What do you think about when you hear someone talking about CNN? Obviously, some people love the network and some hate it. But one thing the network’s biggest fans and biggest haters can agree is that CNN has tried to position itself as a serious source of news, one that is far removed from networks like Fox whose hosts have often been rocked by major scandals.
However, CNN and its hosts have been rocked by more scandals than you might think…they’d just rather sweep them under the rug. Around here, though, we love to lift those rugs and expose every dirty little secret. Just how dirty are we talking about? Keep reading to discover the most shocking scandals in CNN history!
The Applebee’s/Ukraine invasion scandal
Most of the CNN scandals on this list involve a host doing or saying something very out of pocket. Every now and then, though, the network has what can only be described as an unforced production error. And perhaps the wildest example of this is one involving both Applebee’s and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
When Russia invaded in 2022, CNN dutifully covered the event. This included showing footage of Kyiv’s air raid sirens blaring on day one of the invasion. Unfortunately, the network ran an Applebee’s ad literally right next to their coverage, juxtaposing footage of a brutal and illegal invasion with footage of happy families vibing to the Zac Brown Band’s song “Chicken Fried.”
In response, Applebee’s yanked all of their advertising from the news network. And we can only hope CNN learned a valuable lesson about how to report on serious news without chasing profit from advertisers!
RELATED: BBC Used To Spread Fake News About the Ukrainian First Lady
Don Lemon’s very public firing
Once upon a time, Don Lemon was one of CNN’s most popular voices. As the title star of Don Lemon Tonight, the gay, Black host was often the target of conservative critics, including Donald Trump. Starting in 2022, though, he began ruffling the feathers of liberal supporters and even his own fellow CNN employees in antics which eventually cost him his job.
After his own show was canceled, he began co-hosting a morning show with Poppy Harlow and Kaitlan Collins. They sometimes clashed, and a source told the New York Post that Lemon started an argument with Collins (he thought she interrupted him on camera) that upset her so much she ran from the studio.
In 2023, he publicly called Republican presidential contender Nikki Haley past her prime. This caused an uproar, and while Lemon apologized the very next day, he was fired from CNN after 17 years of employment. Ouch!
Chris Cuomo fired in disgrace after defending his brother
While CNN specializes in political coverage, most of its hosts aren’t directly connected to politicians. That couldn’t be said for Chris Cuomo, though. He was the host of Cuomo Prime Time while his brother, Andrew, was governor of New York. This instantly created a conflict of interest, one that reached a fever pitch in 2021 when Andrew Cuomo was at the center of numerous sexual assault allegations.
To his credit, Chris Cuomo had the good sense to avoid defending his brother against the allegations on air. However, it eventually came out that Chris was using his extensive media knowledge and experience to advise his brother regarding PR amid the scandals. This harmed the network’s credibility while potentially opening them up to legal action. Because of this, CNN immediately fired Chris Cuomo.
RELATED: 10 Celebrities Who Left Hollywood To Work In Politics
Jon Stewart destroys Crossfire on live TV
Jon Stewart is one part comedian and one part political journalist. This unexpected combination helped him eviscerate many political opponents over the years while he hosted The Daily Show on Comedy Central. However, his most unexpected target was actually Crossfire, the long-running CNN show he helped destroy in 2004.
That was the year the host appeared on Crossfire. For context, the show had aired since 1982 with a special gimmick: it featured one liberal host and one conservative host who would politely debate over various political topics. By 2004, the show had degenerated into borderline screaming matches. When Stewart appeared on the show that year, be told the hosts in no uncertain terms that they were contributing to the country’s divisiveness and asked them to “stop hurting America.”
This annoyed host (and future Fox News talking head) Tucker Carlson. But the message resonated with CNN President Jonathan Klein, who canceled the long-running show and confirmed to The New York Times that “I agree wholeheartedly with Jon Stewart’s overall premise.”
Donna Brazile was fired for helping Hillary Clinton
Earlier, we touched on the CNN scandal in which Chris Cuomo lost his job for helping his governor brother navigate a PR nightmare. However, this wasn’t the only time a host lost their job for helping a politician. For example, Donna Brazile got fired for helping out Hillary Clinton on the 2016 campaign trail.
At the time, Brazile was the Democratic National Committee chairwoman who had a history of CNN appearances. In 2016, she was working for the network when she advised Hillary Clinton about the questions she was likely to face ahead of a town hall appearance. This was revealed thanks to an email hack, giving presidential rival Donald Trump ammo to claim that Brazile had leaked questions to Clinton ahead of the presidential debate.
That wasn’t what happened, but all of this damaged CNN’s reputation. Because of this, CNN cut all ties with Brazile while frantically denying Trump’s claims regarding the debate.