According to the report, CNN issued a memo to the hosts who would be handling New Year’s Eve coverage not to foul up due to on-air drinking. Regardless of the memo, CNN host Don Lemon was too busy passing out beaded necklaces when the magic hour arrived, and he missed ushering in 2023.
Lemon was in New Orleans, hosting a live show to welcome 2023 for those living in the Central Time Zone.
The night was lively, with live music blasting over the speakers and the crowd getting excited as the stroke of midnight was fast approaching. Unfortunately, Lemon was not tuned in, and the midnight hour arrived without the traditional countdown. There was no acknowledgment of the passing of 2022 into history and 2023 starting the new year’s future.
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Lemon asked the crowd if they were “ready for this countdown.” The Daily Caller reported while Lemon was dancing to the music, he missed the countdown and began counting down after midnight had already passed. The incident sparked a round of mocking posts about CNN on Twitter.
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The Washington Post reported that CNN boss Chris Licht had requested there be no drinking on air by hosts Andy Cohen and Anderson Cooper this New Year’s Eve. There were other incidents in the post involving Lemon and Cooper. One incident involved Cohen’s live rant about outgoing Mayor Bill de Blasio of New York City.
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Licht had said, “I’m not looking for a bunch of my respectful talent to be out there all night doing shots. That will be different. I don’t think that builds credibility.”
A former anchor at CNN, Carol Costello, said, “I never liked the idea of anchors getting tipsy on air. Maybe I’m old school, but I don’t want to see the person informing me about civilian deaths in Ukraine and why they’re happening sloshed.”
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Former CNN Washington bureau chief Frank Sesno said drinking on TV is “simply out of character with personalities they try to be the rest of the year.”
The Daily Caller notes while the clock had already struck midnight and Americans were celebrating, Lemon told the audience to “start the countdown.” He missed the actual countdown and only began to count down after the stroke of midnight had already come and gone.
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