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Speaker 1: I also do think that a lot of the criticism

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Speaker 1: of me from certain people are based in homophobia, and

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Speaker 1: a lot of criticism for me from others that that

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Speaker 1: criticism is based in racism. And I'm a big boy.

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Speaker 1: And the reason why I am where I am now

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Speaker 1: is because I do that, and I keep it pushing,

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Speaker 1: and I keep it real and I keep it moving.

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Speaker 1: But I am always looking out for the underserved. I'm

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Speaker 1: always looking out for women. I'm always looking out for

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Speaker 1: black folks. Because if I don't do that, then why

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Speaker 1: why the hell am I? That was Don Lemon talking

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Speaker 1: about arguably some of the toughest times that he had

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Speaker 1: on air at CNN. He is on today's version of Naked.

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Speaker 1: Thank you for joining us. It's the greatest and they

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Speaker 1: do and so on today's show we have uh journalist

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Speaker 1: friend of the show. Now I I say he's a

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Speaker 1: friend of the show, Don Lemon. For those of you

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Speaker 1: who have been sleeping under a rock and may not

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Speaker 1: know who he is. He has been the face of

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Speaker 1: news for over a decade, primetime news at CNN for

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Speaker 1: a very long time, and I feel as if Don

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Speaker 1: has covered some of the most important stories that have

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Speaker 1: shifted our culture, more specifically in the black community, but

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Speaker 1: also in the world. As we experienced four years of

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Speaker 1: that president called Donald Trump. I think that was the

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Speaker 1: first time that we were able to see a sitting

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Speaker 1: president actively go after media members. Uh. He went after

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Speaker 1: Jamal Hill, he went after Megan Kelly for different reasons,

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Speaker 1: and he actively and still goes after Don Lemon. Like

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Speaker 1: in fact, the former president is suing CNN because he

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Speaker 1: feels as if they were the reasons why he was

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Speaker 1: treated so poorly. Like you, it's freedom of speech. By

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Speaker 1: the way, I'm here, here's the journalist coming out in me.

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Speaker 1: Freedom of speech that is that is something that we

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Speaker 1: are all entitled to, which is why it's hard to

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Speaker 1: legislate if you will social media. You can't go to Twitter,

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Speaker 1: to soccer mom to five seven and say hey, you

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Speaker 1: can't tweet I hate carry. Sure you can, and it's

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Speaker 1: freedom of speech. That's just where we are right now

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Speaker 1: in the world. UM, in terms of everyone has an

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Speaker 1: opinion and they feel like it should be known and

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Speaker 1: they can tell you directly how they feel about you

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Speaker 1: in real time. And what I have witnessed, um and

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Speaker 1: how in which Don Lemon has been treated makes me

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Speaker 1: sick Um. Early on it was because people, as he

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Speaker 1: will talk about in this podcast, felt like he wasn't

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Speaker 1: black enough and felt like he really wasn't there for us. Um.

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Speaker 1: It's interesting because when you are black and you have

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Speaker 1: a platform, you have a responsibility. Whether you realize it

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Speaker 1: or not, you just do. You may not even want

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Speaker 1: the responsibility. Some people don't really want to embrace the responsibility,

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Speaker 1: and the culture will let you know if you're not

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Speaker 1: embracing the responsibility. But Don has and he has dealt

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Speaker 1: with so much hatred. He talks about death threats he

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Speaker 1: received while the president was in office, that Donald Trump

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Speaker 1: was in office. The death threats were disgusting. He said

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Speaker 1: he would walk down the street and people will yell

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Speaker 1: hey Ffford to him. And he said a lot of

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Speaker 1: the hatred he receives is probably rooted in homophobia. Yes,

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Speaker 1: because he is openly gay, but also because he's a

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Speaker 1: black man in America. I mean imagine dealing with both

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Speaker 1: of those. What some would say would be a stigma

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Speaker 1: that really prevents you from being your full self. Well,

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Speaker 1: it doesn't prevent Don from being his full self. He's

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Speaker 1: on the podcast today talking about what he went through,

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Speaker 1: how he got here, but talk a little bit about

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Speaker 1: his skincare off the top, because I'm obsessed with good skin.

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Speaker 1: But nevertheless, I need you guys to embrace, welcome and

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Speaker 1: support Don Don Lemon joining us un naked. I am

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Speaker 1: very excited about this guest because one I've admired him

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Speaker 1: for years. I'm going to tell him about several interactions

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Speaker 1: I'm sure in which he forgot until most recently that

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Speaker 1: we've had where I stalked him. And then I want

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Speaker 1: to talk about, um, just your place in culture and

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Speaker 1: and and while you probably don't want to hear compliments,

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Speaker 1: like most folks on air, we don't receive our compliments well,

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Speaker 1: but this should should be truth and you deserve all compliments.

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Speaker 1: So welcome the naked Don. Thank you, Carrie. You know

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Speaker 1: I love you and I'm I've I've always rooted for

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Speaker 1: your success because I love you, but also mainly because

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Speaker 1: you are so talented. You're one of the most talented

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Speaker 1: broadcasters I know. And um, and you receive it right.

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Speaker 1: I know you said we hate it's hard. It's hard,

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Speaker 1: but I'm taking it. I'm like, give it to me.

