Former CNN anchor Don Lemon plans new show on X

Don Lemon is the latest news personality to announce a show on X.

The former CNN anchor said Tuesday that he has launched his own media company and is kicking things off with his show, The Don Lemon Show.

“It will be available to everyone, easily, whenever and wherever you want it, streaming on the platform where the conversations are happening,” Lemon — a former NBC10 reporter — wrote in a post where he promised he’d be “bigger, bolder, and freer.”

“Don’s new company will take his no-holds-barred approach to storytelling to the next level in this raw and authentic program,” Oren Rosenbaum, head of audio and a partner at UTA, which represents Lemon, told Variety. “Leveraging technology like AI and many decades worth of experience, Don will break news and provoke thoughtful conversation through his direct and unfiltered take on today’s most important stories.”

The news follows a public impasse in Lemon’s career. The longtime TV personality and news anchor said he was fired by CNN in April after 17 years with the network. His departure followed a bubbling mountain of scrutiny.

Lemon’s on- and off-air tensions with castmates, including coanchor Kaitlan Collins, drew concerns. He was suspended for a short stint following his televised comments about a “women’s prime.” Over the years, Lemon was the subject of several televised gaffes that ranged in severity.

» READ MORE: Don Lemon is off CNN because of his ‘women’s prime’ comments. Here’s what happened.

In June, Lemon spoke with ABC24 Memphis, marking his first public statement since leaving CNN. He played it cool about upcoming projects.

“I’m not gonna force anything. I’m not gonna let other people’s timeline influence me,” he said. “I know people say, ‘I miss you on television. What is your next move?’ I’m figuring that out. I don’t have to be in a rush.”

His move to X comes at a time when the platform — under Elon Musk’s ownership — continues to raise eyebrows. Musk says he and his platform are champions of free speech. But critics say Musk’s proclaimed absolutist views are hypocritical. Surges in hateful content are also driving advertisers away.

Lemon’s move to launch a show on Musk’s platform follows in the footsteps of Tucker Carlson, the former Fox News personality who departed his network the same day Lemon left his.

It’s no secret Lemon has wanted to be more outspoken than cable news could allow for a long time. Before his departure from CNN, Lemon told Variety he wanted his show to be “looser” and “like HBO.”

“I would love to be able to say those things you never say on basic cable,” he said. “I would love to be able to have those conversations the way Bill Maher does.”

Variety reported that Lemon’s new X program is expected to debut in the next few weeks and will cover range from politics and cultural issues to human interest stories.