'I Could Have Roasted You': Don Lemon Hits Back at Kanye West's Accusations He Started a Rumor He Was 'Kicked Out' of the Grammys

Don Lemon is setting the record straight after Kanye West accused him of starting rumors about him and wife Bianca Censori getting kicked out of the 2025 Grammy Awards due to her nearly nude red carpet look.

On the Monday, February 3, installment of his YouTube show, the former CNN host explained he was at the Grammys to cover the pre-show festivities when he saw West and his wife arrive.

Lemon said he wanted to be "respectful" and avoid discussing things that were "provocative" due to the tragic wildfires that recently ravaged the L.A. area, so he decided to ask the "Flashing Lights" rapper about music-related topics only.

On the show, he played clips of him asking West about the name of his upcoming album and about other artists he'd like to collaborate with in the near future.

After the second question, West told him he was "trying to focus" and his manager said he wouldn't be doing more interviews.

"I get into the Grammys and everyone is saying, 'Oh my gosh, did you see what happened with Kanye and did you see his girlfriend or wife or whatever? ... She was naked,'" Lemon recalled, clarifying they were not officials who were saying this, just people in attendance at the show.

The journalist stated he was also hearing gossip they'd been escorted out and had not been invited to the event in the first place. He even saw several outlets reporting that information, so he made a social media post about the rumors. He did not verify they were correct, only that he'd heard people talking about it.

After the show, he ran into members of West's team who told him the rapper had been invited and he had not been kicked out, leading Lemon to make another Instagram update to shut down the rumors.

However, the next day, the 47-year-old wrote a scathing post about Lemon on social media.

"This the goofball that started the rumor that me and my wife got kicked out the Grammies [sic]," West penned alongside a picture of Lemon. "3 decades of innovating music and they always k---- like this."

Lemon appeared baffled that West would call him the offensive name despite the mildness of their interactions, especially considering West's past antisemitic comments and his recent inflammatory post in which he claimed he used to want to to "f---" former Vice President Kamala Harris until she lost to Donald Trump.

"Kanye, I could have roasted you on the red carpet. Like really come at you hard. No barriers," he said. "I could have asked you anything. I could have asked you why are you an antisemite? Why are you sexist? What would make you think that Kamala Harris would come near you with a 10-foot pole? What would make you put that out into the universe? I didn't even discuss the odd things that you and your wife are doing and that people are actually really concerned for your wife."

"I did not start a rumor about you and your wife getting kicked out of the Grammys. I actually corrected it," he continued. "I don't appreciate you calling me a c---. You can talk to people any way you want ... but don't come for me unless I sent for you. Now check that. Don't even try it."