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Speaker 1: And I have you. You know, I had you on

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Speaker 1: my show at night as much as possible. On the

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Speaker 1: my short lived show on CNN Plus I had. You

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Speaker 1: were part of the first test of that show, so

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Speaker 1: my love and respect for you go our endless. I

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Speaker 1: think it's interesting. I received that. It's hard for me

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Speaker 1: to to receive compliment, so then I just get really

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Speaker 1: silly about it. But thank you. UM here's what I'm

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Speaker 1: gonna tell you that I think is really interesting. Both

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Speaker 1: of us are always run anyway, and you text me

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Speaker 1: prior to the podcast like I'm a few minutes later.

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Speaker 1: I just have rehearsals. You have a new show coming out. Congratulations. UM,

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Speaker 1: I too was late when you were texting me. I

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Speaker 1: was putting my hair on. My hair wasn't glued on fully,

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Speaker 1: and I was like, thinking, minute again, you were not.

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Speaker 1: Wait hold on, I'm still doing the interview. Hold on,

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Speaker 1: I will just because you can still hear me. People

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Speaker 1: think like, um, and you're talking about your hair, that

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Speaker 1: I glue my hair on, or that I sprinkle it on,

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Speaker 1: or that I color it, and none of which is true.

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Speaker 1: So this is my hair for everyone who watches. It's

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Speaker 1: not ask as it used to be. But I don't sprinkle.

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Speaker 1: I don't every once in a while, use like a

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Speaker 1: topic tip for the shine, but not for volume. This

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Speaker 1: is my hair and I do not call her, so

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Speaker 1: stop writing me on social media talking about my fake hair.

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Speaker 1: That's it. Your hair is come back. Because my phone

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Speaker 1: was saying, my computer, I hope you include this in

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Speaker 1: your I am. I am because you're being honest as

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Speaker 1: honest can be. Here's what I was gonna say because

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Speaker 1: I had to. My computer was dying and I was like,

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Speaker 1: don't die on me now, computer, which is steel mate?

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Speaker 1: Do Your hair is perfect. No one can talk about

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Speaker 1: about your hair at all. You are handsome, beyond handsome.

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Speaker 1: You guys. I'm gonna just take two minutes, like in person,

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Speaker 1: perfect skin rude. And I said, what do you do

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Speaker 1: your skin or what did you say? Oh, coconut oil. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: but soap and um and coconut oil. But I do

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Speaker 1: um in the shower. I keep the you know, the

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Speaker 1: coconut oil with the pump jar. Uh huh. As soon

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Speaker 1: as I'm done showering, I put it all over everywhere,

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Speaker 1: like your body, and that's that's all I do. I'm

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Speaker 1: so jealous because it's a facial it's uh, all types

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Speaker 1: of exfoliating it's all kind of sunscreen, and you just

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Speaker 1: like I just just cocon a wheel and I just

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Speaker 1: pop up and I'm just how I am. Um, I

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Speaker 1: have two things to ask you, and you have to

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Speaker 1: pontificate because I'm gonna get a charge. I mean charge

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Speaker 1: the computer while I do it how long? And I

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Speaker 1: want to make sure my research is correct. You got

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Speaker 1: your college degree at thirty years old. I got my

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Speaker 1: college degree when it was in nineteen nineties. Six. Um yeah,

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Speaker 1: I was. My journalism professor told me at l s

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Speaker 1: U one. You know, I wasn't a great student because

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Speaker 1: I was having a good time, Like I loved college

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Speaker 1: when I started, so I was having fun. And then

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Speaker 1: I didn't know what I wanted to do. I tried

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Speaker 1: to be like a lawyer and go into like pre law,

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Speaker 1: and then I was like, oh maybe I'll study economics.

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Speaker 1: And then because people would tell me that you're not

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Speaker 1: gonna make any money as a journalist. And then once

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Speaker 1: I realized that, well it just didn't matter what you know,

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Speaker 1: the money is, I should do what I love. But

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Speaker 1: my journalism professor told me that I would never make

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Speaker 1: it as a journalist, and I, um, he wanted me

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Speaker 1: to do something that was more suitable for my talent.

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Speaker 1: And when I was in Louisiana, like to me having

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Speaker 1: him say that, I knew what was happened. I knew

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Speaker 1: what was up because the people who were less talented

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Speaker 1: than me, Um, he would kicky with them, the pretty

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Speaker 1: girls and the blondes, you know what I'm saying. And

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Speaker 1: for me, all of a sudden, you know, I had

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Speaker 1: trouble editing. Instead of him trying to help me learn

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Speaker 1: to edit better, meaning like videotape editing, um, he just said,

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Speaker 1: you're not gonna make this, and I'm like, okay, well,

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Speaker 1: and then I realized in that moment, and that one instant,

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Speaker 1: you know, when you had those sort of um life

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Speaker 1: defining moments, I realized that I was not going to

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Speaker 1: achieve what I wanted to achieve if I stayed in Louisiana.

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Speaker 1: So very short after that, I left. But Okay, I'm confused,

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Speaker 1: because if you were you working in this business, give

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Speaker 1: me your career trajectory. Because I knew I was working,

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Speaker 1: you were working without a college degree. That is that normal? Yeah?

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Speaker 1: I mean back then, look, look, a lot of the

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Speaker 1: people who I respected, a lot of my um of

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Speaker 1: the the people that I saw as mentors and people

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Speaker 1: who I wanted to emulate, they didn't have some of them.

