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Don Lemon’s abrupt firing on Monday just moments after he co-hosted “CNN This Morning” sent shockwaves throughout the news industry and now the reasons behind why CNN gave the anchor his walking papers are coming into focus.

Speculation was rampant both internally and externally Monday as Lemon’s colleagues and media peers wondered why exactly the anchor was fired: Was it the Nikki Haley comments that were deemed misogynistic? The heated interview with GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy? An on-set clash with co-host Kaitlan Collins? Was it the morning show’s low ratings? It was all the above, apparently.

According to insiders, the decision wasn’t related to any one thing but rather a sum of the parts. And it certainly didn’t help Lemon that internal research showed that he was “not working” with CNN’s female-skewing audience in the morning, a network executive told TheWrap.

The exec...

Less than a month after accusations of harassment and hostile workplace behavior broke against him, Don Lemon has been terminated from CNN.

The longtime anchor, who joined the cable news company in 2006 and most recently co-hosted the daytime talk show “CNN This Morning,” announced the news Monday. In a statement posted on Twitter, Lemon said he learned the news from his agent, and was not directly informed by CNN’s management.

“I was informed this morning by my agent that I have been terminated from CNN,” Lemon wrote on Twitter. “After 17 years at CNN I would have thought someone at management would have had the decency to tell me directly. At no time was I ever given any indication that I would not be able to continue to do the work I have loved at the network. It is clear that there are some larger issues at play. With that said,...

CNN This Morning has tapped Lauren Mensch and Chris Russell as its new executive producers, an effort to bolster the network’s morning show after its debut in November.

They will succeed Eric Hall, who departed in January to helm the 11 Pm hour of CNN Tonight hosted by Laura Coates.

Mensch will serve as EP and showrunner, overseeing the execution of the 6-9 a.m. Et show and leading its editorial direction. Russell will executive produce during the dayside and evening hours, focused on editorial and infrastructure for the following morning. They will report to Ryan Kadro, senior vice president of content strategy.

Mensch most recently was the EP of CNN Newsroom with Alisyn Camerota and Victor Blackwell, in a tenure that included coverage of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the January 6th insurrection. She also was executive producer on CNN-Sesame Street town halls focused on Covid and race relations,...

CNN’s morning show isn’t peeling away from Don Lemon.

The anchor will return to “CNN This Morning” on Wednesday, despite delivering a set of controversial remarks last week, the latest maneuver in what has become a more difficult than expected effort by the Warner Bros Discovery-backed outlet to shake up its programming.

“I sat down with Don and had a frank and meaningful conversation. He has agreed to participate in formal training, as well as continuing to listen and learn. We take this situation very seriously,” CNN CEO Chris Licht said in a memo Monday night. “It is important to me that CNN balances accountability with fostering a culture in which people can own, learn and grow from their mistakes. To that end, Don will return to CNN This Morning on Wednesday.”

Lemon, who has become one of CNN’s best-known anchors after leading a late-evening program...

Don Lemon will be absent from “CNN This Morning” for a second consecutive broadcast as CNN continues to grapple with backlash to comments he made last week about the abilities of women over 40 — a crucial demographic for any morning-news program.

Three people familiar with the Warner Bros. Discovery-backed network say CNN staffers got word around 3 p.m. on Sunday that Lemon, who had been expected to return to his morning duties after taking a previously-scheduled day off on Friday, would not be on air Monday. Sara Sidner, an anchor who has been getting more screen time over the past year, is expected to fill in for him, sitting alongside co-anchor Poppy Harlow while the third member of CNN’s morning show team, Kaitlan Collins, will report from Poland. Some CNN staffers have begun to wonder, according to these people, whether the network may be considering a shake-up of the “CNN This Morning” team.

CNN may be getting ready to take a new swing at fixing its long-running 9 p.m. problem.

CNN is getting ready to launch a new show in that hour called “CNN Primetime,” which is described with a logline that says, “Join CNN’s top anchors for special events and unique conversations about the issues that matter the most.”

