White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre requested not to be interviewed by Don Lemon as a condition of appearing on “CNN This Morning” this week, The Post has learned.
Jean-Pierre, a guest on the morning show on Thursday, made it clear to CNN that she did not want to go head to head with the bombastic anchor, a source with knowledge said.
“The White House asked for her not to be interviewed by Don,” the source added.
A second source close to CNN said Jean-Pierre “refused” to go on if Lemon was asking the questions.
Instead, the press secretary was interviewed on Thursday’s show by co-host Poppy Harlow.
An insider said Harlow had been earmarked to do the interview because the show’s staff has to “produce around” Lemon, who has been in the spotlight for a series of on-air missteps.
“He’s just a constant f—ing distraction,” the person said.
Sources said Jean-Pierre’s reps did not expound on the reasoning behind her demand to CNN.
Insiders speculated that it was likely due to the anchor’s recent on-air gaffes or possibly tense on-air exchanges in the past, in which Lemon grilled Jean-Pierre over President Biden’s mental fitness.
“We’re not going to detail our conversations with any media outlets, but as always the anchor is the network’s call and not ours,” a rep for Jean-Pierre told The Post.
The White House later denied Jean-Pierre didn’t want to deal with Lemon.
“Karine never said this,” the rep said after the initial statement.
A CNN spokesman declined to elaborate, merely saying: “The decision to have Poppy conduct the interview was made independently by CNN.”
In February, Lemon went on an embarrassing on-air, sexist diatribe about 51-year-old Nikki Haley being “not in her prime” that enraged staffers and caused Harlow to walk off the set.
When asked at a press briefing to comment on Lemon’s remarks, Jean-Pierre took her opportunity to weigh in.
“That is something clearly that needs to be addressed,” she said carefully, referring to CNN’s obligation to deal with Lemon’s remarks.
The press secretary then used the opportunity to highlight Biden’s own record of elevating women — which includes a number of women older than 40.
“When you look at this president’s administration — and we have talked about the numbers before — there are more women, in his senior adviser and his senior staff,” Jean-Pierre said.
Lemon’s somewhat testy relationship with Jean-Pierre also came into focus last year when the anchor grilled the press secretary about Biden’s mental fitness amid reporting from the New York Times about members of the Democratic Party having concerns about the chief executive’s leadership ability.
“Does the president has the stamina, physically and mentally, do you think, to continue on even after 2024?” Lemon asked the press secretary.
“That is not a question that we should be even asking,” she replied.
Lemon defended his questioning on CNN, saying that people should know the “health, history, both physically and mentally” of the president of the US, and noted that journalists and media pundits “certainly” questioned former President Donald Trump’s health.
He added that the president is a “nice man” but he is 80 years old, and as a man in his 50s, Lemon himself has “trouble recalling things.”
“I’m not as sharp as I used to be. And the job of president of the United States is a really, really tough job,” Lemon said.
“I’m sure he’s up to the job, but it is my job as a journalist to ask.”
But Lemon has been in the hot seat since “CNN This Morning” launched last November.
The fallout from Lemon’s Haley remarks have included a brief suspension, a mea culpa and training, as well as calls internally and externally for the anchor’s head.
Leading up to that, The Post reported an off-air skirmish with “CNN This Morning” co-host Kaitlan Collins, in which Lemon allegedly yelled at the young anchor for interrupting him during a broadcast.
A recent Variety exposé also revealed a history of alleged misogynistic behavior by Lemon.
[Written in collaboration with other media outlets with information from the following sources]