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Speaker 1: They didn't have college degrees. And when I finally told

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Speaker 1: my news director in New York and when I you know,

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Speaker 1: got a job there, um, they told me that I

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Speaker 1: didn't need a degree. And I and I knew that

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Speaker 1: I had to have that degree because I didn't want

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Speaker 1: people saying, well, you got the job because you're black,

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Speaker 1: you're an affirmative acting high, you're this or that. And

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Speaker 1: also I didn't want people to have a reason, um

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Speaker 1: not to give me the job. So I you know, um,

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Speaker 1: two dollars in my pocket and I loaded up the

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Speaker 1: truck and move it really like the Beverly Hillbilly. So

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Speaker 1: two hundred dollars in my pocket, I loaded up my

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Speaker 1: EIGHTI seven jeep wrangler and moved. Without a job, I

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Speaker 1: moved into UH an acquaintance as it wasn't even a

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Speaker 1: friend their home. Um out of charity, they took me

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Speaker 1: in and I you know, helped to pay the bills.

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Speaker 1: And then finally I got a job as um Christmas

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Speaker 1: relief or holiday relief at Macy's and Harold Square UH.

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Speaker 1: And then I could find a long story short. I

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Speaker 1: got a job at Fox five on the Upper East

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Speaker 1: Side of Manhattan, working as a trainee in the newsroom,

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Speaker 1: making five dollars an hour. It was a six month

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Speaker 1: deal that was below the poverty level, and I was

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Speaker 1: sub letting a room in the back of someone's apartment

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Speaker 1: for three and some dollars a month that I still

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Speaker 1: could not afford um. And I just worked my way

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Speaker 1: up do I could do anything. I started as a trainee,

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Speaker 1: which was opening mail, answering phones, getting dry cleaning, going

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Speaker 1: to the loading dr grab people's launch, ordering whatever. It was,

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Speaker 1: a desk assistant, then an assign an editor, then a

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Speaker 1: field producer, than a writer, than a satellite spats coordinator.

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Speaker 1: I could do everything. By the time I left there,

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Speaker 1: I could do everything but carry I would work full

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Speaker 1: time and go to school full time. So if my classes,

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Speaker 1: if I would take night classes, i'd work during the day.

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Speaker 1: If I took day classes, I would work at night.

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Speaker 1: And every once in a while I do like part time, um,

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Speaker 1: you know, at school and then part time at work,

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Speaker 1: depending on what my schedule was. But I was determined

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Speaker 1: to get that degree, and I got that degree, and

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Speaker 1: I didn't even go to graduation. I had a job

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Speaker 1: in Birmingham, Alabama as the weekend anchor. By the time

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Speaker 1: I was supposed to put on a cap and gown

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Speaker 1: and march across the aisle. Congratulations, and your rise of

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Speaker 1: local news is by way of background for folks who

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Speaker 1: don't understand it. Everything he's saying. I'm just shaking my

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Speaker 1: head and nodding. You can't see. But I'm also being

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Speaker 1: real hood and plaguing at my computer while discussing this

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Speaker 1: with him. So thank you for being the professional that

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Speaker 1: you are because you quit it. Um. But the low

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Speaker 1: cool news grind is really hard, and you go and

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Speaker 1: you go to small markets and you work your way up.

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Speaker 1: And I remember, like you said, when people try to

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Speaker 1: kill your dream my very first job in West Virginia,

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Speaker 1: a guy told me, you know, very few people make

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Speaker 1: it to the top ten market, so I don't know

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Speaker 1: how long you're gonna do this. And I have like

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Speaker 1: a little boy grown as man by the way. Um,

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Speaker 1: I just hate when people try to kill your dreams.

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Speaker 1: But there's something about I know every day, even at work,

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Speaker 1: even even currently as we speak, as you are, Don Lemon,

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Speaker 1: there are people who want to kill the dream are

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Speaker 1: the idea of who you are. Um, But I love

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Speaker 1: how I know your humility comes from the grind because

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Speaker 1: I've been there. But don I think what is interesting

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Speaker 1: that I've watched and I've witnessed, and I'm gonna use

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Speaker 1: the word I've been using it a lot, is the

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Speaker 1: word evolved. When you first came on the scene in Atlanta,

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Speaker 1: I was working at the local CBS station, maybe CBS

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Speaker 1: forty six. I think you were hired around the same time,

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Speaker 1: or maybe a little bit before t J. Holmes. I

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Speaker 1: remember you, yeah, but everybody was like, look at these

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Speaker 1: two dope black men they just hired. At that time,

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Speaker 1: it felt very special. It felt different. And you guys

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Speaker 1: are on the end, yes, yes, working in your own world.

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Speaker 1: And I remember thinking, God, I am so excited to

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Speaker 1: see you rise. And then at you know, journalism conventions,

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Speaker 1: I'd run up to you and harass you. You and

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Speaker 1: I hosted a few things together, and I know you're

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Speaker 1: you were really busy, but you went from this person

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Speaker 1: where I think you were yourself, but then you got

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Speaker 1: really authentically yourself. Talk to me about your relationship with

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Speaker 1: the culture, because at one point people were just mad

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Speaker 1: at you black folks was mad at you, and then

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Speaker 1: we turned around and was like, oh, don with the ships.

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Speaker 1: But it's interesting because I just had a conversation at

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Speaker 1: UM CO produced a documentary with Gary Cohen and others

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Speaker 1: on Colin Kaepernick and in away, Colins sort of faced

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Speaker 1: similar situation. When Colin started to stand up. There were

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Speaker 1: people who were like, WHOA wait a minute, He's the

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Speaker 1: last person we thought who would be standing up and

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Speaker 1: who would be doing these things. I think a lot

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Speaker 1: of the times, UM, we don't allow our own people too.

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Speaker 1: We don't give him a freedom to be all of

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Speaker 1: who they are. Uh. And you take a moment in

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Speaker 1: time and you you use it to judge someone's entire

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Speaker 1: career or entire existence and entire being, and that is

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Speaker 1: unfair because we don't do that to our white counterparts.

