Cyndi Lauper's giving her review of Donald Trump's leadership skills ... saying the former prez isn't a good boss -- because he didn't stay loyal to his employees.
The singer-songwriter joined Christiane Amanpour on her CNN show and openly discussed her time working under DJT on the hit show "Celebrity Apprentice" during its ninth season in 2010.
When asked about her time on the show, Lauper says she joined to start up the "Give A Damn" Campaign ... raising money to highlight LGBTQ+ youths.
Barack Obama's half sister was inadvertently tear-gassed during a deadly demonstration in Africa ... and it's all on video.
Auma Obama was being interviewed by CNN in the middle of Tuesday's protests in Nairobi, Kenya -- when all of a sudden, explosions could be heard in the background ... and she starts coughing and tearing up.
The ex-Prez's half sibling -- to whom he's related on his father's side -- says she can't see anymore because of tear gas in the air ... and CNN field reporter Larry Madowo starts coughing too as the street interview is forced to end.
A CNN anchor became so indignant over Trump's Press Secretary criticizing the alleged bias of her CNN colleagues who will moderate Thursday's Presidential debate, she pulled the plug on the interview!
Kasie Hunt had just begun interviewing Trump spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt Monday morning, and right out of the gate, Leavitt said Thursday's debate would be a hostile territory for Donald Trump because the CNN moderators, Jake Tapper and Dana Bash, were biased against the former Prez.
Hunt fired back ... her colleagues have "acquitted themselves as professionals," adding that candidates who attack the moderators are showing clear signs they're losing.
It doesn't look like Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is going to have a chance to join President Biden and former prez Donald Trump on the debate stage this month -- and he thinks it's mostly Biden blocking him.
We spoke to the independent presidential candidate for Wednesday's "TMZ Live," and he explained why he recently filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission against CNN ... alleging it colluded with the Biden campaign to keep him out of the mix for the June 27 debate.
I’ve received and accepted an invitation from @CNN for a debate on June 27th. Over to you, Donald. As you said: anywhere, any time, any place.
According to RFK Jr. ... he believes Joe and co. clandestinely made CNN alter the criteria for debate inclusion, so that, technically, he wouldn't qualify -- which is something CNN has outright denied, FWIW.
Kevin Costner was determined to give Whitney Houston a proper sendoff after her death ... and nothing was going to get in his way, not even a major TV network.
The actor recalled his "The Bodyguard" costar's 2012 funeral during an appearance on Dax Shepard's "Armchair Expert" podcast, revealing an unfortunate moment he had while preparing for his friend's farewell.
Costner, who was one of 8 people to speak at the singer's funeral, was asked ahead of the ceremony to shorten his speech ... so CNN and other networks could air commercials during the broadcast.
11:30 AM PT -- A source familiar with the situation tells TMZ … Cam'ron's rep was fully aware and briefed about the segment and topic ahead of his interview on CNN NewsNight with Abby Phillip.
9:53 AM PT -- Cam'ron isn't apologizing for his behavior during last night's wild CNN interview.
It Is What It Is
On his "It Is What It Is" sports show he cohosts with former Bad Boy rapper Ma$e, the Harlem rapper said CNN only contacted him to talk BS, so he gave them just that -- a BS interview!!!
The chief prosecutor for the International Criminal Court is gunning for Benjamin Netanyahu as well as Hamas leaders ... accusing each side of crimes against humanity in the ongoing war.
Karim Khan -- who's heading up this effort -- broke the news Monday ... saying his office is now applying for arrest warrants for each side of the conflict -- a couple for Israeli's Prime Minister including its Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant, and three on the Hamas side too.
For Hamas ... the ICC wants to arrest and charge leader Yahya Sinwar and two other high-ranking officials -- Al-Qassam Brigades and Ismail Haniyeh. All are accused of war crimes.
Don Lemon finally got hitched to his longtime fiancé, Tim Malone, Saturday night ... and a bevy of TV and other stars came out to see the fancy ceremony in NYC.
The former CNN host married Tim at Manhattan's Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church five years after Don first announced their engagement on Instagram.
The two looked spiffy dressed in their suits and bow ties with velvet jackets. They also brought along their two cute white pooches to watch them exchange their vows.
Don Lemon is not saying never about returning to CNN -- which fired him last year -- and even has some requirements in mind, but he's also very realistic about why it ain't happening ... most likely.
The famed newsman joined us on the "TMZ Podcast" this week, and revealed he'd be open to going back to his former employer if they offered a particular company car -- one more associated with Elon Musk, ironically.
