"I was informed this morning by my agent that I have been terminated by CNN. I am stunned. After 17 years at CNN I would have thought that someone in management would have the decency to tell me directly," he said.
Lemon issued his statement aimed at his former employer three hours after appearing on air.
Lemon co-hosted ‘CNN This Morning’ for nearly 6 months and also hosted the prime-time show ‘Don Lemon Tonight’ for over 8 years.
CNN issued a separate statement contradicting Lemon's account of events, adding that the anchor was offered an opportunity to meet with management but instead released a statement on Twitter.
Lemon's leave was announced mere hours after Fox News issued a statement, saying it's parting ways with Tucker Carlson, who had been hosting a show on the network since 2016.