Don Lemon Went on Antidepressants After CNN Firing: ‘Helped Get Me Through’

Don Lemon is opening up about his mental health.

The former CNN news anchor, 58, revealed during the Thursday, March 21, episode of the Tamron Hall Show that he had to go on antidepressants after being fired from the network in April last year.

“I have suffered from depression. I take an antidepressant now, so I'm very transparent about that," Lemon told host Tamron Hall. "It helped me get through the summer after losing [my] job [and] being fired."

The journalist also revealed he does multiple forms of therapy to help his mental health and overall wellbeing.

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"I do talk therapy now, but my doctor has also done guided therapy with me on drugs," he continued. "I don't know if it's ever been ketamine, but he says, 'You should try other things than SSRI.' Also, I don't know if you've done it, it has helped people with PTSD when you use those drugs, but you have to do it under a doctor's care."

According to Healthline, psychedelic therapy "is a type of psychiatric practice that involves ingesting a psychedelic substance as part of a psychotherapeutic process" and is "typically combined with talk therapy." Some of the substances are "derived from plants, like psilocybin (magic mushrooms), DMT, peyote, ayahuasca, and ibogaine, while others — including ketamine, MDMA and LSD — are chemical compounds."

It is unclear which substances Lemon has used under his doctor's care.

Lemon was fired from CNN in April 2023 after 17 years. He joined the network in 2006 and hosted Don Lemon Tonight for more than eight years, and anchored CNN This Morning with Poppy Harlow and Kaitlan Collins.

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"Don will forever be a part of the CNN family, and we thank him for his contributions over the past 17 years,” CNN CEO Chris Licht told staff in a memo at the time. “We wish him well and will be cheering him on in his future endeavors.”

In response, Lemon said in a statement on X (formerly Twitter), "I am stunned. 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."

CNN then rebutted his statement in another statement of their own.

"He was offered an opportunity to meet with management but instead released a statement on Twitter,” the network said at the time.