Don Lemon Confronted by New Yorker During On-the-Street Interview

New York, NY — Former CNN anchor Don Lemon faced a hostile encounter during a man-on-the-street interview in Manhattan on Sunday. The incident, which quickly went viral, featured a passerby confronting the 59-year-old journalist with curse words.

Lemon was filming a livestream when he approached the unnamed man. Initially cordial, the interaction took a turn when the man called Lemon a “f**king moron.” An astonished Lemon replied, “Thank you. So are you,” which prompted a tense back-and-forth between the two.

The exchange showcased the man’s critical view of mainstream media, as he expressed feeling inundated by Lemon’s presence. “You just get clipped everywhere,” he stated, before detailing his disillusionment with both CNN and MSNBC. “They lie about genocide. They lie about all wars,” he claimed.

Lemon questioned the man’s assertions, leading to escalating tensions. “Don’t tell me when I can speak,” the man retorted, while wagging his finger at Lemon, accusing the networks of biased reporting.

As the argument continued, another passerby chimed in, labeling Lemon a “racist.” Unfazed, Lemon responded, “Yeah, don’t waste your time with me, I’m a racist,” before trying to engage the second man, who declined to participate.

After the confrontation, the original man walked away, delivering one last insult: “Don – go find a library,” to which Lemon shouted back, “Hey, let me tell you. Go find a life.”

The encounter added to Lemon’s controversial reputation following his termination from CNN in April 2023, which arose after he made contentious comments about women on-air. In retrospective remarks, Lemon acknowledged, “That was fun. I like that,” despite admitting that he should not have engaged in the altercation.

Lemon has since transitioned to YouTube, where he maintains a subscriber count of 815,000.