CNN CEO Chris Licht Knew Don Lemon's Morning Show Would Be 'a Bust'

Chris Licht knew he had to sack Don Lemon, even before his controversial commentary about Nikki Haley.

In his recent article, reporter Tim Alberta took a deep dive into the troubles at CNN as of late, including the highly publicized firing of Lemon.

According to Alberta, the newscaster made the network upset with his comments about the Republican presidential candidate. The 57-year-old allegedly had a string of offenses before his misogynist comments went viral.

Lemon's staff and co-workers such as Poppy Harlow and Kaitlin Collins had been fed up with "cringe" and "half-baked opinions," according to Alberta. Licht was also reportedly irritated by his controversial words.

Just a few months before he stated Haley "isn't in her prime" and that a woman was only at her prime "in her 20s, 30s, and maybe her 40s," Collins and Lemon had a blow-up fight — and their relationship never recovered.

The tiff began when Collins interrupted Lemon on air and shushed his cohost while saying, "Stand by, one second." When cameras switched off, Lemon made a scene in front of cast and crew, reprimanding Collins for her actions.

Even before Lemon's "prime" remarks, Licht was dealing with the fact that the morning show was "a bust," and Licht was unsure how to maneuver the complicated firing of Lemon after his undesirable actions.

CNN execs begged Licht to let Lemon go after the incident, though Licht worried it may look extreme to fire an employee based on a single comment. In hopes of rehabilitating his image, Lemon suggested he host a roundtable with woman addressing misogyny, which Litch quickly rejected.

Alberta also alleged that Lemon was gaining support from other Black leaders in the industry to unite against his firing if it were to happen.

As OK! previously reported, Lemon announced his firing on April 24, alleging he heard the news from his agent rather than someone at CNN.

Since his sacking, the journalist has been angry at the network and has a revenge plan in place.

"Don feels like he's been a gold solider at CNN and that he's a scapegoat for the failure of the morning show he was forced to co-host with Harlow and Collins," a source shared with Radar. "He's looking for payback!"

Never miss a story — sign up for the OK! newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what OK! has to offer. It’s gossip too good to wait for!

"Don says he will reveal where the bodies are buried and will shine a damaging spotlight on execs and anchors whose behavior is WORSE than his," they added.

The Atlantic reported on the CNN debacle.