Don Lemon
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Source: Allen J. Schaben / Getty / Kanye West
Following his ridiculous Grammys red carpet stunt that saw him show up with his butt-naked wife Bianca Censori, Kanye West took to his favorite soapbox, Instagram, to clap back at claims that he and Censori were shown the door.
West or Ye has been active on his Instagram account, and while promoting some new hot ass mess he calls clothing and teasing new dated music, he addressed the issue of whether he and his mannequin of wife were told to leave the Grammys.
In a now-deleted post featuring a photo of Don Lemon, West wrote in the caption, “This the goofball that started the rumor that me and my wife got kicked out the Grammies 3 decades of innovating music and they always K—S like this.”
Lemon quickly responded, “I saw someone on your team who asked me to correct it because it had been reported everywhere. So first of all, get your s*** straight.”
Lemon also posted a video on his Instagram page reporting that West was not kicked out of the Grammys.
The Aftermath of The Stunt
Reports about the incident vary. The New York Post reported that the police removed West and Censori following the stunt for possibly violating the Grammys dress code. The Daily Mail reported that CBS was worried about backlash from advertisers and sent someone to speak with the Chicago rapper, but it denied involving law enforcement.
TMZ and Variety claim that is not the case. They claim that Ye and Censori were not told to leave, but they walked the red carpet and left.
Page Six also claims the stunt was done to recreate West’s Vultures 1 album cover with a lip reader determining Yeezy instructed his wife to “make a scene.”
The “Jesus Walks” crafter is also on the Gram boasting that he “beat the Grammys” and that his wife is the “most Googled person on the planet.”
Someone should tell him mainly because she was naked, and people on the internet are dangerously horny.
He is also currently going on a bizarre rant on X, formerly Twitter, and sharing some interesting Polaroids featuring himself and his wife. The gallery below shows his posts and more reactions.
1. Bruh… What?
4. Rehearsal
5. No lies detected
7. Dee-1 With some Knowledge
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Source: Paras Griffin / Getty
Last week, former GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy and not-so-genius tech bro Elon Musk, co-chairs of President-elect Donald Trump’s new “Department of Government Efficiency,” both went on social media defending the American tech industry’s consistent hiring of foreign engineers despite the MAGA world’s seething hatred for immigrants taking “American jobs” and the fact that Musk and Ramaswamy backed Trump as he spewed xenophobic, anti-immigrant hate speech on the campaign trail throughout his campaign.
Musk tweeted, “The number of people who are super talented engineers AND super motivated in the USA is far too low” and that “there is a dire shortage of extremely talented and motivated engineers in America,” the so-called greatest country in the world. Ramaswamy co-signed Musk, tweeting: “Our American culture has venerated mediocrity over excellence for way too long (at least since the 90s and likely longer). A culture that celebrates the prom queen over the math olympiad champ, or the jock over the valedictorian, will not produce the best engineers.”
The remarks have sparked somewhat of a civil war in the MAGA world between conservatives who don’t appreciate Americans being characterized as lazy and incompetent (you know, unless those Americans are non-white male “DEI hires”) and Trump supporters who will back team Trump no matter what the president-elect or his loyal affiliates have to say.
Anyway, former CNN host Don Lemon weighed in on the controversy with a message for MAGA Republicans on both sides of the debate:
All of y’all are stupid!
“Now you’re finding out, you dumb f**king idiots,” Lemon said in the latest episode of his YouTube video series, which he launched after Musk canceled his series on X because Lemon made him look like a big, racist idiot during an interview (which only happened because Musk is a big, racist idiot.)
“Now you’re just figuring this sh*t out. You’re so f**king stupid and you deserve it. You f**king deserve it because you’re so dumb. Yes, I am gloating over your stupidity,” Lemon continued. “You have been co-opted, you’re in a f**king cult and you don’t even realize it because you have stupid MAGA brain and you don’t get it. How stupid and dumb are you?”