Both the show title and the programming descriptions are on display in interactive schedules that subscribers to cable and satellite services can call up to examine programming options. On Thursday, CNN is set to offer a “CNN Town Hall.” Another entry describes a one on one interview between a newsmaker and anchor Don Lemon. A person familiar with the matter says the details were inadvertently uploaded to cable systems and that only the town hall is a go for next week. A launch of “CNN Primetime” may not take place for some time,...

The premise of a good morning-news show is that it helps viewers wake up with their morning coffee. CNN’s new A.M. entry is quickly turning into a place where the coffee is being thrown.

Don Lemon, one of the three anchors of ‘CNN This Morning,” apologized Thursday afternoon for remarks made on the morning’s broadcast about when women are in their prime, during a segment about comments from new Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley regarding the age of some of her political rivals.

“She says people, you know, politicians or something are not in their prime,” Lemon said on the program “Nikki Haley isn’t in her prime, sorry. A woman is considered to be in their prime in 20s and 30s and maybe 40s.” The comment spurred co-anchor Poppy Harlow to try to get Lemon to modify his stance. “What are you talking about, wait — prime for what?...

CNN will start showing the post-show Overtime segments from HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher as part of its Friday edition of CNN Tonight.

The segments will start this Friday at 11:30 Pm Et.

The Overtime segments have up to now been posted online and promoted to viewers of Real Time. They feature Maher and his guests continuing their discussion on a range of topics and answering viewer questions.

The scheduling of the segments is the latest move by CNN Worldwide chairman and CEO Chris Licht to bolster the network’s primetime and late-night lineup. He has not yet named a permanent show for the 9 Pm Et timeslot, and sources say that one of the ideas considered has been to schedule a non-traditional host, such as a comedian, for that time period. But a range of options have been considered. Licht told the Los Angeles Times, “We are in...

Boy, the hits keep on coming for CNN’s semi-new CEO Chris Licht — and we don’t mean the network’s lineup.

CNN just notched its lowest ratings in nine years across all its day parts for the week of Jan. 16 through Jan. 22, 2023, according to Nielsen averaging just 444,000 viewers in primetime, 93,000 in the all-important age 25-54 news demographic and 417,000 in viewers and 80,000 in the demo for total day. It’s the first time since May 2014 that the network failed to reach 450,000 viewers.

By comparison, during the same period Fox News drew 1.4 million viewers and 176,000 in the demo while MSNBC notched 629,000 total viewers and 69,000 in the demo. In primetime, Fox News had 2 million viewers, 256,000 in the demo and MSNBC had 943,000 viewers and 91,000 in the demo.

Some especially troublesome news out of this week’s Nielsen numbers is that Licht’s primary programming move, “CNN This Morning,” also suffered the lowest week...

New CNN boss Chris Licht’s latest — and biggest — shakeup of the news network’s lineup signals an attempt to hit two (or three) birds with one stone.

By shifting Don Lemon from his 10 p.m. Et perch after a seven-year run, Licht is eliminating the lowest-rated show in primetime cable news, according to August ratings from Nielsen Media Research — while also quieting critics who have targeted Lemon’s opinionated hosting style. And by tapping Lemon to lead the network’s as-yet-untitled new morning show alongside Poppy Harlow and Kaitlan Collins, Licht also aims to give new life to another key part of the schedule that has long lagged behind MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” and Fox News’ “Fox and Friends” in viewership.

Lemon, who had become a lightning rod for CNN’s conservative critics for comments like calling Donald Trump a “blatant white supremacist,” will now have a less politics-heavy...

MSNBC is already feeling the loss of a five-days-a-week Rachel Maddow. The network has seen a viewership decline at the 9 p.m. Et hour since Alex Wagner took over the timeslot last week, both in overall viewership and within the advertiser-coveted age demographic of viewers aged 25 to 54.

In the week of Wagner’s debut last Tuesday, MSNBC’s total viewership for the hour dropped 15, from 2 million viewers the week prior to 1.73 million viewers, according to Nielsen Media Research. The show dropped an even steeper 23 in the key news demo, from 214,000 viewers for the full week before to 164,000.

Among all the cable news networks, Wagner’s show still managed to finish second for the hour on the four nights she aired, behind Fox News’ “Hannity,” which nabbed 2.8 million total viewers. “CNN Tonight” was a distant third, with 766,000.

