Don Lemon Speaks Out for First Time After CNN Firing: 'I Have a Responsibility to Tell the Truth'

“I'm not a perfect person. No one is,” the journalist said

Don Lemon is breaking his silence about being fired from CNN.

In his first one-on-one interview since he was let go from the news network in April, Lemon, 57, spoke about his duties as a journalist and what his future holds.

“I have a responsibility not only as a journalist, but as an American, to tell the truth,” Lemon told Rudy Williams of ABC24 before he took the stage at a Memphis NAACP event. “And to abide by the promises of the Constitution, because the Constitution says a more perfect union. Not a perfect union.”

“I'm not a perfect person. No one is," he added. "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.”

Lemon also said he doesn’t believe in "platforming liars and bigots and 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.”

He noted how that type of reporting goes against his beliefs as a journalist, stating, "That is what has gotten me to this point, and that is what is going to carry me forward."

“To know that I am doing the right thing, that I am standing up and abiding by the Constitution, which my profession demands that I do because we are listed in the First Amendment of the Constitution, which is freedom of speech, freedom of expression, and freedom of the press,” Lemon continued.

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The longtime anchor announced his firing from CNN in a tweet published on April 24.

"I was informed this morning by my agent I have been terminated by CNN. I am stunned," Lemon wrote.

He continued: "After 17 years at CNN I would have thought that someone in management would have had the decency to tell me directly. At no time was I ever given any indication that I would not be able to continue to do the work I have loved at the network. It is clear that there are some larger issues at play."

Lemon ended his statement with a thank you to his colleagues.

"With that said, I want to thank my colleagues and the many teams I have worked with for an incredible run," he said. "They are the most talented journalists in the business, and I wish them all the best."

Within the hour, CNN's public relations team had released a counter statement, accusing Lemon of misrepresenting the way that things went down.

"Don Lemon's statement about this morning's events is inaccurate," CNN Communications tweeted. "He was offered an opportunity to meet with management but instead released a statement on Twitter."

Related: CNN Pushes Back at Don Lemon for 'Inaccurate' Twitter Statement About the Way He Was Terminated

When asked by ABC24 what’s next, Lemon revealed he’s still figuring it out. 

“I'm not going to force anything. I'm not going to let other people's timeline influence me. I don't have to be in a rush. I think sometimes people rush to make decisions and they end up making the wrong decisions,” he said.

“I'm not worried at all,” Lemon added. “People are concerned about me, and are more worried about me than I am about myself. I'm fine."

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