Don Lemon debuts new CNN show with tweaked title: ‘Don Lemon Tonight’
The tweaked title could make all the difference.
CNN anchor Don Lemon’s announcement that it was his last time hosting “CNN Tonight with Don Lemon” on Friday threw the internet into a panic.
Don Lemon ‘set the internet on fire’ over name change to show
But over the weekend he assured the public that he wasn’t leaving the network – just the title is. The new show, at the same time and hosted by the same person – him – debuted Monday, and it’s called “Don Lemon Tonight.”
In other words, he gets top billing. Monday was the first edition, and the veteran newsman gave a look into what he plans to do with that title change.
The new title signaled “a renewed commitment to continue doing what we do, which is to hold people accountable and speak truth to power,” Lemon said. But he added that it doesn’t involve so-called “cancel culture.”
“We may have a new name but we have an even stronger mission, to have the kind of conversations that America needs if we’re going to move ahead as a country,” Lemon said by way of introduction.
He emphasized that the goal was not to be provocative but to “move the country forward and the dialogue forward.”
He called for an end to delving into people’s pasts for errant tweets and social media posts and then using that as evidence to “cancel” them. At the same time, we “can’t just sweep the lies under the rug,” he said.
“We’re going to hold people accountable for their words and their actions, but with grace,” Lemon said. “That’s really important to me. Redemption with accountability.”
Speaking truth to power is high on the agenda, and he wasted no time in delving into the “clown show” that is the election audit happening in Arizona.
“We’re going to keep calling out the lies,” Lemon said, highlighting all the Republicans with integrity who are saying enough is enough. “That is our mission on this show. And you can depend on it.”
Hints had been rampant that such a switch would be imminent, given that “the anchor’s personality and emotional reactions to news events have become a bigger draw,” as Variety put it. Lemon hinted at his ambitions for the show’s format and content as far back as 2016, Variety reported.
Lemon first started the 10 p.m., two-hour news slot in April 2014, and since then has introduced more and more of his personal perspective into the show. “CNN Tonight” was the most-watched 10 p.m. program among viewers aged 25 to 54, Variety said, and had 1.89 million average viewers overall throughout the quarter.
The new iteration did not start without a little bit of fun, as Chris Cuomo handed the reins over in their nightly ritual. But this time there was teasing, as Cuomo wrapped up “Cuomo Prime Time” by teasing his colleague for freaking out the internet in making what should have been a simple announcement.
“It was supposed to be a little tease,” Lemon said in his defense, laughing. “I said tune in on Monday.”