However, Wagner finished only slightly ahead of CNN in the key demo, drawing 164,000 compared to 162,000 for CNN.

Alex Wagner’s primetime debut on MSNBC scored 2 million total viewers on Tuesday night, which blew CNN’s 9 p.m. hour out of the water but wasn’t enough to surpass Sean Hannity on Fox News.

The show — which featured guests Mark Leibovich, Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Illinois) and Joyce Vance — managed about 183,000 viewers in the key cable news 25-54 demographic. That’s compared to “CNN Tonight,” which drew a total audience of about 866,000 and 176,000 in the key demo, according to Nielsen.

It should come as no surprise that Fox News Channel continues to dominate during primetime. In the 9 p.m. slot, “Hannity” scored about 3.1 million total viewers. Of those, 404,000 were in the demo.

“Hannity” beat MSNBC and CNN combined in both total viewers and demo viewers.

Also Read:

Cable News Ratings: MSNBC Beats CNN in Total Viewers Again – But Can’t Crack the Key Demo

In addition to her featured guests,...

When Alex Wagner debuts her new MSNBC show on Tuesday, she will be taking on an unusual arrangement that came about following Rachel Maddow’s contract renewal with NBCUniversal.

While Maddow, the network’s top-rated personality, will continue to host her show on Mondays, Wagner will fill the 9 p.m. Pt slot the rest of the week.

Comparisons are inevitable, but while Alex Wagner Tonight will share the same executive producer with The Rachel Maddow Show, Cory Gnazzo, and Maddow has figured in promotions for the debut, Wagner said, “This is going to be a different show.”

“We are trying to figure out the ways we can carry through some of the incredible intellectual rigor and informative analysis that Rachel has established in the 9 p.m. hour, and how we can make a through line with what we do Tuesday through Friday, and also add in some new elements that are reflective of my experience,...

CNN’s Chris Cuomo engaged in a tough exchange Tuesday night with Breitbart News senior editor at large Joel Pollak on the definition of rape. At one point during the over 16-minute exchange on on the set of “CNN Tonight,” Cuomo and Pollak tangled over comments made by Breitbart editor in chief Alexander Marlow, who seemed to suggest he wasn’t sure what “rape” even meant anymore. “Rape used to have a narrow definition. Rape used to have a definition where it was — it was brutality, it was forced sexual attack and penetration,” said Marlow on the radio program Patriot’s Breitbart News Daily.

On Tuesday, “CNN Tonight,” host Don Lemon had an emotional interview with the family of Lisa Patterson. Patterson was among the 59 people killed at an outdoor country music festival in Las Vegas on Sunday. On set were husband Bob Patterson and daughter Amber. “I am so incredibly sorry for your loss,” said Lemon. “I can’t believe that you guys are even standing right now.” “It was the worst day of my life,” said Bob. Also Read: Sean Hannity Rages at Lady Gaga, Lena Dunham Over 'Politicizing' Las Vegas Massacre (Video) Lemon paused. “Amber I just … Amber, I see it in your face.

Don Lemon led CNN Tonight with a monologue about how President Trump can't force Americans to embrace a homogenous view of patriotism and First Amendment rights.

Don Lemon opened Monday's CNN Tonight by reviewing some significant moments in American history on race and racism in the wake of the violence and bigotry on display in Charlottesville.

[[tmz:video id="0_uybj8eiv"]] Don Lemon's as ready as he can be for nuclear war, but it seems sort of pointless ... because he's not even on his own list of who'll make it out alive. Our photog got the "CNN Tonight" host at Lax Thursday and asked if his network prepares them for the world going nuclear -- who knew? It does ... sort of. Don says CNN holds training classes every couple of years and the office is stocked with survival packs.

CNN’s Don Lemon blasted political commentator Jeffrey Lord for comparing President Trump to civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr., calling the comments “insulting” and “not in reality” before cutting him off completely. Lord doubled down on his previous comments during “CNN Tonight,” suggesting that King Jr. wasn’t the first person to use his particular tactic. “The objective is to so disrupt that you get the other side to negotiate to an agreement,” Lord said. Lemon clearly disagreed, “Jeffrey… I’m talking real. This is real. I’m talking human.” Also Read: CNN Commentator Jeffrey Lord Just Compared...

