Former CNN CEO Christ Licht fired Don Lemon in late April, announcing that Lemon and the host had “parted ways.” Lemon claimed to have been surprised by that and to have received word of it in the announcement rather than personally, saying, “After 17 years at CNN I would have thought someone in management would have the decency to tell me directly.” CNN claimed that that allegation was false.
In any case, Lemon has now gotten his first job since his separation from CNN, and it wasn’t the job selling chicken wings that he was mockingly offered in the wake of his firing. That new job will be hosting the seventh annual June 16th “Native Son” awards show, which is an awards show for gay, black men. Lemon is both.
Don Lemon to host 7th annual Native Son Awards https://t.co/GzQhDN6hHL pic.twitter.com/G2b9a49M3i
— Page Six (@PageSix) June 5, 2023
Emil Wilbekin, the organization’s founder, said that Lemon was chosen in part because he is a gay, black man, saying in a statement, “For this year’s awards, we really wanted to shine a light on those who are using their platforms to bring visibility to all the beautiful ways in which Black, queer men show up in the world.”
Adding to that. Wilbekin told Page Six, “Having Don host this year’s award feels like a full circle moment for Native Son,” as Lemon was honored at the event’s first awards ceremony in 2016. He then again suggested that Lemon was chosen because he is black and gay, saying, “He is one of the most visible Black gay men in media and his presence reinforces the importance and impact of our community.”
Before he was fired, Lemon had a number of scandals that inflamed the liberal press that would otherwise have been supporting him. In one, he screamed at one of his morning show co-hosts for interrupting him until she broke down in tears, leading many to dislike him and think of him as a cruel tyrant in the workplace. In another incident, he described Nikki Haley as past her “prime,” leading to sexism allegations against him. Those incidents occurred after he was demoted from a prime-time show to a morning talk show with two cohosts.
Native Son, the organization for which he will now be hosting the awards ceremony, describes itself as being an organization devoted to empowering gay, black men. On its “about us” page, it says, “There is no other organization globally that supports this community with the emphasis on wellness, empowerment, and amplification. We are Black gay/queer men who are leaders, mavericks, and the best at what we do.”
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It then says, in the “Our Vision” segment of that page, “NATIVE SON embodies a global platform that illuminates Black gay/queer men and assures them of their worthiness and purpose in all communities in which they exist.”
We’ll see how Lemon does in this role, particularly as regards ratings and not imploding if something goes wrong, his two big issues while at CNN. It’s also unclear what Lemon will do after this, as it’s just a one night awards show.