Don Lemon’s Alleged $24 Million Payout Has ‘Stirred Resentment’ Among CNN Staff: ‘Just Not Fair’

CNN staffers are up in arms as they watch their bonuses get slashed — at the same time management is cutting a staggering $24 million check to placate disgraced former anchor Don Lemon!”

Many workers are earning just above minimum wage while putting in long hours, and the discrepancy between their compensation and Lemon’s payout has stirred resentment,” a source exclusively tells In Touch. “If anyone else got fired at CNN, they would be lucky to get a few months’ salary — yet, here is Don, getting paid out his entire contract! It’s just not fair.”

A CNN rep says the $24 million payout figure is “incorrect,” but did not provide details. Lemon got squeezed out last spring amid falling ratings and mounting controversy — including when he suggested women are considered past their prime once they turn 50.

Adding to the staff’s discontent is the news their bonuses will be reduced by 15 to 20 percent, a decision management attributed to weak advertising sales, sources say. “So we’re being asked to pay for Don to float around his pool in his multimillion-dollar Hamptons mansion,” sneers an insider. “I can barely pay my rent this month. Please, let them fire ME and pay ME to sit home for the next three years!”