Don Lemon fired LIVE: CNN star's fate was 'sealed for WEEKS'

Former Trump White House advisor Kellyanne Conway had her knives out for fired CNN anchor Don Lemon on Monday night, calling him a misogynist who network execs admitted never prepared. 

Lemon was critical of Conway in her role as an advisor to former President Donald Trump, even at one point publicly criticizing then co-worker Chris Cuomo for giving her a platform on his show.

Conway, appearing on Fox News' Hannity, did not hold back on her thoughts about Lemon, after saying that she'd 'been waiting for years' to dish on him, calling Lemon 'mean, misogynist and unrepentant.' 

'I want you to understand this because this is the difference between Don Lemon and [Hannity] and other people, he was always unprepared,' she said to Hannity, joking that 'I'm fairly sure he's watching this program.' 

While many were shocked by the firing of Tucker Carlson from Fox News, fellow Monday cable news exile Don Lemon was considered in the offing for weeks, according to a report.

Lemon’s fate 'had been sealed for weeks,' The Daily Beast reports, citing people with knowledge of the matter.

The troubled host was himself aware that he was likely on the outs, having even spoken to a crisis communications specialist to help deal with it.

He also wasn't happy splitting attention with new co-anchors Poppy Harlow and rising star Kaitlan Collins in the CNN morning show.

Don Lemon's firing from CNN was in part due to his highly combative interview last week with Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, according to reports - with insiders saying Lemon was removed to enable a rethink of the struggling morning show, and warning that Lemon appears ready to sue.

Tucker Carlson and Don Lemon have both retained a lawyer, journalist Brian Stelter tweeted.

He said they have both retained 'the famously aggressive entertainment lawyer Bryan Freedman.'

Presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy congratulated CNN for firing Don Lemon on Monday.

'Nice job, CNN,' he said as he asked whether Lemon's firing is 'a cultural revival.

'We each do our part,' he wrote.

Following the news that Don Lemon was fired, presidential hopeful Nikki Haley took to Twitter to troll the one-time anchor.

'A great day for women everywhere,' she wrote. 'Now, let's get men out of women's sports #StillInMyPrime.'

She also shared a photo of beer coozies her campaign is selling that read 'Past my prime? Hold my beer.'

And in a follow-up tweet, Haley wrote: 'To women everywhere, don't let anyone tell you you're past your prime.'

Lemon infamously remarked earlier this year that Haley was 'past her prime' as she runs for the Republican nomination.

It took a string of sexist slurs, an interview in which he insulted an alleged rape victim, and wild comments about Hitler and the Nazis, but Don Lemon has finally been dropped by CNN.

In a memo to staff, CEO Chris Licht confirmed the This Morning host's exit, writing: 'Don will forever be a part of the CNN family and we thank him for his contributions over the past 17 years.'

But many of those have been a dizzying array of embarrassing and offensive remarks made by the anchor during his broadcasts.

In a post on his Truth Social Monday, former President Donald Trump celebrated Lemon's departure.

'Good News: "The dumbest man on television," Don Lemon, has finally been fired from Fake News CNN,' he wrote.

'My only question is, WHAT TOOK THEM SO LONG?'

CNN insiders have branded Don Lemon a 'misogynist' and 'sexist' after he was unceremoniously fired from the network after 17 years.

Sources told DailyMail.com no one wanted to work with him after he landed himself in hot water for saying Nikki Haley was 'past her prime' as a woman.

They claimed he believed he would always have a 'get out of jail free card' because he was black and gay, 'which worked to his advantage until it couldn't'.

Discussing the news that Don Lemon was fired from CNN, anchors at FOX News asked 'What took so long?'

'Here we are,' Kayleigh McEnany added, noting that he recently had to be off the air for comments that were deemed 'sexist.'

CNN Communications accused Don Lemon of lying after he tweeted Monday that he had been fired by the company.

In a tweet, the company said Lemon was actually 'offered an opportunity to meet with management, but instead released a statement on Twitter.'

In a statement akin to the one released by FOX News earlier in the day, CNN said it had 'parted ways' with Don Lemon.

'Don will forever be a part of the CNN family, and we thank him for his contributions over the past 17 years,' CEO Chris Licht said in the statement.

'We wish him well and will be cheering him on in his future endeavors.'

Following the shocking news that Tucker Carlson and FOX News have 'parted ways,' longtime CNN host Don Lemon announced that he had been fired. 

'I am stunned,' he tweeted. 'After 17 years at CNN I would have thought that someone in management would have had the decency to tell me directly.'

He hinted that there were 'some larger issues at play.'