CNN’s time atop the cable news food chain are over, and have been over for several years now.
The network, which was largely responsible for this new infotainment juggernaut, has been hemorrhaging viewers and ratings for the better part of a decade now, with conservative-leaning Fox News having secured the top spot in cable news rather handily.
Now, to make matters worse, the network seems to have an issue in one of their most prominent anchors, Don Lemon, who this week will be forced to undergo formal training after his sexist remarks about 2024 GOP nominee Nikki Haley caused outrage.
Worse still, however: It appears as though CNN staffers aren’t terribly big fans of Lemon to begin with.
A CNN insider said Lemon has “no defenders” inside the network over the situation and everyone is still “pissed.” If he were forced out, “it would probably be welcomed by a lot of people,” they said. “I think there’s an array of people who maybe like him personally, not professionally.”
A second insider, asked whether Lemon was well-liked in the building, replied “not anymore,” citing a dramatic shift in recent days.
That doesn’t mean that the embattled host will be going anywhere anytime soon, however.
But despite the animosity, the insider says while consensus of internal network chatter is that “absolutely” he should go, Lemon remains “untouchable” since he’s “part of a protected class.”
When asked whether he’s worth the headache to keep on-air, the insider quickly replied, “No.”
Lemon has been mired in a number of controversies after being demoted from prime-time anchor to morning show host, leading the general public to wonder just how well that transition is going.
