Comedian mocks fired CNN host during New Year’s show

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During CNN’s New Year’s Eve broadcast from Times Square, comedian Roy Wood Jr. delivered a pointed joke about former CNN host Don Lemon’s departure from the network.

When Andy Cohen offered shots to his guests, Wood Jr. declined with a clever reference to Lemon’s firing. “The last Black man to drink on this network got fired,” he quipped, opting instead for water citing his need for “stability.”

Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen sobered TF up really quickly when Roy Wood Jr. spoke about Don Lemon being fired by CNN.

“The last Black man to drink on this network got fired”

Andy Cohen tried to talk over him 🤣🤣#CNNNYE pic.twitter.com/hXrHItulMr

— Dana Abercrombie (@sagesurge) January 1, 2025

While co-stars Michael Ian Black and Amber Ruffin accepted the drinks, the moment turned awkward as Cohen attempted to change the subject and Anderson Cooper wiped his face, removing his glasses.

This wasn’t Wood’s first time using Lemon’s dismissal as comedic material. At the 2023 White House Correspondent’s Dinner, he joked that Lemon was terminated because “Lemon can’t even accurately report a story about Don Lemon.” The two later reconciled on Lemon’s new show.

Lemon had gained notoriety for his spirited New Year’s Eve appearances on CNN. In 2016, he made headlines by getting his ear pierced live on air after midnight. By 2021, an emboldened Lemon proclaimed himself a “grown-a– man” who was “able to share my point of view on television and it freaks people out and you know what.”

These antics led former CNN CEO Chris Licht to ban on-air drinking for talent, making an exception only for Cooper and Cohen.

"Speaking of assholes… Don Lemon is out of a job." – Roy Wood at the WHCD 🤣🤣🤣 pic.twitter.com/yWqojstDQL

— Tim Young (@TimRunsHisMouth) April 30, 2023

Lemon’s termination after 17 years came as a shock to the veteran broadcaster. “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 posted at the time.

Now hosting “The Don Lemon Show” on social media, Lemon continues to generate controversy. Recently, he unleashed a profanity-laced tirade regarding the MAGA controversy over H1-B visas, stating “Oh my gosh, I love this. Now you’re finding out, you dumb f–king idiots. Now you’re just figuring this sh– out. You’re so f–king stupid, and you deserve it. And you f–king deserve it because you’re so dumb.”