CNN’s Don Lemon and co-host Kaitlan Collins reunited in an icy on-air reunion for ‘This Morning’ on Monday.
CNN Hosts Back Together After Blow Up
The reunion is mere days after it was revealed the network’s golden boy went “ballistic” on staff when his blowup with his 30-year-old co-star was exposed, according to RadarOnline.com.
Lemon, 56, looked uncomfortable sitting in the co-anchor chair alongside Collins when the two joined their third co-star Poppy Harlow to interview their guest. During the interview, Lemon nearly interrupted Collins, which is allegedly why he blew up on her in December.
The newsletter obtained by RadarOnline.com linked to a New York Post article reading, “Tensions on the set of ‘CNN This Morning’ have recently boiled over.”
Don Lemon’s Moment of Furry
According to two sources with knowledge of the situation, 56-year-old Lemon approached 30-year-old Collins following the show’s Thursday, December 8, broadcast and unloaded on her in front of staffers as he accused her of “interrupting” him on air.
“Don lost his mind internally and went ballistic at staffers after the CNN newsletter highlighted a story about him screaming,” a well-placed insider said.
News of the explosive incident made its way up to CNN CEO Chris Licht, who is said to have been appalled by Lemon’s behavior, according to a source. A second source said a producer talked to Lemon at the request of Licht, and told the anchor to take the next day off to “cool off.”
The night after their fight, Lemon and Collins were reportedly supposed to grab drinks before heading to a White House Christmas party for the press. Their pre-drink meetup allegedly never happened.
An insider said the co-stars arrived separately, with Lemon heading to dinner with his agent, Jay Sures, after the shindig.
The December 8 blowup wasn’t the first sign of trouble at “CNN This Morning” since the show’s November 1 launch. A week earlier, Lemon got into an awkward dispute with Collins and Harlow on air, arguing that the US men’s soccer team should get paid more than the women’s team despite the men’s relative lack of success at the World Cup.
Lemon did not appear on the December 9 broadcast, and co-host Poppy Harlow informed viewers, “Don has the day off.”
CNN’s Response
CNN issued a statement to Mediaite regarding the report: “The Post’s account is wildly overblown and two months old. Don, Kaitlan and Poppy were friends before they were co-anchors and they remain, friends, today.”
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