Former CNN host Don Lemon has spoken publicly for the first time since confirming he was fired by the network, stating that he has “no regrets” and no plans to “rush to another job.”
“Life goes on. That’s behind me, and we’ll see what happens in the future,” he said of the exit. “I’m gonna [sic] spend my summer on the beach and on the boat and with my family. Just chill out, and then I’ll see what happens next, but I’m fortunate enough to be in a position where I can do that ... I have time. I don’t have to rush to another job, even if I want another job.”
When asked if he would do anything differently, Lemon said, “I live my life with no regrets, and whatever I did, I did, I owned.” He added, “I don’t look back and don’t want to change things in the past.”
The former host also stressed that he is “excited for a new chapter,” adding that “life is short.”
‘Larger Issues at Play’
In a statement on Monday, Lemon announced he was fired from CNN in which he alleged that his agent had informed him about the sudden decision.“After 17 years at CNN, I would have thought that someone in management would have had the decency to tell me directly, ” he penned on Twitter. “At no time was I ever given any indication that I would not be able to do the work that I have loved at the network. It is clear that there are larger issues at play.”
He went on to thank his colleagues and others he worked with at the network.
CNN disputed his claims in a separate statement, calling them “inaccurate.”
Controversial Career
Lemon’s departure came after he faced criticism over a controversial segment aired earlier this year on CNN “This Morning” in which he said that Republican presidential candidate and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, 51, was no longer in her “prime.”Lemon’s lawyer said in a statement at the time that the lawsuit was a “crass money grab from its inception” and a “malicious and vulgar attack on his character.”
Lemon’s firing came on the same day that Fox News announced it had parted ways with Tucker Carlson without providing an explanation as to why. The move has since prompted a boycott of Fox Network.