Don Lemon Claims Pal Matt Lauer Could Make a Comeback After Sexual Misconduct Allegations: 'Women Love Him'
Don Lemon is defending pal Matt Lauer following his 2017 firing from Today.
On the Wednesday, January 22, episode of the “Hollywood Raw Podcast With Dax Holt and Adam Glyn,” the former CNN host — who was forced out of the network due to decades-long instances of misogyny — claimed the newscaster, 67, could return to showbiz despite his sexual misconduct allegations.
“I think that if he could come back to digital, he can set his own course,” Lemon, 58, said, suggesting he start a podcast. “But I only got to know Matt after, you know, the whole situation happened.”
The journalist claimed every time he's out with Lauer, they get a positive reception from fans regardless of his alleged wrongdoings.
“Whenever I see Matt out and about or, you know, even with us, if we go out to dinner, my husband [Tim Malone] go out to dinner with him and his fiancée and people love him. Women love him. They’re like, ‘Man, oh my God, can I get a picture? I love you. I miss you on television.’ Right? And so, I think the public loves him. The public misses him, but it’s just the… it’s the people inside the business who are afraid,” Lemon stated of his friend, who was present at his April 2024 wedding.
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Lemon noted it's the networks and executives who are holding Lauer back from the spotlight.
“Maybe there is a way that he’ll come back, but I think it’s more of the people who are inside of the business who are concerned about, you know, what happened with Matt,” he explained. “I think the public… I’ll put it this way. I think the general public would accept — just me — would accept Matt back. And I think people would watch him and I think the ratings would be great.”
Lemon’s remarks came after whispers of Lauer’s return floated around in April 2024, as at the time, a source told Us Weekly the anchor was “planning a comeback.”
“He’s started to talk to people,” the insider spilled. “He’s planning his next act, still very upset with how he was portrayed, and still feels like he was the victim.”
Meanwhile, Lemon already made his comeback after his firing from CNN in 2023, as the Louisiana native now hosts “The Don Lemon Show,” which streams on Spotify and Apple Music and can also be watched on YouTube and X, formerly known as Twitter.