CNN anchors Kaitlan Collins and Poppy Harlow put their differences with former co-anchor Don Lemon aside to “wish him well” following his abrupt firing from the news network.
“Don was a big part of this show over the last six months,” Collins, 31, said on “CNN This Morning” Tuesday. “He was one of the first anchors on CNN to have me on his show — that’s something I’ll obviously never forget.”
She concluded by co-signing part of CNN CEO Chris Licht’s statement and said they “wish him the best.”
Harlow, 40, agreed and added, “Don was one of my first friends here at CNN.
“I’m so thankful to have worked alongside him and for his support for nearly 15 years here, and I wish him all good things ahead.”
She concluded by saying that she and Collins remain “proud” of their morning show and their priority continues to be “the viewer.”
Despite showing Lemon, 57, some grace on air, Poppy and Collins did not always have the smoothest relationship with the veteran journalist.
In February, The Post exclusively reported that Lemon allegedly screamed at Collins during an off-camera dispute in December 2022 after she “interrupted” him on air.
“Don screamed at Kaitlan, who was visibly upset and ran out of the studio,” a source claimed at the time.
Another insider said at the time that Licht, 51, learned of the incident and had a producer tell Lemon to “cool off.”
Two months after that alleged row, Harlow and Lemon got into a heated debate over the latter’s sexist remarks about women.
The former “Don Lemon Tonight” anchor said on TV in February that presidential candidate Nikki Haley was not “in her prime” because she is 51 years old.
He added, “A woman is considered to be in her prime in her 20s, 30s and maybe her 40s.”
A visibly upset Harlow immediately called out Lemon during the segment and asked, “What are you talking about, wait … prime for what?”
Lemon attempted to backtrack by explaining that those beliefs were not “according to [him]” but rather “if you Google when is a woman in her prime, it’ll say 20s, 30s and 40s.”
The ex-“CNN Tonight” anchor then issued an apology and said he was “learning” and “committed to doing better.”
However, the on-air controversy led to PvNew releasing an exposé detailing Lemon’s alleged history of misogynistic and “diva-like” behavior, including once calling a producer fat to her face.
A CNN spokesperson denied nearly all of the claims in PvNew’s story on behalf of Lemon at the time, saying in part that the report was “riddled with patently false anecdotes and no concrete evidence.”
However, two weeks later, Lemon was let go after nearly 17 years at the network.
The “stunned” journalist tweeted after his departure Monday that he “would have thought someone in management would have the decency to tell me directly” due to his long tenure at the company.
“At no time was I ever given any indication that I would not be able to continue to do the work I have loved at the network,” he added. “It is clear there are some larger issues at play.”
However, CNN then released an additional statement, disputing Lemon’s claims.
The network said via Twitter Monday, “Don Lemon’s statement about this morning’s events is inaccurate. He was offered an opportunity to meet with management but instead released a statement on Twitter.”
Lemon has not commented further.
