NEWSDon Lemon Claims He Was 'Harassed' by 'Women and Men' While at CNN: One Person 'Tweaked My Nipples'
Don Lemon opened up about his time at CNN, alleging he faced workplace harassment from colleagues.
Don Lemon opened up about his 17 years at CNN in a new interview.
“I have been harassed by women and men in the workplace. And some things are not even…it’s ridiculous,” the former CNN host told Bill Maher on the "Club Random" podcast.
Lemon admitted that while some workplace incidents are serious, not everything is “Harvey Weinstein-level.”
Don Lemon was an anchor at CNN for 17 years before he was fired in 2023.
The news anchor then shared a shocking story about a “young lady” coworker who once “tweaked” his nipples in the cafeteria before joking, “‘Oh, it’s cold in here!’”
“I said, ‘OK, you realize if I did that they’d be walking me out the door right now?’” he recalled.
Instead of reporting it, Lemon let it slide, saying, “I didn’t care to go to HR. I didn’t say anything because I was just like, ‘It’s a double standard, it’s fine.’”
Lemon, who came out as gay in his 2011 memoir Transparent, also opened up about another workplace encounter from his early days at CNN.
The news anchor starred on CNN from 2014-2023.
“I’ve never told this story as well,” he admitted. “Someone I worked with harassed me, and I never went to management. First of all, I was so new there… it was a woman, and she knew I was gay. And it was bizarre. She was going through a divorce, it was just weird.”
At the time, the former CNN anchor was worried about speaking up.
“I thought, like, OK, they may find a way to get rid of me because if I told this story, I don’t know if they’re going to believe me or not. But then she was so mean to me after that, I was like, ‘I should’ve told the story.’ But yeah, I’ve been harassed by men and women,” Lemon noted.
Don Lemon shared he was 'harassed' by coworkers during his time in CNN.
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When pressed for details, Lemon clarified that the situation didn't happen at the office but at an after-work event.
“There’s a lot of cocktail parties, and remember, this was a while ago and there was not Uber or anything like that, and if you are in Atlanta, taxis aren’t available,” Lemon said. “And so you say, ‘Hey, we’ve had a couple drinks, do you mind if I like’…‘No, no, no, don’t go home, stay in the guest room.’ That sort of thing.”
Lemon was let go from CNN in 2023, just two months after apologizing for controversial on-air comments about Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley.
During a discussion on CNN This Morning about politicians’ ages, Lemon claimed that at 51, Haley was “not in her prime,” adding that a woman is in her prime in her “20s, 30s, and maybe her 40s.”
His comments sparked backlash, leading to a public apology. He admitted his remarks were “inartful and irrelevant” but didn’t address the controversy on air upon his return.
Two months later, CNN fired him without warning.
“After 17 years at CNN, I would have thought someone in management would have the decency to tell me directly,” Lemon said at the time.
Meanwhile, CNN claimed Lemon had a chance to meet with management, but instead chose to issue a statement on Twitter. The network never publicly explained his firing.
In 2024, Lemon reflected on the incident in his book I Once Was Lost and in several interviews. “I didn’t lose my job. My job lost me,” he said on Good Morning America.
The former CNN host revealed a colleague 'tweaked' his 'nipples.'
Despite the harsh comments about Haley, Lemon said he has no regrets over what happened.
“I thought I was standing up for old people and ageism by pointing out something hypocritical that she was doing — the way society has treated women for decades and millennia,” Lemon added. “To have people think that somehow I’m some sexist or misogynist was just very hurtful.”
Still, Lemon remains optimistic.
“You can always reinvent yourself,” he said. “That’s really the beauty of America. As long as you don’t hang on to the past — or whatever mistake you feel you made — there’s always room for reinvention, and there’s always room for reciprocity.”
