Don Lemon and Tucker Carlson Are Texting, Brian Stelter Reports
Although their ideologies and audiences are worlds apart, fired hosts Don Lemon and Tucker Carlson have found some common ground this week, according to media reporter Brian Stelter.
Stelter reported in Vanity Fair that Lemon and Carlson, who both hired the same Los Angeles-based lawyer to handle their exits, have also been exchanging texts this week.
“But the similarities between the two situations are stacking up,” Stelter wrote. “Carlson and Lemon know it: They have been texting back and forth in the past few days, according to two sources with knowledge of the relationship.”
The ousters of both Lemon, the CNN veteran tapped seven months ago to host the network’s new morning show, and Carlson, who led Fox News and the rest of the industry in the ratings for the last six years, were announced Monday just minutes apart, shocking the media world.
That the two cable news stars are texting might come as a shock to regular viewers who know, as Stelter noted, that Lemon and Carlson have never been friendly on air:
On Fox News, Carlson deliberately mispronounced Lemon’s name for years; sneered at Lemon’s comments about being a Black man in America; and labeled Lemon “a guy who makes millions of dollars a year from presiding over a show that’s failing.” Just about two months ago, Carlson called Lemon “dumb and kinda crazy.”
On CNN, Lemon accused Carlson of poisoning Fox’s audience with hateful lies. He said Carlson mainstreamed “white supremacist propaganda to your neighbors and your family members.” And he said Carlson did it for the money and power, likening his coverage to a “ratings grift.”
Speculation is that vulgar texts made public during the Dominion Voting Systems deposition contributed to Carlson’s ouster from his top-rated show, Tucker Carlson Tonight. The defamation case was ultimately settled this month for $787.5 million, but Fox still faces suits from Smartmatic and former Carlson producer Abby Grossberg, who alleged a hostile work environment.
Carlson was spotted in Boca Grande, Florida, Wednesday, where he owns a multi-million dollar home, and released a video that evening on Twitter addressing his ouster that has since racked up 75 million views.
Lemon was reportedly ousted over tensions on the air and off between him and his co-hosts on CNN This Morning. In February, Lemon made controversial statements about candidate Nikki Haley’s age, which also are said to have contributed to his demise at the network.
Lemon was spotted this week at the Time 100 Gala, where he was photographed with Kim Kardashian and other celebrities. Stelter reported that “CNN CEO Chris Licht was in the room nearby with Gayle King, but the two men didn’t speak.”
Both Lemon and Carlson are reportedly due tens of millions of dollars for their exits.
