Al Sharpton and the National Action Network are blasting a decision by CNN to oust anchor Don Lemon and are demanding the network explain the move.
“We are completely stunned at the termination of Don Lemon,” Sharpton, founder and president of the National Action Network, and Marc Morial, president and CEO of the National Urban League said in a joint statement issued on Wednesday. “Throughout his career, Don has been a superb journalist who was very open to the civil rights community on issues others wouldn’t touch.”
“Don’s voice has been invaluable to the conversation of how we become a more just nation. With the health of our democracy undergoing perhaps its greatest test, we cannot afford to silence his voice,” they added.
Lemon was ousted from his anchor chair on Monday morning and has alleged he was fired without warning by CNN CEO Chris Licht.
The network pushed back on that characterization soon after, releasing a statement saying “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,” the media company wrote.
Lemon’s ouster comes after weeks of controversy surrounding the longtime cable news pundit, stemming from his offensive comments on air and reported treatment of his female coworkers.
Licht reprimanded Lemon and briefly pulled him off the air earlier this year after he made sexist remarks about Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley and when a woman is “in her prime.”
A Variety report published earlier this month separately outlined a litany of allegations of abusive behavior by female coworkers at the network by Lemon during nearly two-decade career there.
Still, Sharpton and Morial said they want more information on how the decision to oust Lemon was made.
“We would like to know what he alludes to when he said there are greater things at play, which is why we urge for a full explanation as to why he was let go in such a fashion,” they wrote.