Rick Ross is looking to help Don Lemon get right back into work after he was fired from CNN, but it might not be the opportunity the famed news anchor was quite hoping for.
Following Lemon’s announcement on Monday (April 24) that he has been abruptly dropped from the cable news network after 17 years, Rozay wasted little time in offering him a new role at his sprawling, multi-million-dollar business empire — as a fry cook at one of his Wingstop chicken wing restaurants.
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“Just found out Don Lemon was terminated from CNN. Damn, dawg,” the MMG mogul said in a video posted to his Instagram Story. “But guess what? The brothers got your back.
“We hiring at Wingstop. And for some reason I believe you know what you doing with the lemon pepper wings, so man, just send over your résumé … I’ma make sure I get you in front of the right grill, brother. Stay solid, brother.”
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In a follow-up video, Rick Ross pitched Don Lemon on another business proposition after being struck by a lightbulb moment.
“Just came up with a wonderful idea — well, really, Don, you helped me come up with this,” he said. “I need to hit the team over at Rapstar Energy Drink and let ’em know we should introduce the Don Lemon flavor. What y’all think? Aye, Don, we got you brother!”
Don Lemon announced his sudden departure from CNN in a tweet on Monday afternoon, expressing his astonishment and disappointment at the network’s decision to terminate his contract. He also claimed that “larger issues” were at play behind his firing.
“I was informed this morning by my agent that I have been terminated by CNN,” he wrote. “I am stunned. After 17 years at CNN, I would have thought that someone in management would have had the decency to tell me directly.
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“At no time was I ever given any indication that I would not be able to continue to do the work that I have loved at the network. It is clear that there are some larger issues at play.”
He added: “With that said, I want to thank my colleagues and the many teams I have worked with for an incredible run. They are the most talented journalists in the business, and I wish them all the best.”
In a statement, CNN confirmed that they had parted ways with the longtime anchor. “Don will forever be a part of the CNN family, and we thank him for his contributions over the past 17 years,” they wrote. “We wish him well and will be cheering him on in his future endeavors.”
In a follow-up statement, CNN disputed Lemon’s version of events, claiming that the network had offered Lemon the opportunity to meet with executives, “but instead released a statement on Twitter.”
On the same day that CNN confirmed Lemon’s firing, Fox News announced that Tucker Carlson was also “parting ways” with the network.
“Fox News Media and Tucker Carlson have agreed to part ways,” read the network’s statement. “We thank him for his service to the network as a host and prior to that as a contributor.”
Carlson’s last show with the network was Friday (April 21).
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In other Rick Ross news, the Richer Than I Ever Been rapper recently expanded his real estate portfolio by purchasing not one, but two, properties from his MMG understudy Meek Mill.
Rozay snapped up the Philly rapper’s Atlanta mansion for $4.2 million earlier this month, before dropping another $1 million on a second home owned by Meek.
