CNN insiders say CEO Chris Licht is standing behind star anchor Don Lemon after reported allegations of misogyny

• CNN is responding to a Variety article accusing Don Lemon of misogyny and other problematic behavior.
• The story has insiders theorizing about whether the star anchor will survive the accusations.

CNN is defending Don Lemon after a bombshell report by Variety about the network's star, while insiders are speculating about his ability to survive the latest blow.

According to the Variety article, Lemon sent anonymous, threatening texts in 2008 to Kyra Phillips, who was his coanchor at the time on the weekday show "Live From," after she got a reporting role in Iraq that he reportedly wanted for himself. The article also alleged Lemon tore up pictures and notes on top of and inside Phillips' desk in their shared news pod while she was away.

A CNN spokesperson told Insider, "The Variety story provides no actual proof, and instead relies on anonymous sources and unsubstantiated claims from 10 to 15 years ago. CNN is unable to corroborate the alleged accounts."

Lemon shared a statement through a spokesperson, saying: "The story, which is riddled with patently false anecdotes and no concrete evidence, is entirely based on unsourced, unsubstantiated, 15-year-old anonymous gossip. It's amazing and disappointing that Variety would be so reckless."

Variety also reported Lemon made disrespectful comments about female colleagues over the years. The publication didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

The story has insiders theorizing about whether the star anchor will survive the accusations and speculating that the reporting was fed by people who want Lemon out.

One person with knowledge of Lemon's thinking said he is "apoplectic" about the report and has consulted attorneys about a possible lawsuit against Variety.

"CNN This Morning," which Lemon hosts with Poppy Harlow and Kaitlan Collins, was launched in November, part of a bet by CNN parent Warner Bros. Discovery to remake the cable news network, but it has struggled in ratings. In March, CNN enlisted two executive producers to revive it.

"CNN This Morning" averaged 359,000 viewers in the first quarter, or when the HLN simulcast is included, 438,000 viewers. That's far behind Fox News' "Fox & Friends" and MSNBC's "Morning Joe."

Collins, meanwhile is getting a new primetime slot on CNN, the network confirmed to the New York Post. The shift suggests a potential morning shakeup.

'His behavior has hurt the show since it launched'

The allegations reported by Variety touch on past behavior but come after Lemon was pulled off the air for two days in February and called out as sexist by CNN chief Chris Licht. Lemon had suggested on "CNN This Morning" that Nikki Haley was not a viable presidential candidate because she "isn't in her prime." His remarks upset his cohosts, and he was ordered to undergo training.

"It's another shit show" on top of Licht's multiplying challenges at CNN, said one former employee.

"Everyone knows the a.m. show is a problem," said another company insider. "His behavior has hurt the show since it launched. The stench won't go away. Variety is the latest example of that. I assume he'd be out."

Arriving at CNN after the exit of longtime network head Jeff Zucker, who departed in the wake of revealing a relationship with a colleague, Licht has struggled with a string of negative news — from the sudden shutdown of CNN+ to hundreds of layoffs over a period of months as network parent Warner Bros. Discovery pursued deep cost cuts across divisions.

Licht, who joined from CBS' "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert," has also seen audiences shrink as he has attempted to shift CNN toward more centrist, less opinion-driven coverage. Licht is negotiating for CBS star Gayle King to come to the network in primetime to goose ratings.

One TV news industry insider said CNN management was conducting a war room on the Variety story, while three others told Insider Licht is standing behind Lemon and wants to weather this. More than one source pointed out that Lemon's verbal gaffes are nothing new, and that as a Black gay news star, he brings important representation to the network and to the industry.

"Chris Licht is standing behind him. The alternative is paying him out and paying somebody else. It's not worth it," said one of these TV news insiders. "Unless this turns into something and the press stays on it."

One female CNN colleague issued a note of support for Lemon, saying: "Yes the tide has changed and we should all be treated more equally, but Don Lemon is not the problem of misogyny in this business."

This CNN colleague added, "I don't know what this means for him, I know he is one of the best-sourced people on TV." She also said she believes Lemon's controversial statements are intended to provoke conversations. "You need people like Don Lemon on TV, he mixes it up."

This article was first published on April 5 and has been updated with the report on Kaitlan Collins' new show.