First Interview Since Exit, Don Lemon for Self-Identifying as ‘The Arbiter of the Truth’: ‘It’s Pretty Laughable’

CNN, saying he doesn't believe in "platforming liars and bigots."

In a sit-down interview with ABC24, a local news affiliate, Lemon reflected on his "responsibility" as a journalist and reacted to criticism he received for pushing back against Republican presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy in a combative on-air interview in April.

"I have a responsibility not only as a journalist but as an American to tell the truth and abide by the promises of the constitution," he said. "Because the constitution says a more perfect union, not a perfect union. I'm not perfect. No one is, but I think in order to fulfill the promise of the constitution, we have to stand up for what is right. We have to stand up for the truth." 

Donald Trump CNN town hall on May 10. Licht and the network were lambasted for hosting Trump, whose repeated lies about the 2020 election, the January 6 insurrection, and more went largely unchallenged by town hall moderator/Lemon’s former co-star Kaitlan Collins. Addressing CNN’s increased platforming of right-wing politicians, Lemon said his ousting from CNN boiled down to a responsibility to “tell the truth.”

“I have a responsibility not only as a journalist, but as an American, to tell the truth and to abide by the promises of the Constitution. Because the Constitution says ‘a more perfect union,’ not ‘a perfect union.’ I’m not a perfect person, no one is.”

“In order to fulfill the promise of the Constitution, we have to stand up for what is right. We have to stand up for the truth,” he added. Without directly referencing Licht, Lemon implied that CNN’s recent news coverage and platform of right-wing ideologies is a “dereliction of journalistic duty.”

He went on to say that he doesn’t know what’s next for him career-wise but is proud to have held true to his personal beliefs. “To know that I am doing the right thing, that I am standing up and abiding by the Constitution, which my profession demands that I do because we are listed in the First Amendment of the Constitution — which is freedom of speech, freedom of expression and freedom of the press,” Lemon said. “I’m just being me and I’m being honest.”

Lemon was fired from his longtime role at CNN on April 24. In a statement shared via Twitter, he claimed that he learned the news through his agent rather than anyone at the network.

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Sarah H

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