I mean, Lemon ain’t wrong — but damn, bro, did you have to drag them like that?
Actually, yes, yes he did.
They are, after all, just a bunch of “dumb f**king idiots.”
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Source: Roy Rochlin / Getty / Roy Wood Jr.
CNN’s New Year’s Eve Live with Andy Cohen and Anderson Cooper has become a hit with viewers due to the drunk shenanigans they partake in during the show, but comedian Roy Wood Jr. wanted no part of the action.
The former Daily Show correspondent, now host of Have I Got News For You, appeared on the New Year’s Eve show alongside his co-stars Michael Ian Black and Amber Ruffin and hilariously turned down a tequila drink from Cohen.
“Oh, no!” Wood Jr. told Cohen while Black and Ruffin agreed to the tequila shot offer. “No, I don’t. The last Black man that drank on this network got fired. I’m going to keep it with water for right now. I need some stability.”
Cohen and Cooper ignored Wood Jr.’s hilarious response as the Watch What Happens Live host poured Black and Ruffin shots.
Roy Wood Jr. refused tequila shot on #CNNNYE: “The Last Black Man To Drink On This Network Got Fired” pic.twitter.com/X9DeQG5gPm
— Deadline (@DEADLINE) January 1, 2025
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
We All Knew He Was Referring To Don Lemon
Wood Jr.’s well-timed joke alludes to Don Lemon’s tenure with the news network. During his 17 years with the networks, Lemon became popular for getting drunk while hosting New Year’s Eve coverage. Lemon and CNN parted ways in 2023.
“I was informed this morning by my agent that I have been terminated by CNN. I am stunned. 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 told his followers. “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.”
It sounds like CNN needs to add Roy Wood Jr. to New Year’s Eve Live show permanently.
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Source: Arturo Holmes / Getty
Former CNN host Don Lemon is suing Elon Musk and his social media platform X for a breach of contract after their content partnership deal was nixed by the tech mogul.
According to reports, the former CNN host Don Lemon has officially filed a lawsuit against Elon Musk, the owner of the social media platform X, formerly Twitter. The suit, filed in a San Francisco county court on Thursday (Aug. 1), alleges that Musk committed a breach of contract, negligent misrepresentation, misappropriation of Lemon’s name and likeness, and fraud. It comes five months after his partnership deal with Musk to provide exclusive journalistic content was nixed when Musk backed out of the deal after an interview with Lemon in March via text message. Lemon is seeking an undisclosed amount in damages, claiming he wasn’t paid by Musk.
“This case is straightforward. X executives used Don to prop up their advertising sales pitch, then canceled their partnership and dragged Don’s name through the mud,” said Don Lemon’s attorney Carney R. Shergerian in a statement. The lawsuit alleges that Musk agreed to pay Lemon $1.5 million under the partnership, with $200,000 paid up-front and incentives including bonus payments for reaching performance thresholds and an option to renew the one-year deal twice with the same terms.
However, there was no signed agreement paperwork. In the filing, Lemon stated that he had reservations about entering into the partnership but “Musk represented to Lemon that he would have full authority and control over the work he produced even if disliked by Defendants, and that there would be no need for a formal written agreement or to ‘fill out paperwork.’” After the split, Lemon spoke out about the interview: “Throughout our conversation, I kept reiterating to him that although it was tense at times, I thought it was good for people to see and hear our exchange, and that they would learn from our conversation. … But apparently, free speech absolutism doesn’t apply when it comes to questions about him from people like me.”
Lemon also claims that Musk “tweeted negatively about Lemon repeatedly” after the deal’s cancellation to his more than 192 million followers on X. Musk said in a post in March that Lemon “is welcome to monetize on this platform, just like everyone else. What we aren’t going to do is guarantee minimum payments to him, as he was demanding, which would be going beyond everyone else!”
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Don Lemon is back on the airwaves with a new eponymously named show that was first thought to be an exclusive deal with the X platform and is now streaming everywhere. In a new interview, the veteran broadcaster shared some details of his fallout with CNN, his conversation with X honcho Elon Musk, and more.