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Speaker 1: Let's just be honest and so um Uh I understood,

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Speaker 1: and I understand more than ever now what I mean

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Speaker 1: to the culture, because you know, we just did an

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Speaker 1: ad week thing for my new show UM Today in

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Speaker 1: New York and it's I mean, people address their like

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Speaker 1: they address other members of the media, and even my

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Speaker 1: colleagues like, oh my god, I love watching it. It's great,

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Speaker 1: it's great, it's great. But you know how people address me,

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Speaker 1: thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you. You step

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Speaker 1: up for us, you're standing up for us. Thank you

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Speaker 1: for holding my hand during the pandemic. Thank you, thank you,

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Speaker 1: thank you. And that means more than oh I love

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Speaker 1: watching you. That's great, right, that's vanity, but the thank

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Speaker 1: you part is deep. So um look, I think that

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Speaker 1: um we uh, my white counterparts are allowed to be

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Speaker 1: journalists and to just be truth tellers without carrying the

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Speaker 1: weight of the culture on their back and on their

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Speaker 1: shoulders and fair not I do, And you know, I

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Speaker 1: accept that it was hard in the beginning to you know,

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Speaker 1: be able to um do things to to give a

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Speaker 1: perspective and a point of view and then have my

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Speaker 1: own people like you know, judge me and yell at me.

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Speaker 1: But ultimately, um, people come around. And if you can

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Speaker 1: come around, and if you can um by the fashion

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Speaker 1: and the sneakers of someone who says that, um, you know,

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Speaker 1: slavery was a choice by black people, then you can

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Speaker 1: come around to a journalist who's uh tasked with telling

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Speaker 1: the truth and informing people regardless of their ethnicity or

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Speaker 1: sexuality or whatever. So um uh so I think that's

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Speaker 1: where I stand. I also do think that a lot

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Speaker 1: of the criticism of me from certain people are based

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Speaker 1: in homophobia, and a lot of criticism for me from

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Speaker 1: others that that criticism is based in racism. And I'm

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Speaker 1: a big boy. And the reason why I am where

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Speaker 1: I am now is because I do that, and I

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Speaker 1: keep it pushing, and I keep it real and I

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Speaker 1: keep it moving. But I am always looking out for

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Speaker 1: the underserved. I'm always looking out for women. I'm always

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Speaker 1: looking out for black folks. Because if I don't do that,

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Speaker 1: then why why the hell am I here? Yo? My

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Speaker 1: entire ethos about how we move? Uh. Three things that

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Speaker 1: you're pointed out. One, I think it's disgusting that people

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Speaker 1: can't appreciate for you and I know, appreciate who you are.

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Speaker 1: Homophobia is real. I think it's even more difficult for

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Speaker 1: you to be in a position you are in and

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Speaker 1: be openly gay. I I read that you wanted to

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Speaker 1: come out because of a kid who ultimately was outed

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Speaker 1: by his roommate online and then committed suicide. I'm sure

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Speaker 1: there were other reasons, but maybe that was there was

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Speaker 1: the reason. That's why I dedicated my book too. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: and it was all those things were happening, um when

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Speaker 1: I wrote the book. But I don't mean to cut

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Speaker 1: you off, but um, that was one of the reasons

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Speaker 1: that I that I thought it was okay to be

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Speaker 1: able to come out. Yes, well, bravo to you. I

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Speaker 1: know it's difficult. There are people when I see people

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Speaker 1: in today's world who still feel like they have to hide.

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Speaker 1: I mean, I've been in this business for a very

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Speaker 1: long time. I used to have mentors. I used to

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Speaker 1: have guys that I love working with, women I love

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Speaker 1: working with, but they would live this lie. They would

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Speaker 1: have to pretend they were in a whole another world.

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Speaker 1: And I understand that. But when you came out, how

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Speaker 1: much freedom did you feel, no matter how much pushback

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Speaker 1: you had. Oh my gosh, it was amazing. I mean,

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Speaker 1: listen to the sense of autonomy that I had, just

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Speaker 1: the sense of autonomy that it gave me. And whether

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Speaker 1: you know, this particular career or worked out, or that

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Speaker 1: move to coming out publicly, whether it worked for me

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Speaker 1: in a positive way career wise, didn't ad ultimately didn't matter. Um,

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Speaker 1: it did because I think it made me a better

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Speaker 1: human being. It made me a better journalist. It made me.

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Speaker 1: It gave me more authenticity and more autonomy. And you

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Speaker 1: know when people say, you know you're kind of feeling yourself.

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Speaker 1: I started to really come into my own. That's why

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Speaker 1: you said you were real and then you really became real.

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Speaker 1: So um so um. It almost didn't matter because I

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Speaker 1: was free. And when you had that sense of freedom,

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Speaker 1: you're like, well, I am free to do this, and

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Speaker 1: if this doesn't work, then I am free to do

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Speaker 1: something else. So whether if it was a journalist or

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Speaker 1: working at a fast food place or um, you know,

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Speaker 1: being a car salesman or whatever it was, I was

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Speaker 1: going to be successful because I was free. And that's all.

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Speaker 1: That's all it meant to me. By the way, that's

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Speaker 1: a proverb. I was going to be successful because I

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Speaker 1: am free. All gonna take that is quote? All right,

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Speaker 1: more with don after the break, do not go anywhere

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Speaker 1: fast forward. Mama has to pay bills, every champion and

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Speaker 1: care every champion is to be a champianta champion and

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Speaker 1: carry chappion and carry chappianta chappion and carry chappion and

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Speaker 1: carry chappionis and sports and then the same make and

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Speaker 1: make it work very chappion and carry chappion is to

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Speaker 1: be a champianta champion. They carry chappi and they champion.

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Speaker 1: They carry chappion and carry champion sports. And then the

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Speaker 1: same make and make it warm. So then you you

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Speaker 1: talk about your show, don Lemon, your your show in

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Speaker 1: the primetime or evening rather late evening, um was everything

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Speaker 1: you you do, know what you mean to the culture.

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Speaker 1: But there there are very few talents that become musty TV.

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Speaker 1: And so this is what I'm talking to you about.

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Speaker 1: This hard work that you did in local news. Then

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Speaker 1: you grind your way into a position this wonderful inco position,

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Speaker 1: and people feel like you're prim and proper. Then you're

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Speaker 1: fully freely yourself. Right then we get to watch you,

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Speaker 1: which I believe is appointment viewing, and hopefully it stays

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Speaker 1: that way on New Year's Eve. But your show at

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Speaker 1: night is also that I'm I'm here for It's funny,

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Speaker 1: it's a reminder that we can have this platform and

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Speaker 1: really be ourselves and um, and it's hard to be

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Speaker 1: naked and be honest with who you are. You have

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Speaker 1: this transition with this new show. You're doing rehearsals. Tell

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Speaker 1: me what people can expect from this new show as

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Speaker 1: opposed to what we were able to see with Don

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Speaker 1: Lemon tonight. Okay, so listen, and people are thinking, if

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Speaker 1: anyone is thinking, let me disabuse any one of the

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Speaker 1: notion that Don Lemon is somehow gonna be um A,

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Speaker 1: if it's gonna be a sort of sanitized version of

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Speaker 1: the Don Lemon that was on at night, then you're wrong.

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Speaker 1: So let me disabuse you of that notion, um And

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Speaker 1: so listen, I won't have to. I think that primetime news,

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Speaker 1: especially in cable, has become tribal, right, and it's become

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Speaker 1: like everyone fighting, and there's a night fight every single night.

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Speaker 1: You're like, okay, so had I grown tired of that? Yeah?

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Speaker 1: I did a little bit. But the reason that I

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Speaker 1: chose mornings is because you cannot you within that format,

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Speaker 1: you do not see Don Lemon in full effect. So

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Speaker 1: you will see the Don Lemon that you see at night,

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Speaker 1: that who challenges people, who holds people to account, who

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Speaker 1: gives people the leeway to be who they are and

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Speaker 1: say what they want to say. And also with that

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Speaker 1: sometimes comes the rope to hang yourself right, and so

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Speaker 1: you will see all of that, but you'll also see

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Speaker 1: me smile a lot more. You also see that I

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Speaker 1: have more latitude to elevate the conversation. If I did

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Speaker 1: not think that this was a good move where someone

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Speaker 1: was trying to sanitize me or quiet me in any way,

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Speaker 1: I would not have done this. I did not have

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Speaker 1: to do this, and that is hard for people to understand.

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Speaker 1: Why are you going from nighttime to daytime? Well, I've

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Speaker 1: done it for eight and a half years and it

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Speaker 1: has been successful, and I didn't have to. The reason

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Speaker 1: I'm doing it is because I think there's another place

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Speaker 1: for me. There's a different audience for me, a bigger audience.

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Speaker 1: People at night aren't gonna forget about me because I'm

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Speaker 1: not there. They're gonna They're gonna see me on CNN.

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Speaker 1: I'll still be there some nights when they are big

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Speaker 1: nights and they are election nights that there's big breaking news,

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Speaker 1: You're gonna see me there. But I have this opportunity

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Speaker 1: in the moment and in the morning to be able

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Speaker 1: to shape the editorial direction of the network and therefore

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Speaker 1: shape the editorial direction I believe in the country. Because

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Speaker 1: it will get picked up media, other media will pick

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Speaker 1: will pick it up. Social media will pick it up.

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Speaker 1: So the things that Don Lemon used to say at

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Speaker 1: night as the last bite of the apple of everyone

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Speaker 1: who had done the news all day, you had seen

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Speaker 1: the news, I will now be the Don Lemon who

428
00:22:54,280 --> 00:22:58,160
Speaker 1: gets to say it first in the morning, and everyone

429
00:22:58,200 --> 00:23:00,240
Speaker 1: else will get the bite at the apple that I've

430
00:23:00,280 --> 00:23:03,639
Speaker 1: already bitten off of. Do you see what I'm saying? Listen,

431
00:23:03,640 --> 00:23:05,679
Speaker 1: you get to set the tone for what the news is,

432
00:23:05,720 --> 00:23:08,120
Speaker 1: the news of the and so I want to get

433
00:23:08,160 --> 00:23:09,680
Speaker 1: there and be able to do that. And I also

434
00:23:09,680 --> 00:23:11,159
Speaker 1: want to be able to smile, and also want to

435
00:23:11,200 --> 00:23:12,720
Speaker 1: be able to laugh. And I also want to be

436
00:23:12,800 --> 00:23:15,040
Speaker 1: able to talk about my wardrobe. I also want to

437
00:23:15,040 --> 00:23:17,159
Speaker 1: be able to wear a turtlenecks in the morning. I

438
00:23:17,240 --> 00:23:18,879
Speaker 1: also want to be able to wear jeans in the

439
00:23:18,880 --> 00:23:22,000
Speaker 1: morning and not wear a necktie. And and to to

440
00:23:22,400 --> 00:23:25,800
Speaker 1: like wake up with people and say have you thought

441
00:23:25,840 --> 00:23:28,080
Speaker 1: about this? Meet today? Maybe this is what you should

442
00:23:28,119 --> 00:23:30,600
Speaker 1: be thinking about. Have you ever thought about this? Maybe

443
00:23:31,200 --> 00:23:33,520
Speaker 1: instead of like saying here's what I think at night.

