Former CNN anchor Don Lemon calls “troll” Megyn Kelly a fallen star

Former CNN anchor Don Lemon had harsh words for his longtime rival Megyn Kelly during an appearance on Friday The Dean Obeidallah Show on SiriusXM.

Host Dean Obeidallah asked Lemon what he thinks makes a successful TV host, and Lemon cited Kelly’s career as an example of someone who has fallen from grace.

“Even with Megyn Kelly, who I strongly disagree with and who has become a troll and has proven that when she said she wasn’t racist, she has proven that she reiterates that every day,” he said . “But people listen to her for some reason and Megyn was a star. I think she was a star. I don’t think she’s a star now. I don’t mean to disparage her, but she was a star when she was at Fox and that’s where she should be.”

He added that being on the wrong “platform” – as he said as host of the morning show on CNN – can hinder the success of media personalities.

Lemon, however, praised MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow and Fox’s Sean Hannity and spoke more effusively about their star power.

“There’s a reason why I feel like people are watching Rachel Maddow. She’s a star and not only is she a star, she also has something to say. I want to watch people who have something to say,” Lemon said. “I don’t agree with anything, almost everything Sean Hannity says or has ever said, but he has something to say and a lot of people are listening to him. Obviously he can move to the right, and I just want to tune in and say, ‘Okay, let’s see.’ Sean is a star. There’s no denying that.”

Kelly was an outspoken critic of Lemon, who was subsequently fired from CNN in 2023 diversity reported rumors of misogyny and “diva-like behavior” behind the scenes.

A week ago, Kelly criticized Lemon for posting a TikTok in which she mocked Melania Trump and called the attempt on Donald Trump’s life a “horrible, distressing experience.”

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