CNN
We're confident he was joking, but Don was serious about not holding his breath for a call from CNN. He says there's no bad blood between them, but also explained why it's probably not a great fit, for him at least.
Aaron Rodgers is attempting to clear up his position on Sandy Hook, a day after a scathing report claimed the superstar QB denied the horrific shooting ever happened, saying that's simply not true, calling it "an absolute tragedy."
As I’m on the record saying in the past, what happened in Sandy Hook was an absolute tragedy. I am not and have never been of the opinion that the events did not take place. Again, I hope that we learn from this and other tragedies to identify the signs that will allow us to…
"As I’m on the record saying in the past, what happened in Sandy Hook was an absolute tragedy. I am not and have never been of the opinion that the events did not take place," 40-year-old Rodgers tweeted from Costa Rica.
"Again, I hope that we learn from this and other tragedies to identify the signs that will allow us to prevent unnecessary loss of life. My thoughts and prayers continue to remain with the families affected along with the entire Sandy Hook community."
The statement comes after CNN published a report on Wednesday citing two people who claimed AR was adamant the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, CT was fake, attributing the following quote to the 4x NFL MVP.
"All those children never existed. They were all actors.”
Rodgers tweet seems to directly contradict the CNN story ... but not all of it. The network also reported Aaron believes, or at least did in 2013, that the shooting was an "inside job" perpetrated by the United States government.
Don Lemon volvió a la cadena que lo despidió para hablar de su entrevista con Elon Musk que le hizo perder su acuerdo con X e incluso emitió algunos clips de la conversación.
El ex presentador de noticias fue presentado como invitado de Erin Burnett en CNN el miércoles, donde hablaron sobre la entrevista que hicieron con Elon y que luego provocó que este terminara el acuerdo de su compañía con Don para presentar y distribuir su nuevo programa con ellos.
First guest. @elonmusk like you’ve never seen him before.
Obviamente, todos tienen curiosidad de qué fue lo que cabreó tanto a Elon exactamente y ahora, tenemos una idea de lo que podría haber sido porque CNN emitió 3 extractos.
El primer clip muestra a Don compartiendo estadísticas sobre el aumento del discurso de odio en X e incluso abordó el tema de la Gran Teoría de Reemplazo, que abrazan los supremacistas blancos y de la que Elon ha sido acusado por tolerar en su plataforma.
Se puede decir de inmediato que Elon estaba molesto por el interrogatorio e incluso dejó a Don saber que no tiene que responderle a nadie, señalando que solo accedió a conversar con él porque era parte de la familia X, y Don pidió una entrevista.
Fue una interacción bien fría, y sobre ella, Don le dijo a Erin que no cree que Elon esté dispuesto a aceptar los hechos y que siente que no tiene que responderle a nadie o asumir la responsabilidad por lo que se publica en X. Los clips no terminaron allí, sin embargo ..
CNN
En otro clip Don le pregunta a Elon sobre su consumo de ketamina, algo que Elon ha admitido y aunque este tema no era tan incómodo, se puede decir que era algo personal para. Básicamente, dijo que si la gente está deprimida, deberían investigarlo.
También hablaron de política y Elon dijo que no estaba listo para apoyar a ningún candidato, aunque dijo que se inclinaba por Biden. Señaló que él y Trump habían hablado recientemente en Mar-a-Lago y dijo que no le había donado a Donald Trump en absoluto.
Cuento corto, Don volvió a la boca del lobo para transmitir estos clips y es bastante irónico, teniendo en cuenta que le dieron una patada para priorizar un liderazgo diferente.
En cualquier caso, Don vuelve a estar sin casa mediática y va a publicar su contenido directamente en todas las redes sociales. Su entrevista con Elon se emitirá íntegra el lunes.
Don Lemon went back to the network that fired him to talk about his Elon Musk interview that made him lose out on his deal with X ... and he even aired some clips from their chat.
The former news anchor was featured as Erin Burnett's guest on CNN Wednesday, where they spoke about this sit-down Don did with Elon just yesterday -- which then triggered Elon to terminate his company's deal with Don to host and distribute his new show with them.
First guest. @elonmusk like you’ve never seen him before.
Obviously, everyone has been curious about what exactly was said that pissed EM off so much -- and now, we have a sense of what it might've been ... 'cause CNN aired 3 excerpts.
The first clip they played showed Don rattling off stats about an uptick in hate speech on X -- and DL even entertained the topic of the Great Replacement Theory, embraced by white supremacists ... which Elon's been accused of entertaining and tolerating on his platform.
You could tell right off the bat that Elon was annoyed by the line of questioning -- and he even let Don know, he doesn't have to answer anyone's questions ... noting he only agreed to chat with Don because he was now part of the X family, and Don asked for an interview.