444
00:23:33,680 --> 00:23:35,760
Speaker 1: And it's like, I know you've seen this on Anderson,

445
00:23:35,800 --> 00:23:37,280
Speaker 1: I know you've seen it on Aaron. I know you've

446
00:23:37,320 --> 00:23:41,359
Speaker 1: seen this. I have to take. Yeah, now it's like,

447
00:23:41,520 --> 00:23:45,840
Speaker 1: here's my take. Okay, Jake Wolf Anderson, go for it.

448
00:23:45,920 --> 00:23:49,000
Speaker 1: I've given mine. I've met and you're doing the show

449
00:23:49,000 --> 00:23:52,399
Speaker 1: with Poppy and I met her when I came in studio.

450
00:23:52,440 --> 00:23:54,960
Speaker 1: I think maybe during the Serena Williams um when she

451
00:23:55,080 --> 00:23:57,280
Speaker 1: was retiring, and Poppy was like, you know, Don's my

452
00:23:57,359 --> 00:23:59,800
Speaker 1: best friend, He's one of my closest friends in I

453
00:23:59,800 --> 00:24:02,520
Speaker 1: was like, I love Don, but who doesn't Mike, who doesn't?

454
00:24:02,880 --> 00:24:08,639
Speaker 1: And yeah, well yeah they don't, you know, yeah, you know.

455
00:24:08,760 --> 00:24:11,080
Speaker 1: But I felt like that was going to be a

456
00:24:11,080 --> 00:24:15,400
Speaker 1: good rapport and a good relationship. I'm asking for advice

457
00:24:15,440 --> 00:24:21,400
Speaker 1: though you are very teflon literally teflon, Don, When does

458
00:24:21,440 --> 00:24:24,480
Speaker 1: it get to be too much? I literally think it

459
00:24:24,600 --> 00:24:26,399
Speaker 1: happens to all of us, Like when you and you

460
00:24:26,440 --> 00:24:29,480
Speaker 1: are consistently trending, you'll tag me and something and it's

461
00:24:29,520 --> 00:24:31,359
Speaker 1: like it's it's people are in my d ms for

462
00:24:31,400 --> 00:24:33,520
Speaker 1: three days or in my messages for three days mad,

463
00:24:33,600 --> 00:24:35,520
Speaker 1: And I'm like, what how does that deal with this?

464
00:24:35,680 --> 00:24:38,200
Speaker 1: I know you don't see it anymore because it's impossible

465
00:24:38,280 --> 00:24:40,200
Speaker 1: to see it, but there is a time in your

466
00:24:40,200 --> 00:24:44,280
Speaker 1: career and probably still now people are vocal about how

467
00:24:44,320 --> 00:24:47,240
Speaker 1: much they dislike you as you walk down the street. Yeah,

468
00:24:47,560 --> 00:24:52,560
Speaker 1: and they come for me. Um. Well it's I mean, honestly,

469
00:24:52,600 --> 00:24:55,440
Speaker 1: you know, it's weird even though it's tough, and people

470
00:24:55,440 --> 00:24:58,000
Speaker 1: hate criticism and you hate people hating on you, especially Look,

471
00:24:58,240 --> 00:25:00,040
Speaker 1: it really hurts when when you're all people when I

472
00:25:00,080 --> 00:25:04,280
Speaker 1: own people do it, I'm like, come on, but I

473
00:25:04,320 --> 00:25:06,680
Speaker 1: expect the racist to do it. I expect the biggest

474
00:25:06,720 --> 00:25:08,359
Speaker 1: to do it. I expect the haters to be like

475
00:25:08,440 --> 00:25:11,920
Speaker 1: I expect that. Um. But it's actually, you know, it's

476
00:25:11,920 --> 00:25:15,479
Speaker 1: a it's actually, um, kind of the best position that

477
00:25:15,520 --> 00:25:19,720
Speaker 1: you can be in media because people um for people

478
00:25:19,760 --> 00:25:22,080
Speaker 1: to love you and hate you, especially in cable news

479
00:25:22,480 --> 00:25:26,680
Speaker 1: because people hate watch you and they love watching and

480
00:25:27,080 --> 00:25:30,600
Speaker 1: the haters actually and the conservatives who talk about me

481
00:25:30,680 --> 00:25:32,480
Speaker 1: in ways that I'm like, I don't know who this

482
00:25:32,560 --> 00:25:34,959
Speaker 1: caricature of a person that they are a character is,

483
00:25:35,280 --> 00:25:38,880
Speaker 1: but okay, have at it. They are my biggest pr agents.

484
00:25:39,440 --> 00:25:42,200
Speaker 1: I don't have to pay for press because they are.

485
00:25:42,520 --> 00:25:44,440
Speaker 1: And people are like, well, I'm like, I don't say

486
00:25:44,480 --> 00:25:48,200
Speaker 1: what they want to say because they are so normally

487
00:25:48,240 --> 00:25:51,320
Speaker 1: if I'm on, um, you know, just sort of traditional media.

