For three decades, Don Lemon has asked powerful people questions they would rather avoid. Now, the Black gay journalist is doing that work on his own terms.
After CNN fired him in 2023 following 17 years at the network, Lemon built The Don Lemon Show from scratch. By early 2026, its YouTube channel had surpassed 1.25 million subscribers, anchoring an independent operation with more than 10 million followers across platforms.
Then his reporting became the story. Federal agents arrested Lemon in January, and prosecutors charged him with federal civil rights offenses connected to his coverage of an anti-ICE protest inside a Minnesota church. Lemon remains defiant: “I will not be silenced.”
Earlier this year, The Advocate’s July/August cover star explained why being seen is inseparable from telling the truth. “The powers that be want to erase people who are like me and Tim,” Lemon said of himself and his husband, Tim Malone.
For the Out100, Lemon carries that conviction forward. “Visibility and voice matter more than ever, especially for a Black gay man reporting from the center of the country’s political storms,” he says.
Next, Lemon plans to expand his show and take candid conversation on the road with comedian D.L. Hughley through their DL + DL “Anything Goes” tour. @donlemonofficial
