CNN’s Don Lemon reportedly left co-host Kaitlan Collins “rattled” on the set of “CNN This Morning” on December 8 after he allegedly blew up at her once the show was over because she had interrupted him on air.
The incident reportedly happened while the network was covering President Joe Biden’s decision to release notorious Russian terrorist and weapons trafficker Viktor Bout in exchange for WNBA player Brittney Griner.
Fox News noted that Lemon was absent from the show the following day as co-host Poppy Harlow told viewers that he had “the day off.”
“Don screamed at Kaitlan, who was visibly upset and ran out of the studio,” a source told the New York Post. The source said that the blowup happened in front of other staffers.
“At this point, Kaitlan wants to be on set with Don as little as possible,” another source told the Post. “It’s messy.”
Other sources indicated to the Post that Lemon has had a difficult time adjusting from having his own prime-time show to having to share the limelight with two female co-hosts.
“Don’s a bossy guy and difficult to work with — even he would admit that,” one source said. “He was a solo act before. He doesn’t want to be in Destiny’s Child.”
A source close to CNN’s top brass told the Post that Lemon had an ego problem and that he wants the show to be about him.
CNN responded to the reports by claiming that the entire situation was being blown out of proportion and that the three co-hosts were all friends.
“The Post’s account is wildly overblown and two months old,” CNN claimed. “Don, Kaitlan and Poppy were friends before they were co-anchors and they remain friends today.”
Fox News reported separately that Lemon was absent from the show on Friday morning following the report from the Post about the incident.
“Don is on assignment in Los Angeles,” Collins said to open the show.
The show’s ratings have been in a steady decline ever since it launched in November.
Related: ‘I Can’t Offend Our Core Audience’: CNN CEO Chris Licht On Why Not A Lot Of Changes Have Been Made
