Don Lemon says women at CNN sexually harassed him, including one who touched his nipples

Fired CNN anchor Don Lemon alleged that female colleagues sexually harassed him, including one who groped him by touching his nipples while exclaiming, “Oh, it’s cold in here!” 

Lemon, who was fired in 2023 after working for 17 years at CNN, made the claim during an appearance on Bill Maher’s “Club Random” podcast on Monday, March 17. 

During the two-hour conversation, Lemon claimed there were uncomfortable encounters involving both male and female colleagues.
“I’ve been harassed by women and men at work,” Lemon told Maher. 

“There are some things that are really egregious, but not everything is Harvey Weinstein-level,” he added, referring to the movie mogul who was sentenced to more than 30 years in prison after being convicted for numerous sexual assaults. 

Lemon pointed to an interaction with one female CNN co-worker who approached him in the cafeteria of CNN’s Atlanta headquarters and pinched his nipples, joking, “Oh, it’s cold in here!” 

The stunned anchor said he told her: “OK, you realize if I did that, they’d be walking me out the door right now?” 

Despite feeling uncomfortable, Lemon said he decided not to report the incident to human resources, attributing his silence to a perceived double standard. 

Lemon alleged that a second female colleague behaved inappropriately towards him during an off-site encounter. 

“She knew I was gay, and it was just bizarre. She was going through a divorce. It was just weird,” Lemon said. 

He expressed hesitation about reporting the colleague as he feared that given her professional stature, he would not be believed. 

Lemon said he also feared that reporting the incident would jeopardize his own position within the network. 

He did not name the alleged harasser. 

Pressed by Maher for more details, Lemon clarified that the incident also took place in Atlanta after a professional event. 

He recalled how limited transportation options at the time left him stranded, resulting in the woman insisting he stay at her residence. 

“‘No, don’t go home. Stay in the guest room,’” Lemon recounted her urging him, adding that she later became notably hostile toward him. 

Reflecting further, Lemon shared his perspective on gender dynamics and harassment, suggesting that as a man, he felt empowered to say no without fearing significant repercussions. 

“I think it’s flattering as long as you can send them off easily. As a man, I could say, ‘No, I’m not interested’,” he told Maher. 

Lemon also told Maher that he had been molested during his childhood. He then drew a nexus between the traumatic experience to the alleged instances of harassment while at CNN. 

“Because you know how to deal with it, and you know what’s really important or not. And you know, like, who has the power,” Lemon said. 

Lemon said that he would rather handle situations directly rather than escalating them through formal complaints to human resources. 

“I figure as a man, I have the power to say, ‘I don’t want to.’ I don’t need to go to HR or ruin your career. I just tell you, ‘I’m not interested in this. You were drunk. We had a couple of drinks or whatever. Let’s let it go’,” Lemon said.