Don Lemon exclusively spoke with PEOPLE about the new show, returning to CNN to tell his side of things regarding the Musk conversation, and what he hopes to do with his new show. Hip-Hop Wired has seen the first episode of the revamped The Don Lemon Show, which is currently live on YouTube, and DSPs such as iHeart and Spotify.
From PEOPLE:
PEOPLE: And now you are on a new trail, with a new show.
LEMON: Like I said at the Time 100 gala, “I wanted to do something that scares me.” I’ve had this sort of idea swimming around in my head. I’ve always known that the future was going to be in streaming and it was going to be on these small device. Whether I had left CNN or not, that’s what I was going to lean into. To talk about things that are in the zeitgeist, to put issues out there that may not be handled or at least platformed on traditional broadcast television. I have the opportunity to talk a lot longer without having to rush to get to commercial breaks. I can do real conversations and I don’t have to be concerned about what you say, is it advertiser friendly, does it have to be sanitized? I don’t have to worry about that. I can have real conversations.
Check out the first episode of Don Lemon’s new show below.
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Photo: Getty
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Don Lemon was slated to have a new talk show in partnership with the X platform but after an interview described as tense, those plans are no more. The veteran journalist shared a statement on X stating that the company owned by Elon Musk will not be going forward with the planned show.
Taking to X, formerly Twitter, Don Lemon, 58, shared his side of the interview he held with Musk last Friday that was presumably meant to be the first episode of the show. During the chat, Lemon says that the conversation took some turns and said that it was Musk himself who encouraged him to bring his show to the platform.
“We had a good conversation. Clearly he felt differently,” Lemon said in a portion of his statement. “His commitment to a global town square where all questions can be asked and all ideas can be shared seems not to include questions of him from people like me.”
Lemon added, “There were no restrictions on the interview that he willingly agreed to, and my questions were respectful and wide ranging, covering everything from SpaceX to the presidential election.”
While Musk did comment on X in response to Lemon’s statement, the corporate account for the platform had a more pointed response.
“The Don Lemon Show is welcome to publish its content on X, without censorship, as we believe in providing a platform for creators to scale their work and connect with new communities,” the account shared. “However, like any enterprise, we reserve the right to make decisions about our business partnerships, and after careful consideration, X decided not to enter into a commercial partnership with the show.”
Don Lemon says his new show will air on YouTube starting Monday, March 18, and will also air in full on X.
We’ve also got reactions from X to the happenings below.
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Photo: Gilbert Flores / Getty
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Don Lemon was considered one of the top anchors at CNN but lost favor with the executive side after making a quip about Nikki Haley’s age during a broadcast which led to his ouster. In a new report, CNN paid Don Lemon the remaining balance of his contract with the network in a separation deal, clearing the way for Lemon’s new program on X.
The Wrap obtained exclusive details regarding CNN’s payout to Don Lemon via sources close to the matter. According to the outlet, Lemon, 57, was paid $24.5 million which covers three and a half years of his remaining contract and officially ends his connection to the network.
Back in February 2023, Lemon appeared on CNN This Morning with hosts Caitlin Collins and Poppy Harlow, and a discussion about the age of presidential hopefuls came up. Lemon took shots at Haley, 51, and suggested she “isn’t in her prime” and didn’t clearly state what he meant by that considering that President Joe Biden and GOP frontrunner Donald Trump are considerably older than the former South Carolina governor.
Lemon, who appeared to have every intention to remain with CNN, was reportedly told of his firing via an agent which the broadcaster took issue with. At the time, Chris Licht headed the network but was fired months later after pushing Lemon out of the spotlight.
The latest venture for Lemon is the upcoming The Don Lemon Show which will air exclusively on X, formerly Twitter, and promises to be a bolder take on Lemon’s previous broadcast ventures.
