Donald Davis “Don” Lemon is a renowned American news journalist and television news anchor who rose to prominence after being named as the host of his show ‘CNN Tonight with Don Lemon’ which is a late evening news program, airing every weekday, and focuses on the biggest news stories of the day. Lemon previously served as networks such as WYNW, KTVI and WRBC affiliated to Fox network, WCAU affiliated to NBC network. He also served at NBC and MSNBC but gained recognition nationally after being employed by CNN.
Lemon was felicitated with an Emmy Award for his report on Chicago’s real estate market. He was also honoured with an Edward R. Murrow Award for covering the capture of the sniper in the D.C. Area. Lemon also received several other awards for reports on big news stories like the Epidemic of AIDS in Africa and Hurricane Katrina. In 2009, Lemon featured in Ebony Magazine’s list of the 150 most influential people of African-American ethnicity.
Early Life and Education
Lemon was born on 1 March 1966 in the capital city of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He is the only son of his mother Katherine Clark and boyfriend. He has two siblings; sisters Leisa and Yma Lemon. His parents lived together for many years but did not marry. He has French, Creole, Nigerian, Congolese and Cameroonian ancestry. Lemon described his childhood as “difficult and abusive”, having been a victim of child sexual abuse.
Lemon attended a public high school named Baker High School, Baker city, in the East Baton Rouge Parish from where he graduated. He later enrolled into Brooklyn College in Brooklyn, New York from where he majored in the field of broadcast journalism. He also studied at the Louisiana State University from where he graduated with a degree in journalism.
Career Rise
Lemon started his career in the capacity of a news assistant with the Fox affiliate WNYW in New York City, while he was a college student. He was then employed as a reporter and weekend anchor at WBRC, another Fox affiliate in Birmingham, Alabama, holding the same positions at the NBC affiliate WCAU based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He later served as an investigative reporter and anchor at Fox’s KTVI in St. Louis. As an NBC employee, Lemon served as a reporter for New York City operations at NBC News and also served as a correspondent on ‘NBC Nightly News’ and ‘Today’. He was later named anchor of ‘Weekend Today’ while also serving in the position at MSNBC. He served as a reporter and local news co-host in WMAQ-TV for NBC.
Lemon was hired by CNN in 2006 and served in the capacity of a special correspondent in his early days at the network. He has served as a live reporter on many national significance stories including the Minneapolis bridge collapse, the deaths of Whitney Houston and Michael Jackson as well as the Inaugural ceremony of the 44th U.S. President, Barack Obama, Osama Bin Laden’s death, the Colorado Theater Shooting, Charleston church shooting, the Pulse Nightclub shooting in Orlando etc. He was named as the host of ‘CNN Tonight with Don Lemon’ in 2014 and continues to serve in the position.
Personal Life
Lemon, who came out as gay in his memoir titled ‘Transparent’ is in a relationship with choreographer John Bryne who he has been dating for a few years. As a child, Lemon was a victim of se*ual abuse but did not reveal anything about the incident until he finally told his mother when he turned 30. Lemon later spoke about it during an interview on air in September 2010.
In his memoir, the 1.83 meter tall Lemon speaks about colorism and racial discrimination faced by the black community. A 2015 petition signed by 30,000 people demanded that CNN fire Lemon after he made a controversial remark regarding police behaviour.
Don Lemon – Salary and Net Worth
Lemon draws an annual salary of approximately $128,000 and has an estimated net worth of approximately $3 Million.