Jonathan Wald is bowing out of CNN, where he has been Ep-ing Don Lemon’s sometimes-gobsmacking primetime show, to become Svp Programming and Development at MSNBC. He reports directly to MSNBC president Phil Griffin and starts next week. Here is Griffin’s “memo” to staff: Team, I'm excited to announce that Jonathan Wald will join MSNBC on March 6 as Svp of Programming and Development, reporting to me. He joins us from CNN where he was executive producer of CNN Tonight and…...

2016 was a wild year for cable news networks, so where did viewers go when they wanted coverage of everything from celebrity deaths to the presidential election? Find out here with the Top 23 shows ranked by rating. “CNN Tonight with Don Lemon” Lemon’s primetime show averaged 924,000 viewers and is a unique combination of straight newscast and opinion programming. CNN essentially allows Lemon to do what he thinks will benefit viewers on a nightly basis, which was evident when he recently choked up remembering news legend Gwen Ifill. “Erin Burnett Outfront” Burnett continues to be one of the most-watched programs on CNN,...

CNN’s Don Lemon could barely hold back his tears while delivering an emotional tribute to Gwen Ifill, the “PBS NewsHour” anchor who died at the age of 61 on Monday. Lemon was visibly emotional when he called Ifill “one of the most talented journalists our of time, period,” on “CNN Tonight.” He detailed his first meeting with the women he “loved” and “admired” from afar “Gwen, you were a black woman who thrives in this brutal business dominated by mostly men. You transcended race and gender,” Lemon said. “You were simply brilliant and powerful, a quiet storm. Professional, understated, humble.

Wait. What?!?! lmaooo!

MSNBC’s “The 11th Hour with Brian Williams” has struggled in the key news demographic of adults 25-54 since it premiered two weeks ago. That is the statistic that is likely to determine whether or not Williams receives a permanent primetime show. Williams averaged 235,000 viewers in the key demo from Sept. 6-20, which trails “CNN Tonight with Don Lemon,” which averaged 293,000 demo viewers from 11-11:30 p.m. Et over the same time period. Ratings juggernaut “The O’Reilly Factor” beat both CNN and MSNBC’s live shows with a replay of its 8 p.m. edition, averaging 367,000 for the first half of its repeat.

Tensions between CNN anchor Don Lemon and “Celebrity Apprentice” alum Omarosa are heating up after a tense on-air exchange between the two on Friday. Approached by TMZ about her run-in with the openly gay cable news host, Omarosa accused Lemon of “queenish behavior” and offered him the advice: “Stop being such a queen,” in video posted by the gossip site on Tuesday. In a Friday appearance on “CNN Tonight,” Lemon cut off Omarosa after asking her about a new-infamous retweet by Gop presidential frontrunner and former “Celebrity Apprentice” personality Donald Trump in which side-by-side photos compare his own wife to...

Donald Trump phoned into “CNN Tonight With Don Lemon” on Friday to reassure the news program’s host that he’s confident he won the previous night’s Gop debate. “I’m Hillary’s worst nightmare,” Trump said. “I’m winning everywhere,” Trump boasted and said he isn’t rattled by “unfair” tactics employed by Fox News, which hosted the congregation of Republican presidential candidates. He later claimed that people are saying the debate was “The Trump Show.” Also Read: Donald Trump vs. Roger Ailes: How Fox News Chief Used Debate to Strike Against Gop Frontrunner Asked if he...

Don Lemon was the target of many Jon Stewart takedowns, but the CNN anchor never took it personally since he perceived Stewart as a comedian who simply fudged the whole story. Stewart, who mocked Lemon for his adventures in CNN’s “Blizzard Mobile” and his infamous black hole question, was a “brilliant man,” Lemon told TheWrap. But the “CNN Tonight” anchor also feels like Stewart wasn’t a champion of context. “It’s all fun, but sometimes it’s not so fun,” Lemon said. “What Jon Stewart can do is take clips and moments out of context and mold them...

