Don Lemon Accuses CNN of ‘Platforming Liars and Bigots’ In 1st Interview Since Firing

The last few months of Don Lemon’s tenure at CNN were extremely tumultuous. He was taken off the air for a short time after commenting on Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley’s age, a story chronicling Lemon’s alleged history of misogynistic behavior was released and the anchor got in a heated confrontation with Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. However, in his first one-on-one interview since his firing in April, Don explains that he’s at peace with everything and that he has no regrets about choosing to be true to himself.

“I have a responsibility not only as a journalist, but as an American, to tell the truth and to abide by the promises of the Constitution,” Lemon told ABC 24 Memphis. “Because the Constitution says ‘a more perfect union,’ not ‘a perfect union.’ I’m not a perfect person, no one is. In order to fulfill the promise of the Constitution, we have to stand up for what is right. We have to stand up for the truth.”

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Don Lemon talks life after CNN in first one-on-one interview since leaving network

In the wake of Lemon’s firing and a much-maligned town hall with former President Donald Trump, media analysts have accused former CNN CEO Chris Licht of pushing the news outlet to become more like Fox News. No matter what his next move is, that is not a road Don is interested in going down. He feels that blatantly spreading lies and misinformation would betray his journalistic ethics.

“I don’t believe in platforming liars and bigots, insurrectionists, and election deniers and putting them on the same footing as people who are telling the truth—people who are fighting for what’s right, people who are abiding by the Constitution,” Lemon said. “I think that would be a dereliction of journalistic duty to do those sorts of things.”

After a series of public missteps, including his firing of Lemon, Licht was fired from CNN in early June. Now, the venerable cable news network finds itself in something of a rebuilding period. Lemon isn’t commenting on whether this means he could find his way back to CNN. In fact, he isn’t commenting on any aspect of his future plans. Right now, he seems content to take some time and live his life away from the spotlight of nightly TV. There’s no denying his reputation has taken a hit in the last few months, but that doesn’t always matter in the TV business. I have to assume that someone with his name recognition and popularity has his pick of landing spots. It will be interesting to see what he finally chooses.

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