Lady On CNN Teaches Don Lemon the TRUTH About Slaves

Lady On CNN Teaches Don Lemon the TRUTH About Slaves

Debut of Don Lemon's 'CNN This Morning' show is a ratings bomb



New management at CNN is hoping that shuffling Don Lemon from primetime to a new morning show will increase ratings at the struggling network. However, the debut of the new "CNN This Morning" was a ratings bomb.

"CNN This Morning" took over the 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. time slot from its predecessor, "New Day." The show features co-hosts Don Lemon, Poppy Harlow, and Kaitlan Collins.

CNN has heavily promoted the new a.m. political talk show since Oct. 20.

The promotional trailer for the new show features all three co-hosts at a coffee shop talking about how they're all good friends. In the video, Harlow commended Lemon for being a "real friend" because he flew to Slovenia for her wedding.

Harlow explained, "We need to cover more of what is happening across America."

Lemon said of the new show, "It's really all about conversation. We are the place for accuracy, and we are the place for content."

However, the promotion for the new cable news show did not pay dividends in the debut of "CNN This Morning."

"CNN This Morning" debuted to an average of 387,000 total viewers on Tuesday. The scarcely-watched "New Day" actually had better ratings than the show that replaced it. "New Day" averaged 413,000 daily viewers in 2022 before it was canceled.

"CNN This Morning" also struggled to grab eyeballs from the coveted 25-54 demographic, only getting 71,000 in the age group targeted by advertisers.

IndieWire reported, "From a year-to-date perspective, the 'CNN This Morning' series premiere was down 6 percent in total viewers and -17 percent in the demo."

CNN's cable news competitors crushed the debut of "CNN This Morning."

MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” more than doubled “CNN This Morning” with 793,000 total viewers on Tuesday, plus 114,000 in the 25-54 demographic. Fox News' "Fox & Friends" dominated with 1.5 million total viewers on Tuesday and 236,000 in the target group.

Fox News noted, "Repeats of 'Young Sheldon' and 'The Big Bang Theory' on TBS, ESPN’s 'Around the Horn,' decades-old reruns of 'Gunsmoke' on INSP and 'The Andy Griffith Show' on TV Land and TLC’s 'Little People, Big World' were among the basic cable offerings on Monday that had larger audiences than the debut of 'CNN This Morning.'"

Tuesday's debut of "CNN This Morning" was a ratings disaster despite the inaugural episode featuring a pre-recorded interview between Lemon and the Pennsylvania Democratic Senate candidate John Fetterman.

CNN's chairman and CEO Chris Licht has high hopes for the Lemon-centric show.

"There is no stronger combination of talent than Don, Poppy, and Kaitlan to deliver on our promise of a game-changing morning news program," Licht said when the show was announced in September. "They are each uniquely intelligent, reliable, and compelling; together they have a rare and palpable chemistry. Combined with CNN’s resources and global newsgathering capabilities, we will offer a smart, bold, and refreshing way to start the day."

There have been several changes that have taken place at the network since Licht took over.

It was also announced this week that CNN anchor Jake Tapper was being demoted from the primetime slot that he started just weeks ago back to his late-afternoon television show.

Following a six-month review of CNN's business, Licht will reportedly cut some jobs at the cable news network.

"We will be strategic in this process and will minimize the impact on our core newsgathering operation and digital, both of which have already executed smart changes," Licht wrote last month in a memo to employees. "Let me be clear: I will not allow these changes to affect our position as the world’s leading news source, and we will continue to invest in growth areas. When we conclude this process, CNN will still be the largest, most-respected newsgathering organization in the world. We will continue to cover any story, anywhere, any time–with more resources than anyone else. Full stop."

You can watch the promotional trailer for "CNN This Morning" below.

CNN This Morning www.youtube.com

CNN's Don Lemon says 'I was not always perfect' as he wraps up final prime-time show — and gets mercilessly mocked



CNN's Don Lemon wrapped up an emotional finale of his prime-time program Friday night by telling viewers that "I was not always perfect" — as well as sniffling and fighting back tears — and he got roundly mocked for it.

What are the details?

Last month the embattled cable network, fighting a string of programming failures and ratings declines, announced that "Don Lemon Tonight" would be ending and that its left-wing host would be co-anchoring a new morning show alongside Poppy Harlow and Kaitlan Collins, which will debut sometime this year.

With time running out on his final prime-time gig, Lemon told viewers, "I know I was not always perfect, because no one is perfect. Because there are immense pressures that come with this job and in particular this time slot at 10 o’clock, when people are going to bed. So sometimes all I could do — I'm gonna be honest with you — is just smile and just get to the commercial break sometimes.”

