The CNN anchor appears to diss the 'Problem with Jon Stewart' host while weighing in on a viral video of Stewart's interview with Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks.
- Apr 11, 2023
AceShowbiz - CNN anchor Don Lemon appeared to diss Jon Stewart on-air before he made a quick recovery. In the Monday, April 10 broadcast of "CNN This Morning", Lemon seemingly suggested on a hot mic that Stewart "gets a lot of leeway" as a comedian.
During the episode, Lemon weighed in on a viral video of Stewart's interview with Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks in Chicago last week. In the clip, Stewart could be seen grilling Hicks over the defense budget. "I can't figure out how $850 billion to a department means that the rank and file still have to be on food stamps. To me, that's f**king corruption," he said.
After playing the video, Lemon appeared to shade the "The Problem with Jon Stewart" host. "He gets a lot of leeway with the comedian thing, though," the anchor told his co-anchors Poppy Harlow and Kaitlan Collins. Following a brief moment of silence, the TV personality quickly attempted to backtrack on his remarks.
"We were just discussing that Jon Stewart is so much more than a comedian. He is a thought leader," he explained. "When I was saying comedian and television host, he's so much more than that. I don't even know if you need to qualify Jon Stewart as that. But good interview there."
According to TMZ, Lemon was innocent in the alleged hot mic incident as it took place during his conversation with the show's producer about how best to introduce Stewart. The source told the news outlet that as it was scripted, Lemon referred to Stewart as a "comedian and host."
However, during soundbite, he and his co-anchors told the producer it's more fair to label him an advocate for veterans' rights. None of them allegedly realized viewers were hearing their convo.
The awkward moment arrived after Lemon was accused of sending threatening text messages to his "Live From with Kyra Phillips" co-host when Kyra landed an assignment in Iraq over him. One of the messages read, "Now you've crossed the line, and you're going to pay for it." The messages were traced back to Lemon and it led to him being demoted to a weekend anchor role.
It was also said that he expressed his disappointment "by tearing up pictures and notes on top of and inside Phillips' desk in the news pod they shared."
In response to the allegation, CNN said in a statement, "Don says the alleged incident never occurred and that he was never notified of any investigation. CNN cannot corroborate the alleged events from 15 years ago." Meanwhile, Kyra declined to comment.
As for Lemon, he denied all the allegations leveled at him in the story published on Variety on Wednesday, April 5. "The story, which is riddled with patently false anecdotes and no concrete evidence, is entirely based on unsourced, unsubstantiated, 15-year-old anonymous gossip," a spokesperson for Lemon stressed. "It's amazing and disappointing that Variety would be so reckless."
