Don Lemon discusses life after CNN In his first one-on-one interview since leaving CNN.

 Former CNN anchor Don Lemon addresses the responsibilities he feels journalists have and his life away from the anchor's desk where he sat for 17 years in an ABC24 exclusive.

Many people have been wondering what former CNN anchor Don Lemon has been doing to since leaving the cable news network.

Lemon has a devoted following in the Mid-South that spans decades, as many people informed him on his recent visit to the Bluff City.

Whether you like his "straight no chaser" delivery or not, Lemon has stated that he has no plans to change or look back. In an exclusive interview with ABC24, he stated: 

Don Lemon discusses life after CNN In his first one-on-one interview since leaving CNN.

Lemon was one of several journalists that arrived to Memphis in the aftermath of Tyre Nichols' terrible death, as headlines updated the entire globe on information involving now-former Memphis police officers.

Don Lemon was the first to interview Tyre's mother Rowvaugn Wells, forming an emotional relationship with the bereaved parent.

Lemon recently returned to the Bluff City to speak to the Memphis NAACP branch during their annual "Freedom Fund" banquet, thanks to that link and others.

Lemon, a son of southern Americans born at the end of the Civil Rights period, was moved by Nichols' story.

"That made me curious about life; about how things ran, what's behind things and about America," Lemon said. "That's how I ended up becoming a journalist — just by being curious and asking questions." 

Lemon's not talked publicly about his departure from CNN since the infamous tweets that lead to his firing.

Lemon's  Tweet

Recent social media posts indicate his bewilderment at how things transpired. The journalism veteran has since put everything into perspective, and the question isn't so much whether he was fired as it is how he claims a fire was kindled in him.

He stated that it all boils down to honesty and accountability.

"I have a responsibility as an American — not only as a journalist — to tell the truth and abide by the promises of the constitution," he said. "Because the constitution says a more perfect union — not a perfect union. I'm not perfect. No one is, but I think to fulfill the promise of the constitution, we have to stand up for what is right. We have to stand up for the truth."

Chris Licht, the network's top executive, was removed a few weeks after Lemon. Some opponents see Lemon's firing as simply one of the then-CEO and chairman's numerous blunders that led to the network's collapse.

Licht's objective is to bring news coverage back to the forefront. Some say that it raises further doubts about Lemon's firing.

"I don't believe in putting liars and bigots, insurrectionists and election deniers on the same platform as people who are telling the truth, fighting for what's right, and abiding by the constitution," Lemon added. "I think that would be a dereliction of journalistic duty to do those sorts of things." 

Chris Licht, the network's top executive, was removed a few weeks after Lemon. Some opponents see Lemon's firing as simply one of the then-CEO and chairman's numerous blunders that led to the network's collapse.

Licht's mission — to pull news coverage back to center. Some argue it is cause for more questions surrounding Lemon's dismissal.

"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." 

Being true to himself is what lemon says allows him to sleep at night..

"That is what has gotten me to this point, and those are the sorts of things that are going to carry me forward," he said. "To know that I am standing up and abiding by the Constitution, which my profession demands that I do because we are listing in the First Amendment of the Constitution, which is freedom of speech, freedom of expression and freedom of the press."

As for what lies ahead for Lemon, he said he's a man of faith.

"I'm not going to force anything," he said. I'm not going to let other people's timeline influence me. I know people say, 'I miss you on television. What is your next move?' I'm figuring that out. I don't have to be in a rush. I think people rush and they end up making the wrong the decisions. They rush into a relationship, and they end up marrying the wrong person. They rush into a job, and end up in the wrong house; wrong car. I'm not rushing into anything."

Lemon, who published memoirs "Transparent" in 2011 and "This is the Fire" in 2021, said he'll spend the next several months enjoying time with his fiance', real estate agent Tim Malone as well as their dogs, leaning into life.

"I'm not worried about it at all," Lemon said. "People are more worried about me than I am about myself. I am fine. I have somebody looking out for me."

Lemon may no longer be behind CNN's anchor desk, but he is still a journalist dedicated to civil rights and justice for the people.

As he sat in Memphis, he thought on the significance of the city, as well as the accomplishments and sacrifices of Martin Luther King Jr., Ida B. Wells, and, yes, Tyre Nichols, in the battle for truth and justice.  

"If we don't honor them by standing up and doing the right thing by not letting [others] legislate us out of our rights and out of existence, then how are we honoring them?" he asked.

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About Don Lemon ? 

Don Lemon (born March 1, 1966) is an American television journalist who served as a CNN presenter from 2014 until 2023. During his early career as a journalist, he hosted weekend news programmes on small television stations in Alabama and Pennsylvania. Lemon served as a news journalist for NBC on shows like Today and NBC Nightly News. Lemon also received an Edward R. Murrow Award in 2002 for his coverage of the capture of the snipers in Washington, D.C. He also won three regional Emmys for his special report on Chicago real estate and a business story on Craigslist.

He joined CNN as a journalist in 2006 and rose to notoriety as the host of Don Lemon Tonight from 2014 to 2022. He most recently co-hosted CNN This Morning with Kaitlan Collins and Poppy Harlow. He was sacked from CNN in April 2023 after many on-air scandals and accusations of decades-long alleged incidences of sexism and misogyny.

                           All About Don Lemon ? 

Regional reporter :

Lemon worked as a weekend news anchor for WBRC in Birmingham, Alabama, and WCAU in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, early in his career. He worked as an anchor and investigative reporter for Fox station KTVI in St. Louis, Missouri, and Fox's Chicago affiliate for numerous years.Lemon worked for NBC News in New York City, serving as a correspondent for both Today and NBC Nightly News, as well as an anchor of Weekend Today and MSNBC programmes. He began working as a reporter and local news co-anchor at NBC-owned and operated station WMAQ-TV in Chicago in 2003.While at WMAQ, he earned three Emmys for local reporting.

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