Colleagues speak out about Don Lemon's behavior amid Nikki Haley controversy

That Don Lemon has a history of making incendiary statements on-air is not a secret. However, his recent comment that Nikki Haley “isn’t in her prime” proved to be a tipping point for public perception. Privately, though, the CNN anchor has apparently been pissing off colleagues for years, because lots of them are anonymously dishing to Variety about his behind-the-scenes transgressions.

Some of these transgressions, it should be said, are remarkably petty on the part of these anonymous sources. They complain of things like Lemon being a “shameless name dropper” or that he was hinting at being “litigious” by referencing past lawsuits. They lament his “diva-like behavior” and that he “was losing touch with his former friends” as he rose in the ranks at CNN. Less petty is the allegation he openly conducted a workplace affair with a staffer half his age who was hired fresh out of college, apparently not an actionable offense but one that was “frowned upon” by the network at the time.

As for Lemon’s alleged misogyny, these sources claim a history of professional jealousy, particularly of female colleagues, that led to disturbing behavior. He is accused of harassing former co-anchor Kyra Phillips to the point of sending threatening anonymous messages. These claims are unsubstantiated (and Lemon denies them), though Variety points out he was “demoted” to weekend duties in the wake of an investigation. He reportedly questioned Soledad O’Brien’s race on an editorial call with 30 staffers when she was chosen to host the network’s “Black In America” docuseries. (“Don has long had a habit of saying idiotic and inaccurate things, so it sounds pretty on brand for him,” O’Brien, who wasn’t present, tells Variety.)

As troubling as the picture being painted behind the scenes is, his public-facing record speaks for itself. Variety cites on-air instances of insensitive remarks to a victim of Bill Cosby, mocking colleague Nancy Grace, asking a fellow panelist if she had “mommy brain,” and saying the men’s national soccer team should get paid more than the women’s team because the former is “more interesting to watch.” Former CNN consultant Goldie Taylor says she was blacklisted from the network for criticizing Lemon’s remarks about the Black community; he was also entangled, some say inappropriately, in the Jussie Smollett case.

Nevertheless, Lemon’s employment has survived the Haley controversy, though the network is reportedly requiring him to undergo “formal training.” You can read the full Variety report here.