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Photo: Getty
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Source: Dia Dipasupil / Getty
Veteran television host and journalist Don Lemon is poised to return with a new show—this time, on the social media platform X.
In a surprising move, the former CNN anchor announced that he’s coming back with a new show on X, formerly Twitter, according to Variety. Lemon made the announcement in a post on the platform on Tuesday (Jan. 9), writing: “I know now more than ever that we need a place for honest debate and discussion without the hall monitors. This is just the beginning so stay tuned.”
Lemon stated that The Don Lemon Show would be produced by his new media company. In its own post, the business account for X revealed that the show will be exclusively aired first on the platform, and will consist of “30-minute episodes, three times a week, covering politics, culture, sports and entertainment.” According to reports, there were talks between Lemon and X for the past six months leading to him being signed to the deal.
“Don’s new company will take his no-holds-barred approach to storytelling to the next level in this raw and authentic program,” said Oren Rosenbaum, a partner at the agency UTA, which represents Lemon. “Leveraging technology like AI and many decades worth of experience, Don will break news and provoke thoughtful conversation through his direct and unfiltered take on today’s most important stories.”
The former anchor, well known as one of the top personalities at CNN who grew in stature while Jeff Zucker was president of the network from weekend anchor and reporter to hosting a primetime show, parted ways with Warner Bros. Discovery last year. The decision was prompted by Lemon’s statements about Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley’s age while serving as a co-host of the network’s new morning program and clashing with Kaitlan Collins, who was also a host. Lemon joins other notable figures who’ve signed a deal to host programming on X, including conservative personality Tucker Carlson, former Senator Tulsi Gabbard, and CBS Sports talk show host Jim Rome.
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Source: Dimitrios Kambouris / Getty
Rick Ross is bossing up by any means possible. He has offered Don Lemon a spot at one of his many Wingstop locations.
As spotted on TMZ the Miami, Florida talent did not waste any time in going to social media shortly after the news personality announced CNN had given him the boot. “Just found out Don Lemon was terminated from CNN. Damn, dawg,” Rick Ross said. “But guess what? The brother’s got your back. We’re hiring at Winstop, and for some reason, I believe you know what you doing with the lemon-pepper wings, so man, just send over your resume” he continued. “I’m going to make sure I get you in front of the right grill, brother. Stay solid, brother.”
Later on Rozay upped the ante and also included his newest venture into the mix. “Just came up with a wonderful idea — well, really, Don, you helped me come up with this,” he explained. “I need to hit the team over at Rap Star Energy Drink and let ’em know we should introduce the Don Lemon flavor. What y’all think? Aye, Don, we got you brother!”
On Monday, April 24 Lemon confirmed the rumors that the news channel was no longer in need of his services. “I was informed this morning by my agent that I have been terminated by CNN. I am stunned. After 17 years at CNN I would have thought someone in management would have had the decency to tell me directly.”
You can see Rick Ross attempt to recruit Don Lemon below.
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Source: Cindy Ord / Getty
It’s been quite a day in mainstream media. Along with news of Tucker Carlson and FOX News “parting ways,” Don Lemon claims that he got fired by CNN.
On Monday afternoon (April 24), Lemon took to Twitter, of course, to share that he’d been given the boot by the cable news network. “I am stunned,” wrote Lemon. “After 17 years at CNN I would have thought someone in management would have had the decency to tell me directly.”
Damn, cold world.
However, Don probably should have seen the writing on the wall (he was reportedly given a “final warning” a couple of months ago). Besides getting bumped from his nighttime anchor spot to mornings, he found himself mired in several controversies. In February he said Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley, 51, was part her “prime,” which then led to reports that Lemon had been “hostile” toward female employees at CNN for years.
Lemon was for a long time a target of Black Twitter due to his Uncle Tom-like behavior in Ferguson, but lately had been given a modicum of grace thanks to recent more woke stances when it comes to racism in America. No doubt, social media is reacting to his firing. See some of the more poignant takes in the gallery.