Don Lemon Recalls Time He Was Sexually Harassed By CNN Women

Two years after being fired from CNN, former anchor Don Lemon is ready to discuss the hardships he faced.

Lemon recently sat down with Bill Maher on his Club Random podcast and claimed that while on the network, he was the victim of sexual harassment by men and women.

“It’s ridiculous. There are some things that are really egregious, but not everything is Harvey Weinstein-level,” he begins, referencing the film producer turned convicted sex offender around the 14-minute mark. 

The 59-year-old then recalls an awkward moment he experienced with a female staffer when he was grabbing a meal at CNN’s Atlanta headquarters.

“This young lady tweaked my nipples and said, ‘Oh, it’s cold in here.’ I said, ‘Okay , you realize that if I did that, they’d be walking me out the door right now?’” he said.

He explains that he decided not to file a complaint with the company’s Human Resources department because he considers it a “double standard.”

Lemon then launches into another story he’s neglected to ever tell anyone, revealing that it happened when he was still new at CNN and it was “a woman, and she knew I was gay. And it was bizarre.”

“She was going through a divorce, it was just weird. And I never went to management. First of all, I thought, like, ‘Okay you 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,'” he continued. “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.”

After Maher presses him, he explains that it wasn’t a “twirl for me” moment in the office, but instead alludes to a cocktail afterparty when he was staying at the female coworkers house. It occurred before Uber was available so after a few drinks she told he could sleep in the guest room.

Lemon began working at CNN in 2006 until ultimately getting fired in 2023 and receiving a $24.5 settlement to settle his separation deal.