He concluded by saying, "Sometimes it was exhausting, because some of the things that we discuss here are so personal and so consuming, all-consuming. So I hope I made you proud. And I thank you for tuning in all these years. And I hope that you're gonna join me in the morning. So I will simply say good night, and I will see you soon."

Things got a little theatrical as Lemon waved at the camera and said, “I’m gonna leave, and I'm gonna go upstairs.” He did just that, standing up as the camera followed him trudging up the flight of stairs at the back of his set as he blurted out a squeaky "Bye!" and sniffled and sighed and muttered on his way out.

#journalist #donlemon quitting his show on#cnnyoutu.be

'Actually you were perfect, Don — perfectly never objective ...'

Folks commenting on the news of Lemon's final sign-off were none too kind, particularly in regard to his "I was not always perfect" utterance:

  • "It’s funny that he actually thought he was perfect sometimes," one commenter noted.
  • "Actually you were perfect, Don — perfectly never objective on every subject....but then again no one watched you, especially me," another commenter said.
  • "Rarely, if ever, perfect. Helped spread the hate and discontent," another commenter wrote.
  • "Just like he said, nobody's perfect nor always perfect," another commenter noted. "He should have said, 'I make bad judgments.' Using the word perfect [for yourself] is stroking your own ego."

As for his emotional demeanor, more mockery:

  • "I fought back tears, too," another commenter said. "Tears of joy."
  • "Being demoted is sad, but this seems like party time!" another commenter exclaimed.
  • "Hilarious," another commenter wrote.

Anything else?

Prior to the announcement of Lemon's prime-time show coming to end, his left-wing pronouncements hadn't seemed as frequent. In July, for example, he said the media should not treat Democrats and Republicans as equals because the GOP is "very dangerous to our society"; in September, he defended President Joe Biden's "semi-fascism" term to describe "MAGA Republicans," arguing Biden's words were "unifying" because some believe they are "true."

But right after the announcement, Lemon's leftism seemed revived. In fact, he suggested the vast wealth inherited by King Charles III after the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, should be spent on reparations for descendants of the victims of the African slave trade — after which a British commentator raked him over the coals.

Late last month, as Hurricane Ian was hitting Florida's west coast, Lemon tried and failed to get an expert from the National Hurricane Center to blame the storm's intensity on climate change.

'Don Lemon Tonight' shown the door; CNN moving far-left host from prime time to new morning show



Time has run out for CNN's "Don Lemon Tonight," as the embattled cable network is moving the far-left host from prime time to a new morning show, CNN Worldwide Chairman and CEO Chris Licht announced Thursday.

What are the details?

CNN said the "reimagined morning show" will feature Lemon alongside Poppy Harlow and Kaitlan Collins and debut later this year. Harlow will co-anchor with Lemon, the network said, and Collins will co-anchor and serve as chief correspondent for the show.

CNN added that John Berman and Brianna Keilar will keep anchoring "New Day" until the new program premieres. Keilar and Berman will assume new roles at the cable network later this year, CNN also noted.

“The last eight years have been an incredible ride. I’ve had the opportunity to work with one of the best show teams in the business, but it’s time to shake things up. I am so appreciative of the 'Don Lemon Tonight' team, my wonderful, loyal viewers, and everyone who has believed in me,” Lemon stated, according CNN's press release. “I was honestly floored when Chris Licht asked me to do this, and I’m honored by his belief in me. It’s going to be a thrill to take on this challenge with Poppy and Kaitlan. I’ll get to work with two of my dearest friends. Set your alarms folks, because we’re going to have a lot of fun.”

The New York Post said Licht dropping Lemon from prime time has been a "long-anticipated move" as new brass is said to be shifting the CNN away from left-wing commentary to something more in the political center.

Indeed, Lemon's departure from prime time comes on the heels of former "Reliable Sources" host Brian Stelter's headline-grabbing departure from CNN last month.

Stelter, like Lemon, often espoused leftist leanings and was no fan of former President Donald Trump. Perhaps not surprisingly, Stelter just landed a gig as a media and democracy fellow for the fall semester at the Harvard Kennedy School.

Also recently gone from CNN were left-leaning White House correspondent John Harwood earlier this month and disgraced legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin in August. Prior to that there were the scandalous departures of former CNN head Jeff Zucker and anchor Chris Cuomo, not to mention the embarrassingly fast demise of CNN+ earlier this year.

The Post added that Lemon hosted the lowest-ranked prime time program in August, averaging 660,000 viewers. By comparison, the paper said Fox News dominated in August with nine shows making up the 10 highest-rated cable news shows with millions of viewers.

Here are a pair of Lemon's recent leftist pronouncements: