On Friday, Don Lemon took aim at his former CNN colleague, Megyn Kelly, accusing her of building her career on his anger. He labeled her a “troll and racist” while discussing her criticisms of corporate media for allegedly protecting President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. This exchange became a notable moment on his podcast, “The Mixed Signal of Semafor Media.” Lemon pointed out that Kelly carved out a lucrative niche by frequently challenging public figures and fostering outrage.
“Conservatives got a strong early presence in the streaming world, and that’s simply how it is. Megyn Kelly is a troll and racist who has profited from this, but that’s not the direction I want to take,” Lemon remarked.
Initially, Lemon dismissed Kelly’s insults but eventually found them hard to ignore. He noted that her persistent jabs motivated him to react, describing her remarks as “rude.”
“For a long time, I chose to ignore her; that was her goal. But eventually, it got to me. After her barrage, I felt compelled to respond,” he shared.
While Lemon expressed a desire to move past the conflict, he felt the need to address her comments. “People send me links to her comments, but I wasn’t about to get down in the mud with her. You lie down with dogs, and you get fleas. I finally called her out for her misogyny, racism, and trolling. I can only imagine she thought, ‘Megyn Kelly just called this guy out; we should cover it.’ Initially, I’m sure that was the case,” he said.
Lemon didn’t just focus on Kelly; he also discussed his former CNN colleague Chris Cuomo. Cuomo claimed their on-screen camaraderie was staged and that Jeff Zucker influenced their dialogue. Lemon rejected Cuomo’s perspective.
“Jeff and I are friends. We talk regularly, several times a week, and I have a great connection with him. I asked him about it, and if you think it through, it just doesn’t add up. Why would he come on my show if he was worried about what he could say?” Lemon explained.
He dismissed Cuomo’s assertion, stating that Cuomo’s influence had no bearing on his show; the segment came entirely from his own initiative. “If the roles were reversed, perhaps it would make sense. But it was up to me to say, ‘Thank you, Chris, goodbye.’ He could leave anytime; I couldn’t control what I said on my show,” Lemon added.
Lemon reiterated that the concept of the handoff was his own idea and not orchestrated by Zucker. Cuomo had indicated that their segments worked because viewers enjoyed the unscripted banter before transitioning to the news.