488
00:25:51,840 --> 00:25:54,520
Speaker 1: It's fine, but I would never have that exposure and

489
00:25:54,600 --> 00:25:58,320
Speaker 1: conservative media if it wasn't for my haters. Yeah, they

490
00:25:58,320 --> 00:26:01,880
Speaker 1: would never never have that that that exposure and sort

491
00:26:01,920 --> 00:26:08,520
Speaker 1: of bro culture media. Yeah, they love to hate me,

492
00:26:08,560 --> 00:26:11,120
Speaker 1: they love to talk about me. So fine, thank you

493
00:26:11,240 --> 00:26:19,000
Speaker 1: very much to ching to the bank smiles. Yeah, you're like, Hi,

494
00:26:19,320 --> 00:26:21,800
Speaker 1: I'm gay while you are here being rude and talking

495
00:26:21,880 --> 00:26:24,560
Speaker 1: all your trash and miserable. I get it. You don't

496
00:26:24,600 --> 00:26:26,640
Speaker 1: have to here's my advice to you, Carrie. You don't

497
00:26:26,640 --> 00:26:28,320
Speaker 1: have to read it and you don't have to respond

498
00:26:28,359 --> 00:26:30,639
Speaker 1: to it because the next day they're onto someone else,

499
00:26:30,800 --> 00:26:34,040
Speaker 1: they're onto something else. So just let your haters hate.

500
00:26:34,560 --> 00:26:36,360
Speaker 1: And if you don't, you know that saying it's true,

501
00:26:36,359 --> 00:26:38,240
Speaker 1: if you don't have a thousand or whatever or a

502
00:26:38,280 --> 00:26:40,440
Speaker 1: million haters a day, then you're not doing it right.

503
00:26:40,480 --> 00:26:44,600
Speaker 1: So you're not winning. You know what's concerned about you? Yeah,

504
00:26:45,600 --> 00:26:47,560
Speaker 1: it does. It does weigh on you. I mean it

505
00:26:47,560 --> 00:26:50,359
Speaker 1: did start to weigh on me because especially at night, UM,

506
00:26:50,480 --> 00:26:55,920
Speaker 1: social media becomes so toxic. UM. Cable news had um

507
00:26:55,960 --> 00:26:58,520
Speaker 1: in that format for me. I'm not saying this for

508
00:26:58,600 --> 00:27:01,159
Speaker 1: anybody else, any of my colleague they're thriving. You know,

509
00:27:01,400 --> 00:27:04,000
Speaker 1: Anderson is an icon. He's been there forever. So is

510
00:27:04,040 --> 00:27:07,400
Speaker 1: Aaron Um and whoever it is that that takes over

511
00:27:07,440 --> 00:27:10,040
Speaker 1: for the times that I was in. But for me,

512
00:27:11,400 --> 00:27:13,040
Speaker 1: I would be lying to you if I if I

513
00:27:13,040 --> 00:27:14,639
Speaker 1: didn't tell you that it was starting to get to me,

514
00:27:14,760 --> 00:27:18,040
Speaker 1: to become toxic, and I just didn't every single night

515
00:27:18,200 --> 00:27:21,840
Speaker 1: want to oh my god, everything is terrible. Blah blah

516
00:27:21,840 --> 00:27:24,320
Speaker 1: blah blah blah. Everything is terrible. But I think there's

517
00:27:24,720 --> 00:27:26,720
Speaker 1: a different approach that can be taken, and that's one

518
00:27:26,720 --> 00:27:30,199
Speaker 1: reason that I'm doing what I'm doing. So Donna, I

519
00:27:30,280 --> 00:27:32,760
Speaker 1: like that you're making it clear you left because it

520
00:27:32,800 --> 00:27:36,679
Speaker 1: was on your terms. People are suggesting that there was,

521
00:27:36,760 --> 00:27:39,240
Speaker 1: you know, because everyone thinks they know everything, that it's

522
00:27:39,280 --> 00:27:41,679
Speaker 1: not what you wanted and and now you have to

523
00:27:41,680 --> 00:27:44,320
Speaker 1: do mornings. But I the way I looked at it

524
00:27:44,359 --> 00:27:47,080
Speaker 1: was like the morning's needed you, you know what I mean.

525
00:27:47,119 --> 00:27:49,720
Speaker 1: That's the way I looked at it as someone who

526
00:27:49,720 --> 00:27:52,240
Speaker 1: watches and has been there. I'm not saying that other

527
00:27:52,280 --> 00:27:54,960
Speaker 1: people weren't great. I'm not saying they but they needed

528
00:27:54,960 --> 00:27:56,800
Speaker 1: a spark. I mean, because this is about ratings and

529
00:27:56,880 --> 00:27:59,040
Speaker 1: we want to compete. It makes total sense to me

530
00:27:59,119 --> 00:28:00,960
Speaker 1: that so they would put you there, and you would

531
00:28:01,000 --> 00:28:02,600
Speaker 1: want to be there because you're going to give them

532
00:28:02,600 --> 00:28:05,399
Speaker 1: New Life CNN in the morning. New Life, Yes it's there,

533
00:28:05,520 --> 00:28:07,840
Speaker 1: but why not battle with the other morning shows? Even

534
00:28:07,880 --> 00:28:11,200
Speaker 1: though that may not be your your But this is business, right,

535
00:28:11,240 --> 00:28:12,879
Speaker 1: This is this is what we're talking about. This is

536
00:28:12,880 --> 00:28:16,320
Speaker 1: the business of ratings right. But also it's listen, it's

537
00:28:16,320 --> 00:28:20,080
Speaker 1: not even just about ratings. Again, I can't be clear

538
00:28:20,200 --> 00:28:23,560
Speaker 1: that this obviously it was my choice, Like I mean,

539
00:28:23,760 --> 00:28:26,000
Speaker 1: do you think have you ever known me to like

540
00:28:26,160 --> 00:28:29,359
Speaker 1: walk away from something and I'll be pushed out of something?