Judd Apatow has been eager to slam Bill Cosby at any given opportunity and his latest media platform was Don Lemon’s “CNN Tonight” show on Wednesday, where he called the sexual assault allegations “terrifying.” However, it was Lemon who had the harshest words to say about the shamed comedian, calling him “one of the most prolific rapists in history” if all the allegations are true. With Apatow appearing to promote his latest hit comedy “Trainwreck,” the conversation naturally turned to Cosby when Lemon asked about an alleged victim the director is friends with, but who has not identified herself.

Newly crowned Miss USA Olivia Jordan chalked up Donald Trump’s controversial comments about Mexican immigrants to “free speech” in an interview with Don Lemon Tuesday on “CNN Tonight.” “Mr. Trump is running for president and he needs to get out issues that are important to him, and immigration is certainly a hot topic issue that everyone’s talking about. I think that it’s good to talk about immigration,” Jordan said. “He has the right to free speech and his own opinion. “The pageant is, in many ways, very separate from him and is certainly separate from the presidential race,...

Two of Bill Cosby's accusers have spoken out after newly released documents reveal that Cosby admitted to giving drugs to a woman he then had sex with, and they say that this development is "just the beginning."

Barbara Bowman and Joan Tarshis, who both came forward in November 2014 with allegations that the actor drugged and sexually assaulted them, appeared on CNN Tonight on Monday to discuss the 2005 federal sex-assault case in Pennsylvania that uncovered statements from Cosby that he had Quaalude prescriptions in the '70s he intended to use on women for the purpose of having sex.

"It's huge,...

The newly-released court documents, that included an admission from Bill Cosby that he obtained Quaaludes to give to young women he intended to have sex with, are a “game changer,” two of the comedian’s accusers said Monday. Barbara Bowman and Joan Tarshis both appeared on Don Lemon’s “CNN Tonight.” The two told Lemon Cosby’s admission in the 2005 deposition from a federal court case in Pennsylvania, is “huge.” “I’ve worked so long and hard to tell my story and screamed on deaf ears,” Bowman, one of the first in a string of woman to accuse the 77-year-old TV legend of sexual assault,...

Following a week of controversial firings by everyone from NBC and Universal to Macy’s, Donald Trump appeared on “CNN Tonight” Wednesday and defended the comments that sparked the current racial firestorm. Host Don Lemon suggested that Trump had misunderstood some of the articles he read on Fusion or the Huffington Post about the statements, telling the presidential candidate: “That is about women being raped, it is not about criminals coming across the border and entering the country.” “Somebody is doing the raping, Don. Are you saying it’s women being raped? Who is doing the raping?” Trump bluntly asked,...

Don Lemon dropped the N-word once again Wednesday on “CNN Tonight.” But his guest, conservative political commentator Glenn Beck, told the CNN anchor he shouldn’t be saying it on broadcast television. “I don’t think anyone should use it — I don’t think you should use it,” Beck said. “I wouldn’t feel comfortable using it. If I used it on my program — you just used it, as a journalist in context — I guarantee that tomorrow or tonight would be the last time I would be seen on broadcast television.” Beck joined Lemon via satellite from Irving, Texas, for a conversation about.

CNN personality Don Lemon didn’t just cause a social media firestorm when he used the N-word during a debate about racism on Monday’s broadcast of “CNN Tonight.” He’s also drawn the wrath of experts on racial matters, who are calling his use of the polarizing word “unprofessional” and “uncalled for.” Lemon shocked viewers by holding up a sign bearing the N-word uncensored and asking if it offended viewers. His display was in part a reaction to President Barack Obama’s use of the word during a discussion about racism on Marc Maron‘s podcast and partly in response to the controversy over.

On the night he held up an uncensored sign with the "n-word" on it, Don Lemon's CNN Tonight was the highest rated show in the 25-54 demo across both CNN and MSNBC with 188K viewers. During the 10 p.m. time slot, Fox News' Hannity was #1 with 272K and MSNBC's The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell was third with 168K.

Don Lemon had a point to make about racism, and he quite literally spelled it out for CNN Tonight viewers Monday. The 49-year-old journalist first held up a Confederate flag and asked, "Does this offend you?" Then, Lemon picked up a sign with the N-word printed boldly and uncensored in all capital letters. "Does this offend you?" he asked. "This word?" Lemon pointed out that a lot of people were "shocked" when Barack Obama recently used the word on the "Wtf With Marc Maron" podcast. (The president used the offensive term uncensored to make a point about racism, saying, "We are not cured of it. And it's not just a matter of it not being polite to say n--ger in public....

