Don Lemon is giving his first one-on-one interview following his ousting from 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.”
When asked about his controversial Ramaswamy interview, Lemon shared what he sees are the limits of who journalists should and should not platform.
“I don’t believe in platforming liars and bigots and insurrectionists and election deniers and putting them on the same footing as people who are telling the truth, people who are fighting for what’s right, people who are abiding by the constitution,” he said. “That would be a dereliction of journalistic duty.”
As far as what the future of his career holds, Lemon said he’s “not going to force anything” and that he’s enjoying life with his fiancé, real estate broker Tim Malone.
“I’m not going to let other people’s timeline influence me,” he said. “I know people say, ‘I miss you on television. What is your next move?’ I’m figuring that out. I don’t have to be in a rush. I think sometimes people rush to make decisions and they end up making the wrong decisions.”
‘I am stunned’:Don Lemon fired by CNN, network disputes details
In April, Lemon announced he’d been fired from “CNN This Morning,” which he co-anchored with Kaitlan Collins and Poppy Harlow for about six months.
“I was informed this morning by my agent that I have been terminated by CNN. I am stunned,” he said in a statement on Twitter at the time.
CNN CEO Chris Licht said in a statement that the network wishes him well and will cheer him on as he pursues future endeavors, echoing what he wrote in an email to CNN staffers obtained by USA TODAY.
“To my CNN Colleagues, CNN and Don have parted ways. Don will forever be a part of the CNN family, and we thank him for his contributions over the past 17 years,” Licht said.
CNN’s move to part with Lemon broke shortly after news of Tucker Carlson’s departure from Fox News.
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Contributing: Morgan Hines
