Lemon has generated a good deal of controversy in recent weeks with widely panned comments regarding Nikki Haley, another GOP presidential candidate, being "past her prime" and reported tensions behind the scenes between him and his co-host Kaitlin Collins.

The Times reported, however, that Lemon's racially charged debate with Ramaswamy "left several CNN leaders exasperated":

Last Wednesday, however, Mr. Lemon made headlines again after a highly contentious on-air exchange with Vivek Ramaswamy, a Republican presidential candidate. The segment deteriorated as the men fiercely debated questions of Black history and the Second Amendment; Mr. Lemon's co-anchor, Ms. Harlow, could be seen sitting silently beside him, at times casting her gaze elsewhere and scrolling through her smartphone.