By RODNEY HO/ rho@ajc.com, originally filed Wednesday, May 18, 2016
Mediaite, in an exclusive, said CNN cancelled a Larry Wilmore appearance on Don Lemon's nightly show in retaliation for his jokes about the network during the recent White House Correspondents' Dinner.
On the dais, he mocked CNN anchors Wolf Blitzer for his very existence and Don Lemon as an "alleged" journalist. Although Lemon gave him a middle finger from the audience, he took the joke in good spirits and invited Wilmore to be on his 10 p.m. show the following Wednesday, May 4.
But according to a Mediaite source, a CNN higher up cancelled the interview using some "breaking news" excuse and it was never rescheduled.
The story doesn't say its source said that Wilmore was specifically blacklisted or punished for his comments. They merely deduced that based on the actions that occurred.
I reached out to both Lemon and CNN publicity. Lemon punted, leaving any comments to publicity. I've also requested a comment from Wilmore's camp.
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