Sophia Michaels
When life gives you lemons, Don Lemon swears he’s not angry. The journalist, 57, told Page Six exclusively at the TIME 100 gala on Wednesday night that he’s not mad about being unceremoniously ousted from CNN earlier this week. Lemon explained that he is a very resilient person, coming from strong, sturdy stock in Louisiana and is lucky enough to be in a position where he doesn’t have to worry. He attended the starry gala with his fiancé, Tim Malone, and paid tribute to him.
Lemon is optimistic about his uncertain future and is looking forward to his next career move. He tweeted a missive announcing his axing and said that he was “stunned” by his abrupt dismissal. He thanked his colleagues and teams for their hard work and said that he was never given any indication that he wouldn’t be able to continue to do the work he loves.
CNN Communications released a statement via Twitter claiming Lemon’s story was “inaccurate”, but Lemon declined to comment on the discrepancy. Earlier this year, Lemon was mired in a sexism scandal when he claimed on-air that presidential candidate Nikki Haley “isn’t in her prime” as a 51-year-old woman. He went on temporary leave and apologized to co-hosts Poppy Harlow and Kaitlan Collins on an internal call. He later delivered a public apology and tweeted “I’m sorry, I don’t mean to hurt anyone. I’ve heard you, I’m learning from you, and I’m committed to doing better. See you soon.”
Other celebs at the gala included Austin Butler, Kim Kardashian, Drew Barrymore, Natasha Lyonne, Salma Hayek, Doja Cat, Lea Michele and Jennifer Coolidge.
