Piers Morgan and former CNN anchor Don Lemon engaged in a tense and heated exchange during an appearance on Piers Morgan Uncensored, where Lemon hoped to reshape his public image following his controversial departure from CNN. Instead, he found himself under scrutiny over the very comments that contributed to his firing.
Lemon had been let go from CNN after making widely criticized remarks suggesting that women are “in their prime” only during their 20s, 30s, and possibly 40s. Morgan replayed the clip from Lemon’s 2023 segment about Nikki Haley, prompting Lemon to grow defensive. When asked if he regretted his words, Lemon accused Morgan of staging an “ambush.”
Tensions escalated further when Morgan questioned Lemon’s intentions and bluntly criticized his behavior. Lemon expressed frustration that the interview veered from its originally agreed-upon topics. He claimed Morgan had said the discussion would focus on free speech and reactions to the death of political commentator Charlie Kirk, not his CNN past.
Don Lemon becomes visibly enraged as Piers Morgan rolls the very clip that got him fired from CNN.
“Not once did you mention that we were gonna talk about CNN or whatever. And had I known that, I probably wouldn’t have accepted this interview.”
What followed was a heated… pic.twitter.com/pYw40RmT2K
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Lemon expressed that he likely would not have agreed to the appearance had he known CNN and his controversial comments would be central. He insisted that while he had declined many invitations to appear on panels, he agreed to a one-on-one interview under different expectations.
The back-and-forth grew increasingly personal, with both men exchanging sharp remarks. Morgan accused Lemon of being difficult and overly sensitive, while Lemon challenged Morgan’s conduct, emphasizing that he felt misled about the nature of the interview.
Following the episode, Morgan teased the interview on social media, suggesting Lemon did not come off well and criticizing him in a personal tone. The interview highlighted ongoing tensions surrounding free speech, media responsibility, and the reputational fallout of high-profile public comments in today’s media landscape.
