What Don Lemon Said About Chris Cuomo? Are They Friends?
Ava Arnold
Updated on March 29, 2026
Don Lemon, a journalist for television, used to host weekend newscasts on regional television stations in Pennsylvania and Alabama.
Before joining CNN as a correspondent in 2006, he first worked as a news correspondent for NBC on programmes like Today and NBC Nightly News.
In a similar vein, Chris Cuomo is a journalist and the current host of the weeknight news analysis programme Cuomo Prime Time on CNN. Chris served as ABC News’ chief law and justice correspondent, co-anchor of ABC’s 20/20, and Good Morning America’s news anchor from 2006 until 2009.
After what he did, what did Don Lemon say about Chris Cuomo?
The friendship between Chris Cuomo and Don Lemon seems to be over.
Just before beginning a programme regarding charges of sexual harassment against Cuomo’s older brother, Don indicated to Chris in August that he loved him. Chris grinned back, “I adore you, D. Lemon.”
Chris especially referred to actor Jussie Smollett’s testimony in November 2021, in which Jussie said that Don personally warned him that Chicago police would not take his fabricated claims of a hate crime seriously.
According to Chris’ team, Don’s discussion with the troubled actor constituted a “flagrant violation of journalistic standards.”
Even while Don hasn’t publicly addressed his friend Chris’ termination, he struck the first blow last month when he argued in a staff meeting that Chris shouldn’t receive any severance pay in response to Zucker’s dismissal.
Are Don Lemon and Chris Cuomo still friends?
Yes, Chris Cuomo and Don Lemon worked together at CNN as coworkers and personal friends, but they eventually fell out of favour. Chris was let go for helping his brother with charges of sexual harassment, which Don never addressed.
Fresherslive claims that Cuomo “expected Lemon to defend him.” To speak up or to provide his support, but Lemon has remained silent. Lemon is worried that if the encouraging texts and emails he sent Cuomo before hearing of his firing were made public, he would be made to deal with Cuomo’s mess.
They’re both furious with one another. Cuomo, on the other hand, disclosed that Lemon had also helped him. However, all of CNN’s executives were just interested in punishing Chris.
Chris and Don stopped communicating with one another at this point as they started to grow apart.
An update on the friendship and relationship between Don Lemon and Chris Cuomo
Two of the top CNN anchors in the city are Don Lemon and Chris Cuomo. Many people were motivated to achieve great things by their relationship. Don and Chris shared a special connection, and their relationship was unmatched.
They even made the decision to debut The Handoff, their podcast. But after CNN dismissed Cuomo, everything broke down. It was due to the fact that he had been discovered to be supporting his brother, former governor Andrew Cuomo, in a sexual harassment case.
Chris lost his job as a result of breaking a business rule. He claimed that it wasn’t just him; everyone else had never received a warning in a similar circumstance before.
He asks for $125 million in damages to pay the balance of his contract income and potential earnings. Cuomo claimed that Lemon never faced repercussions for informing Jussie Smollett that the police wouldn’t take his racial and homophobic attack seriously.
Don and Chris’ friendship came to an end as a result because they were never there for one another throughout this time.