Too far? Don Lemon raised eyebrows on Monday, June 22, when he held up a sign with the N-word on it in the middle of a CNN broadcast. The journalist, 49, incited a huge Twitter backlash when opening a segment on CNN Tonight and discussing the day's biggest stories. Lemon first nodded to the controversy surrounding the Confederate flag in light of the tragic shooting at Charleston, S.C.'s Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church. He picked up a Confederate flag and said, "This is what America is talking about [...]...

Don Lemon can't help but attract controversy. The CNN Tonight host waded into the debate about President Obama's recent use of the n-word on Marc Maron's Wtf podcast by holding up a sign with the racial epithet written in large capital letters and then asking the audience whether the word offended them. Lemon also tried to conflate the controversy around the n-word with the visual offense caused by the Confederate Flag.  Read More Marc Maron on Obama's N-Word: "Taking It Out of Context Does a Disservice" Lemon's attempts to provoke debate didn't seem to work judging

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Don Lemon was taken to task Monday on Twitter after he held up a sign displaying the N-word uncensored on “CNN Tonight.” The cable news anchor opened his show in the most direct — and many think offensive — way possible by addressing the racial outcry following the shooting deaths of nine churchgoers in Charleston, South Carolina, last week. “This is what America is talking about right now,” Lemon said, while holding up a Confederate flag. “Does this offend you? It is a Confederate flag. Is it a symbol of Southern pride or a symbol of hate?” Also Read: Baltimore Mayor, Maryland Governor Walk.

Don Lemon was trending on Twitter this evening after kicking off CNN Tonight by holding up a Confederate flag and then a sign on which was printed, in letters about half a foot tall, the racial slur our nation’s first black Potus, Barack Obama, had used in a podcast this morning while discussing racial prejudice. "Does this offend you? This word?" Lemon asked, hopefully, as he teased his show’s upcoming topic, being careful not to obscure his face with the sign, so as to…...

Just hours after Rachel Dolezal, the embattled president of the Spokane, Washington, chapter of the NAACP stepped down from her post, her family appeared on Don Lemon’s “CNN Tonight” questioning her sanity. “I think there’s a demonstration of being irrational and very disconnected from reality,” the disgraced civil rights leader’s mother Ruthanne Dolezal said Monday, when asked about her daughter’s state of mind. Dolezal has faced intense scrutiny and public ridicule for saying she is African-American while her Montana birth certificate identifies her as Caucasian. Also Read: Rachel Dolezal Resigns From NAACP Post “Many of the...

With 214K viewers in the 25-54 demo Wednesday night, CNN Tonight with Don Lemon was the highest rated show across CNN and MSNBC and the only hour on those networks to top 200K. During the 10 p.m. time slot, Lemon's show came in second place behind Fox News' Hannity (293K) and ahead of MSNBC's The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell (148K).

HuffPost Live host Marc Lamont Hill seemed to get emotional Wednesday on Don Lemon’s “CNN Tonight,” as the panel discussed the child molestation scandal surrounding TLC show “19 Kids and Counting.” The panel debated conservative support of the show’s evangelical Duggar family, whose eldest child Josh has admitted to acting “inexcusably” while a teenager. “What he did was awful. There should be punishment, there should be justice, there should be all of those things,” said Hill, who is also a CNN political commentator. As tears began streaming down his face, he added, “But I also think a lot of...

During the 10 p.m. eastern hour on Monday, the cable news networks were flooded with live footage from the streets of Baltimore as protesters torched buildings, set police cars on fire and threw bricks at officers. After getting caught up in last year’s riots in Ferguson, Missouri, “CNN Tonight” host Don Lemon reported from the Maryland city as the unrest increased following the funeral of Freddie Gray, a young black man who died on April 19 after suffering severe spinal injuries while in police custody. Lemon and fellow CNN reporters including Miguel Marquez, Joe Johns and “New Day” host Chris Cuomo...

