CNN's Don Lemon Slams Misogyny Allegations As 'Patently False' After Scathing Variety Exposé

Don Lemon has fired back after a recent report accused him of being a misogynist in the workplace. The CNN anchor called the accusation "patently false" and said the information is "reckless and irresponsible."

According to the exposé by Variety, Lemon had made anonymous threats to co-worker Kyra Philips after she was chosen for a high-profile assignment. The anchor was accused of making inappropriate comments on air. He once asked political commentator S.E. Cupps if she had "mommy's brain."

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CNN anchor Don Lemon has vehemently denied accusations of "sexist" behavior made against him in a recent exposé published by Variety. The article "Don Lemon's Misogyny at CNN, Exposed: Malicious Texts, Mocking Female Co-Workers and 'Diva-Like Behavior'" alleged that Lemon had engaged in questionable conduct since his employment at the network in 2006.

The deep dive piece cited interviews with numerous anonymous sources, including one who claimed that Lemon had anonymously threatened his co-anchor Kyra Phillips in 2008 over a high-profile assignment. However, a spokesperson for Lemon has dismissed the claims as "patently false" and accused Variety of publishing "reckless and irresponsible" content. 

The spokesperson told Yahoo, "the story is riddled with patently false anecdotes and lacks concrete evidence, relying solely on unsourced and unsubstantiated 15-year-old anonymous gossip."

CNN also responded to specific allegations made in the Variety article, addressing claims from two sources that Don Lemon was outraged when his former co-host Phillips was assigned to Iraq instead of him 15 years ago.

According to the outlet's sources, Lemon allegedly tore up pictures and notes on Phillips's desk and later sent her threatening texts from an unknown number. The article claims that CNN investigated and traced the readers back to Lemon. However, a spokesperson for CNN told Yahoo that the network could not verify the accuracy of these alleged events from 15 years ago.

Additionally, Lemon denied the incident ever occurred and stated that he was never informed of any investigation by CNN.

In addition to the 15-year-old incident, Lemon was accused of making several offensive comments about women on air and inappropriate behavior towards female colleagues on the network. According to the Variety report, Lemon has disrespected former colleagues like Nancy Grace and Soledad O'Brien in public settings, including during editorial meetings.

In February, Lemon was involved in another controversial on-air discussion with co-hosts Poppy Harlow and Kaitlan Collins about Nikki Haley's presidential campaign announcement. During the conversation, Lemon suggested that Haley's proposal for "mandatory mental competency tests for politicians over 75" was the "wrong road" to go down.

He then stated that a woman is considered in her prime when she's in her 20s, 30s, and maybe her 40s, implying that Haley was not in her prime. When asked to clarify his statement, Lemon cited a Google search that defined a woman's prime as her early 20s to her 40s. "I'm not saying I agree with that, so I think she has to be careful about saying that (politicians aren't in their prime)," he said, per USA Today.

In September 2022, Lemon received backlash, with critics accusing him of making a sexist remark for comments he made during a panel discussion with political commentator S.E. Cupp. Lemon asked if she had a "mommy brain" after she seemed to lose her train of thought. In response, Cupp explained that she had forgotten what she wanted to say.

In 2014, Lemon interviewed actress Joan Tarshis, who had accused Bill Cosby of sexual assault. During the interview, Lemon said, "There are ways not to perform oral sex if you didn't want to do it."

Taken aback by this remark, Tarshis responded, "Oh. Um, I was stoned at the time, and quite honestly, that didn't even enter my mind. Now I wish it would have."

Lemon later apologized for his comments, but the incident added to the ongoing controversy surrounding his behavior and has only increased the growing list of misogynistic actions displayed by the news anchor.