What Is Don Lemon Doing Now After He Was Fired From CNN? Get an Update on His Career

After a dramatic departure from CNN, viewers are asking the same question: What is Don Lemon doing now and where is he today after he was fired? Despite his initial “stunned” reaction to his termination, the former Don Lemon Tonight host has been expressing a more positive outlook on the situation. 

Keep reading to learn what Don is up to now after leaving CNN. 

Where Is Don Lemon After CNN Firing? 

While walking the red carpet at New York City’s April 2023 Time 100 gala, the journalist insisted that he’s at peace with CNN. 

“I’m not an angry person, I’m not mad,” he told Page Six, just three days after CNN announced that he was let go. “I’m a very resilient person.” 

When it comes to his plans for the future, Don explained that he doesn’t feel pressured to start hunting for a job anytime soon. 

“I’ve had a very full life with lots of twists and turns,” he added to the outlet. “I come from strong, sturdy stock in Louisiana, and I am lucky enough to be in a position where I don’t have to worry about, you know, not having a place to live or a home or whatever.”

As for how he felt about his dramatic exit from the network, the CNN This Morning alum noted that his “emotions are upward.” 

“There’s a reason that this happened, and then we’ll see what happens in the future, but I’m actually here to celebrate the people from Time 100 and not talk about me and what’s happened to me,” Don concluded. 

In a separate interview with Time that evening, the Brooklyn College graduate revealed that his summer plans only consist of hanging out on the beach with his fiancé, Tim Malone.  

“I’m going to have the summer of a 12-year-old,” he jokingly added. 

What Did Do Lemon Say About CNN Exit? 

On April 24, 2023, Don revealed via Twitter that CNN cut off his employment with them. 

“I was informed this morning by my agent that I have been terminated by CNN. I am stunned,” he tweeted. “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. With that said, I want to thank my colleagues and the many teams I have worked with for an incredible run. They are the most talented journalists in the business, and I wish them all the best.”

However, Don’s former network quickly shut down his claims about the firing. 

“Don Lemon’s statement about this morning’s events is inaccurate,” CNN explained in a statement via Twitter that same day. “He was offered an opportunity to meet with management but instead released a statement on Twitter.” 

Why Did Don Lemon Get Fired From CNN? 

While neither Don nor CNN have explained why he was suddenly let go from the network, former CEO Chris Licht released a statement wishing their former television host the best. 

“Don will forever be a part of the CNN family, and we thank him for his contributions over the past 17 years,” Chris said. “We wish him well and will be cheering him on in his future endeavors.”

The regional Emmy Award winner’s abrupt firing came just two months after he was briefly benched from on air appearances after making comments about former United Nations ambassador Nikki Haley, saying that she “is not in her prime” and that “a woman is considered to be in her prime in her 20s, 30s and maybe her 40s.”

Shortly after he was taken off the air in February 2023, Don apologized to his colleagues in a statement. 

“I’m sorry that I said it,” Don admitted, according to CNN. “And I certainly see why people found it completely misguided. When I make a mistake, I own it. And I own this one as well.”