CNN's Don Lemon faces criticism after saying Prince Harry was 'airing family dirty laundry' in his new memoir

• Don Lemon criticized Prince Harry for discussing family disagreements in his new memoir, "Spare." 
• Lemon was discussing an excerpt in which Harry claims he was physically attacked by Prince William. 
• But some viewers have since criticized Lemon for what they perceive as "excusing physical assault." 

Prince Harry dominated headlines this week as leaked excerpts from his new memoir, "Spare," have spilled jaw-dropping details about the royal family. 

There has been support and criticism on both sides of the Atlantic, but CNN anchor Don Lemon said he's found Prince Harry's book to be "gauche." 

Lemon and fellow anchors Poppy Harlow, Max Foster, and Bianca Nobilo were discussing a particular passage in which Prince Harry accused Prince William of physically attacking him during an argument over Meghan Markle in 2019. 

—CNN This Morning (@CNNThisMorning) January 5, 2023

"He grabbed me by the collar, ripping my necklace, and he knocked me to the floor. I landed on the dog's bowl, which cracked under my back, the pieces cutting into me," Harry wrote in an excerpt, which was seen by The Guardian. "I lay there for a moment, dazed, then got to my feet and told him to get out." 

After Harlow read the excerpt out loud, Lemon said his first reaction was "Why?" 

"Everyone has a family. I have arguments in my family," he continued. "Am I going to put that out there for the whole world to see? I just don't understand why on earth he would want to put that out there."

As the anchors discussed Prince Harry's claims that he wants to reconcile with his family, Lemon added: "What exactly is he achieving by airing family dirty laundry?" 

"To talk about a physical family fight, to me — I wouldn't," he added. "That's just me." 

After CNN This Morning shared a clip of the discussion on Twitter, Lemon was criticized by some viewers for what they perceived to be "excusing physical assault." Others noted that Lemon has opened up about his own family in his 2011 memoir "Transparent," which included details about his father's infidelities. 

—PetraMalusclava???? (@PetraMalusclava) January 5, 2023

—Mary-Ama (@marydoc) January 6, 2023

—Ange Andrews (@andrews_ange) January 5, 2023

Meanwhile, some appeared to agree with Lemon and shared their support for William.  

—Beatrice Cardenas (@RealBetyCardens) January 5, 2023

 

Prince Harry's memoir, which will be officially released on January 10, has been hotly anticipated since it was announced in July 2021. 

In excerpts that have already been leaked, Prince Harry has called Prince William his "beloved brother and archnemesis" and shared how many people he killed while serving in Afghanistan.

Representatives for CNN and Don Lemon did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.