Don Lemon is reportedly getting a huge payday.
According to an exclusive report from TheWrap the former CNN host has reached an agreement for a separation settlement after being removed from his primetime CNN show. The payout is for approximately $24.5 million, the full complete pay from his final contract which extended 3.5 years from his ousting, per the outlet.
The deal comes after Lemon was fired from his show after stepping into some controversy following his February 2023 remarks about presidential candidate Nikki Haley, at age 51, being past her prime. The comments, despite him claiming they were innocuous, openthe floodgates for widespread fodder online, and ultimately led to him being ousted from the network.
“While we never comment on specifics of any employee contract, this story is incorrect,” a CNN representative told People following the news of the settlement agreement.
Lemon, a seasoned journalist and popular television personality, said he was stunned when he heard the news of his removal from the network.
“I would have thought that someone in management would have had the decency to tell me directly,” he’d previously said, pointing out that he was informed by his agent of the firing. The ousting happened around the same time as embattled former CNN Chris Licht’s firing as well.
“They did not want me to be a part of that, and I think that has, from what has played out publicly as it relates to CNN, as it relates to management, and what they’re doing now, I think that it’s obvious that they didn’t want me to be a part of that.”