Don Lemon Says Goodbye To CNN Primetime Show With Emotional Farewell Ahead Of Morning Show Debut

Armando Tinoco
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Don Lemon bid farewell to his primetime show on CNN after more than eight years of hosting Don Lemon Tonight. The television presenter got emotional during his farewell recalling all the ups and downs he lived through during his tenure on the show.

“It is not goodbye but it is certainly the end of an era as we sign off this last broadcast of Don Lemon Tonight,” he said in the video posted above. “More than eight years, thousands of hours of live TV, historic moments and tough conversations. A lot happened between 10 and midnight, or later.”

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Lemon is leaving his primetime space to host a new morning show on the cable news network. The host will be joined by Poppy Harlow and Kaitlan Collins in a revamped morning program that will replace New Day.

“This is it, the final Don Lemon Tonight. It’s a bittersweet moment for me, but it’s not going to be a sad moment, I’m not going to be sad about it,” he said after a montage of moments from the show’s history. “I’m just going to miss working with all of the great people who really work their butts off every single day to put this show on the air. So tonight, this isn’t about me, this is about you guys who are in the control room and in this studio. This is about you.”

Lemon said he was “grateful” to his crew that works long and later hours to put on a show while missing milestones and moments with their family. The news anchor recalled a moment after his sister died when his crew came together to help him get through the difficult time.

The CNN star also admitted that he “was not always perfect, because no one is perfect,” adding, “There are immense pressures that come with this job, and in particular, this time slot at 10 p.m., when people are going to bed. So sometimes, all I could do, I’m gonna be honest with you, is just smile and just get to the commercial break sometimes.”

“Sometimes it was exhausting because some of the things that we discuss here are so personal and so consuming. So, I hope I made you proud, and I thank you for tuning in all these years, and I hope that you’re going to join me in the morning. So, I will simply say, goodnight and I will see you soon,” he ended.

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