Don Lemon’s career flameout at CNN may have been last year’s drama, but this week it roared back to life — courtesy of a fiery on-air clash with Piers Morgan.
Lemon had agreed to appear on Piers Morgan Uncensored to discuss censorship and cancel culture in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s assassination. But instead of talking about free speech, Lemon found himself staring at a replay of his own words from 2023 — the infamous “past their prime” comments about women over 40 that sparked outrage across CNN, sent his co-hosts storming off set, and ultimately sealed his fate at the network.
The tension was immediate. “Not once did you mention that we were gonna talk about CNN or whatever. And had I known that, I probably wouldn’t have accepted this interview,” Lemon snapped, accusing Morgan of staging an ambush.
Piers Morgan Sends Don Lemon Into a Tantrum
“I think you’re being a complete d**k if I’m being honest with you” 🤣 pic.twitter.com/DJdfeBmJp8
— Chief Nerd (@TheChiefNerd) September 18, 2025
Morgan didn’t flinch. He reminded Lemon that he hadn’t personally booked him — his producers had. And then he delivered the blunt kind of retort only Piers Morgan can deliver: “I think you’re being a complete d**k if I’m honest with you.”
The exchange quickly devolved into talking over one another, with Lemon insisting he wasn’t enraged — despite visibly seething — and Morgan accusing him of being angry at “free speech” itself.
The clip Morgan aired was the one that first dragged Lemon into controversy: his remarks that women are in their prime in their “20s and 30s and maybe 40s.” The comment, made in the context of discussing Nikki Haley’s call for mental competency tests for older politicians, left his co-anchors Kaitlan Collins and Poppy Harlow stunned.
They reportedly stormed off set, while female CNN staffers privately told management it was Lemon or them. For months, his future hung by a thread until CNN finally pulled the plug after 17 years.
At the time, Lemon tried to soften the blow, apologizing to staffers and saying: “What I said came out wrong and I wish I hadn’t said it. I believe women of any age can do anything they set their minds to.” But the damage was done.
Now, even in interviews about “cancel culture,” Lemon can’t seem to escape the moment that canceled him. His attempt to turn the tables on Morgan only reinforced what critics have long said: that Don Lemon bristles when challenged, plays the victim when cornered, and refuses to own the consequences of his own words.