After getting ripped on Twitter and becoming a trending topic for his tweets about racial profiling, Isaiah Washington sat down for an interview with Don Lemon on “CNN Tonight” Wednesday to clarify his comments. As TheWrap previously reported, “The 100” actor sparked a social media war earlier in the day by tweeting unsolicited advice to “Top Five” star Chris Rock, who complained in a series of Instagram posts that he had been stopped by police three times in two months, suggesting he was being racially profiled. “I sold my $90,000.00 Mercedes G500 and bought 3 Prius’s, because I got tired of being pulled.

Welcome to the March 19, 2015 edition of Outrage Watch, HitFix's (almost) daily rundown of all the things folks are peeved about in entertainment. Today's top story: you're all just jealous of Zayn Malik. The One Direction heartthrob, who just pulled out of the boy band's tour of Asia due to "stress," has slammed rumors that he cheated on fiancee Perrie Edwards with a "mystery blonde," writing on Twitter: I'm 22 years old... I love a girl named Perrie Edwards. And there's a lot of jealous fucks in this world I'm sorry for what it looks like x — zaynmalik1D (@zaynmalik) March 18, 2015 Sounds guilty to me. [Daily Mail] Want more? There's plenty of indignation to go around. See below for a full roundup of today's kerfuffles. Outraged: Black scholar Dr. Boyce D. Watkins Target: Fox's "Empire" Why: After slamming the blockbuster Fox series set at a hip-hop entertainment company as "ghettofied hood drama" and "coonery" in a January column,...

While viewers were burning up social media about the explosive “Empire” season finale that aired Wednesday night on Fox, a heated debate was happening over on Don Lemon’s “CNN Tonight.” After showing a clip of the knock-down, drag-out, drink-throwing, weave-pulling catfight between Cookie and Anika, the conversation turned to whether the Fox hip-hop drama negatively portrays African-American culture. Lemon quoted scholar Boyce D. Watkins, PhD, who was a guest on the show, as having described “Empire” as a “ghettofied hood drama” and “coonery,” before asking him to explain. See video: ‘Empire’s’ Bryshere Gray Teases Season Finale: ‘It’s...

Welcome to the March 17, 2015 edition of Outrage Watch, HitFix's (almost) daily rundown of all the things folks are peeved about in entertainment. So much anger today! Top story: Daily Beast TV writer Kevin Fallon has a big problem with NBC's "One Big Happy." "As a sitcom, it’s as retrograde as it gets - a 'Three's Company' retread where instead of getting starkly different personalities, the characters get different sexualities. (Or, in Prudence’s case, an accent)," writes Fallon of the new Ellen DeGeneres-produced sitcom, which stars Elisha Cuthbert as a gay woman who decides to raise a child with her straight best friend (Nick Zano) -- only to have his hot new wife (Kelly Brook) move in. "Hijinks barely even ensue, replaced instead by broad lesbian clichés and stereotypes that are only recognized as jokes when the unsettling, maniacal laugh track kicks in." Fallon continues: "If...

Mo’Nique is speaking out and taking issue with comments made by “Precious” director Lee Daniels, who said the Oscar-winning actress fell from grace in Hollywood for making unreasonable demands. Daniels comments essentially confirmed reports that Mo’Nique was “blackballed” following her Best Supporting Actress Oscar for the 2009 drama. But in an interview Thursday with Don Lemon on “CNN Tonight,” the actress insisted she was offered parts in other movies, “they just didn’t make sense to me,” she said. Also Read: ‘Empire’ Creator Lee Daniels on Mo’Nique’s Fall From Grace: ‘You’ve Gotta Play Ball’ (Video...

For anyone wondering where Mo’Nique has been since her Oscar-winning performance in 2009’s “Precious,” the film’s director Lee Daniels has some insight. “During the campaign, she was making unreasonable demands, and I remember thinking ‘this is when reverse racism happens,’ Daniels told Don Lemon Wednesday on “CNN Tonight.” Daniels, who created the hit series “Empire,” sat down with Lemon for a conversation that initially focused on his Fox hip-hop drama. But it quickly turned to Mo’Nique, who revealed in a recent interview that Daniels told her she had “been blackballed” after winning the Best Supporting Actress Oscar.