It was an icy interaction ... and Don goes on to tell Erin he doesn't think Elon is willing to accept facts -- going on to say he feels like Elon doesn't have to answer to anyone or take accountability for what's posted on X. The clips didn't end there, though ... there was more.
CNN
Another clip aired where Don asked Elon about his ketamine use -- something Elon has admitted to -- and while that topic wasn't nearly as awkward ... you can tell it was somewhat personal for Elon. He basically said if people are depressed, they should look into it.
TMZ.com
They also talked politics at one point ... and Elon said he wasn't ready to endorse any candidate just yet -- although he did say he was leaning away from Biden. He noted he and Trump had recently spoken at Mar-a-Lago ... and said he hadn't donated to DT at all.
Long story short ... Don went back into the lion's den to air these clips -- which is pretty ironic, considering they kicked him to the curb, albeit under different leadership.
In any case, Don's without a media home again ... and he's gonna post his content straight to all social media platforms regardless. His Elon interview airs in full Monday.
Don Lemonha cancelado su acuerdo con X antes de que se emitiera el primer episodio, y culpa a su entrevista con Elon Musk, en la que aparentemente tocó un punto delicado.
El ex presentador de CNN anunció el miércoles en redes sociales el fin de su acuerdo exclusivo con la plataforma de Elon Musk, tanto a través de una declaración escrita como en un breve video que irónicamente publicó en X.
First guest. @elonmusk like you’ve never seen him before.
Don explica que se sentó con Elon el viernes para entrevistarlo en el primer episodio de "The Don Lemon Show", diciendo que quería tener a Musk como su primer invitado, porque Elon se considera un gran defensor de la libertad de expresión.
Don dijo que la entrevista no tenía temas fuera de límite, y aunque Don admite que la conversación se puso tensa a ratos, en última instancia dice que las cosas salieron bien.
Sin embargo, parece que Musk no se sentía de la misma manera, y afirma que su acuerdo con X -acordado hace apenas dos meses- se terminó apenas unas horas después de su entrevista.
Lemon le dijo a sus fans que trabajó con X porque es un creyente en la libertad de expresión y quería que su mensaje llegara a un público masivo, y ser "despedido" de X no impide que el ex presentador de CNN lo transmita en la plataforma y en otros lugares.
Lemon dice que todavía piensa publicar la entrevista el lunes 18 de marzo en YouTube y X, lo que podría tomarse como una afrenta hacia Elon. También va a seguir con el programa sin el respaldo de X, así que "The Don Lemon Show" sigue en pie.
SCOOP: As I told him would happen, @donlemon, the owner of this platform Elon Musk sent a terse text to his reps: “Contract terminated” after an interview Lemon did with Musk last Friday that was not to the adult toddler’s liking, including questions about his ketamine use.
En cuanto a lo que exactamente discutieron, no sabemos mucho, pero los informes sugieren que Don hizo algunas preguntas contundentes, incluyendo preguntas sobre el uso de Musk de la ketamina.
Aparentemente, Lemon todavía piensa que X le debe dinero, con un portavoz de Don diciéndole al sitio de noticias Puck, que está dispuesto a ir a los tribunales por el dinero que cree que le deben.
X is a platform that champions free speech, and we’re proud to provide an open environment for diverse voices and perspectives. The Don Lemon Show is welcome to publish its content on X, without censorship, as we believe in providing a platform for creators to scale their work…
Por su parte, X dice que su plataforma apoya la libertad de expresión, y Don puede publicar libremente lo que quiera, pero X, por otra parte, sigue siendo un negocio y puede optar por iniciar o terminar asociaciones con empresas como mejor le parezca.
En cuanto a Elon... le respondió a una cuenta de parodia de Mark Zuckerberg en X y afirmó que Don todavía estaba haciendo sus trucos de CNN en X y dijo que sentía que solo estaba repitiendo los mismos pasos que su antiguo jefe en la red, Jeff Zucker. Elon también dice que sentía Don no estaba siendo auténtico... y parecer esto fue suficiente para desechar el acuerdo.
Don Lemon's X partnership is dunzo -- his deal falling apart before the first episode could even air ... and he blames his Elon Musk interview, where he apparently struck a nerve.
The former CNN anchor took to social media Wednesday to announce the end of his exclusive deal with Elon's platform -- both via written statement and in a short video he posted to X, ironically enough.
First guest. @elonmusk like you’ve never seen him before.
