Last Updated : October 18, 2022
| Quick Wiki→ | Age (2022): 56 Years Old | Partner: Tim Malone |
| Short Bio | |
| Real/Birth Name: | Don Lemon |
| Profession: | Anchor |
| Active From: | 1996-Present |
| Family and Siblings | |
| Father/Dad: |  Wilmon Lee Richardson (Attorney) |
| Mother/Mom: |  Katherine Clark |
| Grandmother: |  Mame |
| Brother/s: | Has one brother whose name is unknown. |
| Sister/s: |  1. Leisa Lemon and 2. Yma Lemon |
| Personal Life | |
| Date of Birth: | 1st March 1966, Tuesday |
| Age (As in 2022): | 56 Years Old |
| Birth Place: | Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States |
| Nationality: | American |
| Zodiac Sign: | Pisces |
| Home Town: | Baker, Louisiana |
| School: | Baker High School |
| College: | 1. Louisiana State University 2. Brooklyn College |
| Religion: | Christian |
| Ethnicity: | Afro-American |
| Hobbies: | Traveling |
| Relationship Status | |
| Marital Status: | Unmarried |
| Sexuality: | Homosexual |
| Gay/Lesbian: | Gay |
| Spouse: | Not Yet |
| Divorce/Split: | Not Yet |
| Fiancé/Partner: |  Tim Malone (Real Estate Agent) (2019) |
| Engaged Date: | 6th April 2019, Saturday |
| Children/Kids: | Not Yet |
| Physical Stats | |
| Height: | 5 Feet 6 Inches (168 cm) |
| Weight: | 174 lbs. (79 KG) |
| Hair Type: | Short |
| Hair Color: | Black |
| Eye Color: | Black |
| Quotes & Books | |
| Books: | 1. This Is the Fire: What I Say to My Friends About Racism (2021) 2. Transparent (2011) 3. Everybody’s Scrap Book of Curious Facts: A Book for Odd Moments |
| Personal Quotes: | “I think it would be great if everyone could be out. But it’s such a personal choice. People have to do it at their own speed. I respect that.” |
| Awards: | 1. Emmy Award (Three times) 2. Edward R. Murrow Award |
| Nominations: | N/A |
| Income & Assets | |
| Net Worth (As in 2022): | $12 Million |
| Annual Salary: | $4 Million |
| House Worth: | $4.5 Million |
American Journalist Don Lemon is an openly gay anchor who is currently affiliated with CNN. The outspoken journalist has been the center of many controversies during his career.
In an interview with the Times, Lemon linked his controversies regarding the lecture he gave to Afro-American citizens in 2013 with his own childhood.
Lemon Asked Afro-Americans Community To Clean Up Their Act
In 2013, Lemon addressed the Afro-Americans’ Community on-air and proposed a 5 plan solution for racial uplift.
Lemon proposed these solutions while talking about the violence and chaos in the Afro-Americans’ Precincts. He said that if Afro-Americans people really wanted to fix the problems they face, then there were 5 things that they needed to fix.
He counted down from five to one. For solution number five, he asked the community to ‘pull up their pants’. On number four, he listed the N-word and how it must be stopped within the Afro-Americans’ community. Respecting where they live and not littering made up number three while asking the community to finish school was on his number two.
The final, and the most controversial, solution he gave was to stop having kids. He claimed that just because someone could have babies doesn’t mean they should. The journalist referred to this point in unplanned babies and babies who are born to unmarried parents.
He gave the statistics that over 72% of the African American babies were born to unwed mothers, which meant absent fathers. He also pointed out that the lack of absent role models was an ‘express train’ to the prison and how the cycle continued.
Lemon Linked The Controversial Statement With His Childhood
In February 2021, the host of CNN Tonight with Don Lemon gave an interview with the Times regarding his new book, ‘This Is the Fire: What I Say to My Friends About Racism’.
When asked about his statement to stop having children out of wedlock, Lemon clarified that him being someone who was born out of wedlock would have preferred a traditional family. He revealed that his single mother also wished to have a more traditional family.
As per the Guardian, Lemon’s mother was working for his father as a legal secretary while being married to a different man. During that time, his biological father was also married to a different woman. The anchor was only nine years old when he lost his biological dad and his divorced mother remarried. It was then that his mother and he received the traditional family that they always wanted. Tim Malone
In the interview with the Times, Lemon also admitted that he could have phrased the statement regarding being born out of wedlock differently to get his point across properly with no misunderstandings.
“I think the way I said it may not have been, may not have been understood. And perhaps I could have said it differently.”
Racial confirmation of stereotypes, illiteracy, crime, and children growing up in isolation are genuine issues that place contemporary African American communities in the US. While Lemon may not have stated his recommendations as properly as he wished, they are relevant and worth considering.
Other Facts You Need To Know About Don Lemon:
- Don Lemon was born under the surname of his mother’s then-husband and found out when he was five years old that Wilmon was his father.
- When he was nine years old, his father died of diabetes. Her mother, on the other hand, married another man when he was 11 years old. And he expresses his gratitude to his stepfather for parenting him as his own.
- Donald received an Edward R. Murrow Award in 2002 for his coverage of the D.C. sniper. He also received the prize for his Hurricane Katrina reporting.
- He is a dog lover with three dogs of the same breed named Boomer, Barkley, and GusGus.
- Don alleges that he has received several death threats while working for CNN.
- Don Lemon revealed publicly that he was transgender in 2011. In his 2011 book “Transparent,” Lemon said he had known he was gay from a very young age, and he mentioned sexual assault as a youngster once again.
- Don Lemon began dating real estate agent Tim Malone in 2017. In 2019, the couple confirmed their engagement.
- On Don Lemon’s birthday, Tim Malone proposed to him with bowtie-shaped dog tags engraved with “DADDY WILL YOU MARRY PAPA?”
- Don Lemon also hosts a podcast called “Silence is Not an Option,” He discusses injustice and promotes the stories of change-makers who deserve greater recognition.
- He got death threats filled with racist insults in October 2017 and submitted a police report outlining the event.
- Lemon’s sister, L’Tanya “Leisa” Lemon Grimes, died on January 31, 2018, at 58, after an accidental drowning in a pond while fishing.
