Earlier this week, former CNN host Don Lemon returned to the network for the first time since his April 2023 exit. In an interview with Dan Abrams, he quashed any idea that he could return to the cable network.
While promoting his book on Dan Abrams Live, Lemon was asked by the NewsNation host if his appearance on Erin Burnett OutFront earlier this week was the first step in a return to CNN. He put any idea that he could return to rest quickly.
“No, I don’t think that’s going to happen. I mean…Would I want to go back there? I’m very happy with what I’m doing,” he said. “I’m very happy with The Don Lemon Show on YouTube, on iHeart, on Spotify, on Apple, anywhere you get your streaming content. I’m very happy about that. I’m very happy about, especially about the social stuff that I’m doing that’s really catching fire and that people are really engaging with and loving. So I’m happy about that. I never say never, but I do not believe that it’s in the cards for me to go back to CNN.”
“I was back there the other night and I have to tell you that the reception that I got at CNN was great, and the reception from viewers as well was overwhelming. And I think people even wrote about it, and people were happy to see me back. They said it just felt like home, and it did.”
Lemon had praise for his former CNN colleagues when asked about the cable news ecosystem.
“I think the folks over at CNN, the journalists at CNN, are the best in the business of all the networks,” Don Lemon said. “I think that they’re the best. I wish them the best, and I love all of those guys. They’re my former colleagues, and I do love them.”
