The Brutal Rumors About Don Lemon And Kaitlan Collins' Behind-The-Scenes Drama

It's been rumored that Don Lemon and Kaitlan Collins didn't always get along. Before Lemon was terminated from CNN in 2023, he and Collins co-anchored a show, "CNN This Morning," alongside Poppy Harlow. Despite getting off to a strong start, they reportedly had a behind-the-scenes exchange that forever rattled their working relationship.

Lemon, whose onset behavior has caused him trouble in the past, blew up at Collins after he felt that she spoke over him on-air in December 2022. "Don screamed at Kaitlan, who was visibly upset and ran out of the studio," a source told The New York Post. The exchange was reportedly so tense that the trio skipped out on pre-planned drinks at a White House Christmas party that had been scheduled the following day. But that wasn't exactly the end of things. Collins reportedly wanted limited interactions with Lemon after the escalation. "At this point, Kaitlan wants to be on set with Don as little as possible," shared another insider. "It's messy."

Although the story went viral, none of the parties ever released an official statement about what really happened on that day. However, Collins was one of the many journalists who commented when Lemon was ousted from CNN a few months later. Unsurprisingly, her statement read as unemotional and neutral. "Don was a big part of this show over the last six months," she said during an episode of "CNN This Morning" (via ABC). "He was one of the first anchors on CNN to have me on his show. That's something I'll obviously never forget."

Kaitlan Collins has a growing list of enemies, and none have been louder than Donald Trump, who fumes whenever she fact-checks or challenges his controversial takes. While it may be overshooting to put Don Lemon in the same category as the president where Collins is concerned, it's still clear there's no love lost between the former colleagues. 

Collins was supposedly one of many people who didn't appreciate Lemon's infamous comment about women. After Lemon criticized Nikki Haley's stance about the need for older politicians to be screened for their mental competency, claiming that she was past her prime, Collins and Poppy Harlow reportedly retreated from the set of their show to enjoy a bathroom break and process things. It's unknown what they discussed.

Additionally, Collins was not one of the people who attended Lemon's lavish April 2026 wedding to Tim Malone. What's extra interesting, however, is that Collins attended a different wedding which took place at the same time. The CNN anchor made no mention of Lemon's big day online, and instead used her social media time to celebrate the nuptials that she actually attended. Given the rumors surrounding their working relationship, this is probably the least surprising turn of events that could have followed their feud.