CNN anchor Don Lemon 'terminated' from longtime role

Longtime CNN anchor Don Lemon said Monday that he was "terminated" from his role at the network. It was the day's second major TV shakeup; Fox had just announced a sudden split from controversial primetime host Tucker Carlson.

"I am stunned," Lemon wrote on social media, saying he'd learned the news from his agent that morning. "After 17 years at CNN I would have thought that someone in management would have had the decency to tell me directly."

CNN confirmed that it had "parted ways" with Lemon but did not immediately share further details. He had appeared as usual Monday on "CNN This Morning."

Lemon said he was never "given any indication" that the dismissal was coming, and that it was "clear that there are some larger issues at play."

Lemon, one of CNN's most recognizable personalities, recently faced widespread criticism from an on-air comment. In a February episode of "CNN This Morning," he said 51-year-old Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley wasn't "in her prime" and that a woman is considered to be in her prime in her 20s, 30s and maybe her 40s. 

He spent several days off-air and posted a brief apology on Twitter: "To my network, my colleagues and our incredible audience — I'm sorry,” he tweeted. “I've heard you, I'm learning from you, and I'm committed to doing better.”

CNN chief executive Chris Licht told staff members in a memo ahead of Lemon's return that the anchor would undergo unspecified training. Licht said in the memo, obtained by The Associated Press, that it was important that the network balance accountability with fostering a culture in which people “can own, learn and grow from their mistakes.”

Lemon was switched from his own prime-time show when a revamped “CNN This Morning” was launched in November, one of Licht's biggest swings since taking control of the network last year.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.