The way Don explains it ... he sat down with Elon Friday to interview him for the first episode of "The Don Lemon Show," saying he wanted to speak with Musk as his debut guest because Elon considers himself a major proponent of free speech.
Don said the interview had no off-limit topics, and -- even though DL admits the convo got tense at times ... ultimately, he says he felt it was a good, fair back-and-forth.
However, it sounds like Musk didn't feel the same way according to Lemon ... who claims his deal with X -- agreed upon just two months ago -- was terminated mere hours after their interview wrapped.
Lemon told his fans he worked with X because he's a believer in free speech and wanted his message to reach a mass audience ... and, getting "fired" from X ain't stopping the former CNN anchor from airing it on the platform and elsewhere.
Lemon says he's still dropping the interview in all its glory Monday, March 18 on YouTube and X as well -- seemingly a big middle finger to EM and co. He's also gonna carry on with the show without X's backing ... so, the "The Don Lemon Show" is still on.
SCOOP: As I told him would happen, @donlemon, the owner of this platform Elon Musk sent a terse text to his reps: “Contract terminated” after an interview Lemon did with Musk last Friday that was not to the adult toddler’s liking, including questions about his ketamine use.
As for exactly what the two discussed ... we don't know much, but reports are floating around Don asked some hard-hitting questions -- including queries about Musk's use of ketamine.
TMZ.com
BTW ... Lemon apparently still thinks X owes him money -- with a spokesperson for Don telling news site Puck he's willing to go to court for the cash he believes is owed ... to be continued, we suppose.
X is a platform that champions free speech, and we’re proud to provide an open environment for diverse voices and perspectives. The Don Lemon Show is welcome to publish its content on X, without censorship, as we believe in providing a platform for creators to scale their work…
For their part, X is saying their platform is all about free speech, and Don can freely post whatever he wants ... but also X is still a business and can choose to begin or end partnerships with businesses as it sees fit.
His approach was basically just “CNN, but on social media”, which doesn’t work, as evidenced by the fact that CNN is dying.
And, instead of it being the real Don Lemon, it was really just Jeff Zucker talking through Don, so lacked authenticity.
As for Elon ... he responded to a Mark Zuckerberg parody account on X -- and claimed Don was still doing his CNN shtick, just on X -- and he said he felt Don was just parroting his old boss at the network, Jeff Zucker. EM also says he felt Don was putting on an act and not being his authentic self ... which was apparently enough for him to scrap their deal.
Don Lemon was handsomely compensated after being fired from CNN last year -- in fact, it's almost as if he never left ... 'cause the dude's definitely getting paid like it, per a new report.
According to the Wrap, the former CNN anchor finally reached a deal with his former bosses at the cable news network to finalize his separation from the company -- this after he was canned almost a full year ago.
CNN
Apparently, they'd been working out the details of his exit package -- and now, word is they finally landed on a number ... which is astronomical. The Wrap says he got $24.5 million.
What's astonishing about that figure is that, per the outlet, this amount of cash is exactly what he would've been paid if he'd been allowed to stay there and finish out his contract -- which they say had another 3.5 half years left on it before his ousting in April.
In other words, he got his full contract's worth of money ... so good on his negotiating team.
Weirdly enough, though, CNN is actually pushing back on the number ... telling People the report of his massive payout is "incorrect." With that said, they didn't elaborate beyond that.
In any case ... it sounds like Don's walking away from this saga a happy camper. Yes, he's no longer on TV -- but he's moved on over to X for a new show, similar to Tucker Carlson.
While he was fuming after getting the boot at CNN, Don ended up with the last laugh ... the guy who fired him, Chris Licht, ended up being shown the door as well not long after. Meanwhile, Don's millions of dollars richer ... and he's in the free speech space now.
Nikki Haley is digging a deeper hole for herself as she continues her apology tour to rectify her comments on the Civil War -- because she's playing the ol' "Black friends" card.
She was asked about her thoughts over the backlash to her blunder during CNN's town hall in Des Moines Thursday night ... the Republican presidential hopeful told host Erin Burnett she should've said slavery was a catalyst for the Civil War straight off the bat.
Nikki elaborated, though, saying she believed the slavery part of it was obvious to her, because South Carolinians grow up talking about the topic -- and not-so-subtly slipped in the line, "I had Black friends growing up ... it is a very talked about thing."
TMZ.com
She emphasized that she's always associated the Civil War with slavery ... and with her response, she was merely trying to highlight the lesson learned going forward.
Haley was criticized by the media and pretty much everyone else -- including ex-CNN anchor Don Lemon who blasted her apology tour, saying she didn't show him any grace when he said she was past her prime during a live TV broadcast.
