Don Lemon’s firing from CNN last week has sparked “arguments” between him and his fiancé Tim Malone — who warned his partner to tone down his on-air behavior before being fired by the network after 17 years.
Lemon, 57, was sensationally fired by CNN on Monday amid a furious controversy over his “sexist” and “misogynistic” behavior – and now a source has exposed the toll his firing has had on his relationship.
DailyMail.com spoke exclusively to a friend of 39-year-old Tim, who said the scandal was ‘definitely a bump in the road’ for the pair – especially as Lemon had been warned by his fiancée to ‘cool down’ his on-air ranting.
“He often told Don to just let it cool down and go with the flow, but Don’s not the type of person to listen,” the source revealed. “He pushes the boundaries in every facet of his life and this show was no different.”
In February, Don pushed the boundaries too far when he said presidential candidate Nikki Haley was “past her prime” at age 51, before stating that “a woman is considered to be in the prime of her twenties and thirties and maybe forties . – telling his baffled female co-hosts to “Google it.”
Don Lemon’s firing from CNN has sparked ‘feuds’ with his fiancée Tim Malone (seen together a day after the anchor was fired), a source has revealed to DailyMail.com
Malone, 39, warned his partner (pictured on CNN This Morning earlier this year) to cool off his on-air outbursts before being fired, a friend has revealed
However, the insider insisted that Malone, who proposed to Lemon in 2019, knows his fiancé is “not misogynistic and just has a very dry, harsh and sarcastic sense of humor.”
The sexist remark, which led to co-host Poppy Harlow, 41, storming the set, had Don off the air for three days and sparked a tidal wave of backlash – particularly from female staffers who demanded he be fired.
While Don’s abdication has caused friction between him and his partner, the insider adds that Tim is sticking with the former CNN anchor and “knows he’s not misogynistic.”
The source continued: “[Tim] says that [Don] is just gay with a very dry, harsh and sarcastic sense of humour.’
Once the couple got over the shock of Don’s firing, they started to get “excited” about the prospect of having more time together, the insider shared.
“To be honest, they’re actually quite excited that Don can now be home with their dogs since their dogs are their lives,” the friend shared. ‘Tim has said that Don can play houseman now.
Tim says Don wasn’t happy there for a while and he was worked to the bone. This is a much-needed break for him.”
Don and Tim got engaged five years ago, in April 2019. Tim proposed to Don on his own birthday with dog tags worn by their beloved dogs Barkley and Boomer. The tags were engraved with the words, “Daddy, will you marry Daddy?”
The pair can certainly also afford Don to take a break from his on-air career; Page six reported that the ex-anchor walked away from CNN with a “$25 million payout” and that he “has engaged an attorney” in case he decides to sue the network over his firing.
A source told the outlet, “Don signed a seven-figure deal for last September’s morning show, and CNN has assured him he will be paid the remainder of his contract, which runs through 2026.”
DailyMail.com spoke to a second source who works in real estate in New York City with Don’s longtime fiancée – who said the many millions Don ends up with are actually irrelevant to Tim, who has made millions of them over the years.
“This won’t hurt them even a little bit financially,” says the home insider. “Tim is an incredibly wealthy man who has made millions in real estate.
An insider told DailyMail.com that Tim (with Don and their dogs in Miami in 2020) is “actually quite excited that Don can now be home with their dogs as their dogs are their lives”
Brushing it off: Don and Tim were dressed to the nines on Wednesday when they attended the Time 100 event in NYC, where Don told Extra he has “no regrets”
Poppy Harlow, 40, and Kaitlan Collins, 31, told Good Morning viewers on Tuesday that he had been fired, a day after Don stated on Twitter that his agent had told him the news
“He’s top of the line in town and they’ve saved enough together to live on for years.”
The industry source added, “Even if Don never works again, Tim could support them financially and feel comfortable,” the source says.
“He wants Don to take some time off and relax, because anyone who knows him knows he’s been very tense these past few months.”
‘He’s not a bad guy; he just says what he wants, both in and out of work and is used to always getting his own way.’
Two days after being fired, Don showed his face by showing up to the Time 100 Most Influential People Gala dressed to the nines – with Tim by his side.
During a red carpet interview with Additionalsaid Don, “I live my life without regrets and whatever I did, I did, I owned it.” I don’t look back and don’t want to change things from the past.’
‘I’m going to spend my summer on the beach and on the boat and with my family. Just relax and see what happens next, but I’m lucky to be in a position to do that,” the embarrassed former reporter boasted.
Don’s departure from CNN comes just weeks after DailyMail.com reported that female employees were concerned that Don appeared to think he was “untouchable” after he was not fired for sexist and offensive comments he made about women in February .
“Without a doubt, a straight white man would have been fired by now,” an employee said of Don, who came out as gay in 2011.
“He’s a minority in his race and sexuality…Don seems to be in a protected class, and he keeps getting away with behavior that others wouldn’t.”
Don went public with his sexuality in 2017 when he shared an on-air kiss with Tim during their New Year’s Eve broadcast.
After their engagement two years later, Don told CNN viewers, “I grew up thinking that I would never be able to go public with my relationships, much less ever legally marry.”
So for me this is doubly exciting and a little bit terrifying. I think I need to start thinking about kids. Talk about a late bloomer.’
Without being able to use his sexuality as a defense, Don’s final straw reportedly came last week when he and Poppy interviewed a Republican candidate. Vivek Ramaswamy.
Vivek had just been a speaker at the National Rifle Association Convention. During the conversation with the two, he said he made a comment that, after the Civil War, Southern Democrats limited the gun rights of freed black prisoners, whom they tried to enslave.
Poppy questioned Vivek appropriately, but Don didn’t. Instead, he lashed out at the Republican.
“If you’re black-skinned and live in this country, you can’t agree with me,” Lemon snapped at Vivek, an Indian-American. He also accused him of lying and not providing any evidence to support his claims.
Don then lashed out at Poppy as she tried to put the confrontation behind her and finish the interview. “Okay, can we move on now,” he snapped at his co-host.
Vivek told DailyMail.com this week, “I think what happened was his head exploded and he lost himself. My comments confused him. He became a whirling dervish in an uncontrollable downward spiral. He was yelling at the producers in his earpiece.’
On Monday, Don dropped the not-so-shocking news on his Twitter that he had been fired. That same day, CEO Chris Licht shared the news in an internal memo to staff.
Don’s statement read: “I was informed this morning by my agent that I have been fired from CNN. I’m stunned. After 17 years at CNN, I would have thought someone in management would have had the decency to tell me directly.”
“I was never given any indication that I wouldn’t be able to continue doing the work I loved at the network.
He continued: “Obviously there are bigger issues at play. Having said that, I want to thank my colleagues and the many teams I’ve worked with for an incredible run’
“They are the most talented journalists in the industry and I wish them all the best.”
The CNN team responded shortly afterwards by saying that Don was not honest with his fans about the situation surrounding his departure. “Don’s statement about this morning’s events is incorrect. He was given a chance to meet with management but instead posted a statement on Twitter,” a network spokesman said.