Don Lemon declared that his CNN firing came as a “surprise” following the network’s confirmation that it terminated him on Monday.
Lemon, who was the subject of a recent Variety investigation detailing alleged misogyny toward fellow staffers, spoke to reporters Wednesday as he made his first public appearance since the firing.
“I think that my statement speaks for itself,” Lemon told “Extra” of the termination during the red carpet entrances at the Time 100 gala in New York City.
“Yeah, it was a surprise, but life goes on. That’s behind me, and we’ll see what happens in the future.”
Lemon added that he plans to “chill out” and spend time with family this summer, remarking that he’ll see what happens next after his sudden departure from CNN, where he had most recently been a host of “CNN This Morning.”
“I am fortunate enough to be in a position where I can do that, I don’t have to rush to another job, even if I want another job. I do, I want to work again, but I’m lucky enough to be in a position where I don’t have to worry about those things.”
Lemon also told “Entertainment Tonight” that he’ll miss his “talented” ex-colleagues at CNN and added that he’s ready to move toward the future.
The remarks from Lemon follow his Twitter statement on Monday, when he wrote that he was “stunned” by the firing. CNN later said that his statement was “inaccurate” and, instead of meeting with management, he went to Twitter.
The news broke after Lemon was benched for a number of days earlier this year in the wake of his take on 2024 GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley, who he said was past her “prime.”
The termination also arrived just weeks after a Variety exposé that detailed troubling allegations about Lemon’s behavior toward women at his company.
The network slammed the report for offering “no actual proof” and said it couldn’t corroborate the claims.
A spokesperson for Lemon also told HuffPost that the report in Variety offered “no concrete evidence” and was “riddled with patently false anecdotes.”