, Jay Sures, according to sources.

While Lemon was having dinner with Sures, Collins met with co-host Poppy Harlow. The powerful and well-connected Sures represents both Collins and Lemon.

Collins is considered a rising star after serving as CNN’s youngest chief White House correspondent.

“At this point, Kaitlan wants to be on set with Don as little as possible,” a source told the New York Post. “It’s messy.”

“CNN This Morning” has had other problems since its Nov. 1 launch, including abysmal ratings. A week before the blowup, Lemon got into an argument with Collins and Harlow on the air, arguing that the US men’s soccer team should get paid more than the women’s team.

Lemon was quoted by the Daily Beast as saying the men were “more interesting to watch.” Later, Lemon would attempt to walk that back and claim it was a joke.

Collins and Lemon seem to be working separately more frequently since the screaming incident. Lemon covered the death of Tyre Nichols in Memphis while Collins has been working remotely from DC. She took January off.

“The intent was always for the anchors to get out from behind the news desk, and they are doing an extraordinary job taking viewers inside the most important news stories of the day,” a CNN representative told the New York Post.

“Don has been given notes” by the show’s producers “to not talk so much, to let other people talk,” a source claimed.

“Don’s a bossy guy and difficult to work with — even he would admit that. He was a solo act before. He doesn’t want to be in Destiny’s Child,” the source remarked.

Other sources told the media outlet that Lemon is “not happy” about sharing the limelight with his co-hosts.

“Don has an intractable ego,” the source said. “My understanding is he wants the show to be about him. I don’t know how you fix that. It’s a very difficult situation.”

“It’s never smooth sailing in the beginning,” another source commented. “They are all trying to get their sea legs.”

Lemon also seems to have an issue with the fact that Collins previously worked for The Daily Caller before she started covering the Trump White House for CNN.

Puck News reported on the incident, stating that Lemon “skipped” hosting on the following broadcast due to “exhaustion.” Senior correspondent Dylan Byers claimed that Lemon needed the day off after a “very tense segment” with Collins, who “repeatedly tried to speak over him as he was reading the news, to his apparent annoyance.”

“It’d be hard to blame Lemon for being annoyed,” Byers said, justifying his explosive temper. “He’s still a young man, to be sure.”

Byers is also represented by Sures’ Hollywood talent agency UTA. Industry sources are claiming that Collins’ relationship with Sures has gone downhill recently, according to the New York Post.

“Collins rose to stardom as a Trump White House correspondent, where she made a name for herself as a fearless, take-no-bullsh*t reporter, but has yet to find her footing behind the desk, sharing the spotlight with older and more experienced anchors,” Byers wrote at Puck News.

Amid all this, CNN suffered its worst ratings in nine years last week according to RadarOnline.

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