541
00:28:29,640 --> 00:28:32,360
Speaker 1: Or if it if it's indeed it did happen, they

542
00:28:32,359 --> 00:28:34,159
Speaker 1: were trying to push me out and give me that,

543
00:28:34,200 --> 00:28:35,960
Speaker 1: I wouldn't say something. I would just say it on

544
00:28:36,000 --> 00:28:39,000
Speaker 1: the air like hey, even this is Don Lemon tonight,

545
00:28:39,120 --> 00:28:41,920
Speaker 1: and you need to know that there are forces or

546
00:28:41,920 --> 00:28:44,080
Speaker 1: whatever trying to that's that is who I am. And

547
00:28:44,120 --> 00:28:46,880
Speaker 1: then I would suffer the consequences for saying that. So

548
00:28:47,720 --> 00:28:50,360
Speaker 1: do you not get it twisted? It's like the old

549
00:28:50,600 --> 00:28:53,040
Speaker 1: um what's his name? I forget? If your producers can

550
00:28:53,120 --> 00:28:54,479
Speaker 1: remind why can't I think of his name. You got

551
00:28:54,560 --> 00:28:55,880
Speaker 1: you got to know one to hold him, no one

552
00:28:55,920 --> 00:28:57,360
Speaker 1: to fold him, no one to walk away, no one

553
00:28:57,400 --> 00:29:02,640
Speaker 1: to run. Yeah in the table, that's exactly yeah. I

554
00:29:02,760 --> 00:29:06,440
Speaker 1: was like, well, this is an opportunity for me if

555
00:29:06,440 --> 00:29:07,880
Speaker 1: they're asking me to do this, and let me see,

556
00:29:08,000 --> 00:29:11,080
Speaker 1: let me, let me sort of gauge this. This is

557
00:29:11,120 --> 00:29:15,080
Speaker 1: the Networks president who is a morning show guru who

558
00:29:15,120 --> 00:29:18,920
Speaker 1: started Morning Joe and um CBS this morning. This is

559
00:29:18,960 --> 00:29:20,800
Speaker 1: the first thing that he's asking me to do out

560
00:29:20,800 --> 00:29:23,640
Speaker 1: of the gate, his first big initiative, and he wants

561
00:29:23,720 --> 00:29:28,720
Speaker 1: me Um okay on that level, duh. On the other level,

562
00:29:28,760 --> 00:29:30,840
Speaker 1: this is an opportunity for me to actually stay at

563
00:29:30,880 --> 00:29:32,760
Speaker 1: the company that I'm staying and not have to actually

564
00:29:32,800 --> 00:29:35,280
Speaker 1: walk away and start away at a new company and

565
00:29:35,720 --> 00:29:38,360
Speaker 1: um and and and and deal with the politics, have

566
00:29:38,360 --> 00:29:40,400
Speaker 1: a new company and do something that is completely different

567
00:29:40,400 --> 00:29:46,400
Speaker 1: than what I'm doing. That's that opportunity, not more. You

568
00:29:46,480 --> 00:29:48,600
Speaker 1: have to go out on your own, try to keep

569
00:29:48,640 --> 00:29:52,000
Speaker 1: yourself relevant through social media until you build something on

570
00:29:52,120 --> 00:29:54,640
Speaker 1: your own and then bring back. An audience is a

571
00:29:54,640 --> 00:29:59,400
Speaker 1: built in audience, built in salary, built in opportunity. It's

572
00:29:59,400 --> 00:30:03,520
Speaker 1: like it's it's a no brainer right, and so it

573
00:30:03,600 --> 00:30:06,720
Speaker 1: makes perfect sense to me. I'm like, yeah, great, I

574
00:30:06,760 --> 00:30:10,240
Speaker 1: love it. Move them, put them, let's watch. And you're right.

575
00:30:10,720 --> 00:30:12,920
Speaker 1: I gotta tell anyone who is out there listening, as

576
00:30:12,960 --> 00:30:17,160
Speaker 1: you know, if you don't take risks, if no risks,

577
00:30:17,160 --> 00:30:22,160
Speaker 1: no reward, he said. I just I literally, I was

578
00:30:22,200 --> 00:30:25,440
Speaker 1: just having this conversation. I am doing a new show

579
00:30:25,440 --> 00:30:28,000
Speaker 1: on Amazon. It's my show is called Carrie Champion on Sports,

580
00:30:28,520 --> 00:30:31,320
Speaker 1: and I'm still working at CNN as well, but I'm

581
00:30:31,320 --> 00:30:33,560
Speaker 1: looking for a producer and it's a Monday through Friday

582
00:30:33,560 --> 00:30:35,840
Speaker 1: show and so many people are afraid because it's new,

583
00:30:35,880 --> 00:30:37,360
Speaker 1: and I was like, I gotta take risk. I gotta

584
00:30:37,400 --> 00:30:39,360
Speaker 1: start a new company. I don't want to. I'm tired

585
00:30:39,400 --> 00:30:41,880
Speaker 1: of the grind of building myself and keeping myself relevant.

586
00:30:41,880 --> 00:30:43,680
Speaker 1: Like you said, it's a grind, let me go, says somewhere.

587
00:30:43,720 --> 00:30:46,320
Speaker 1: I'll do it like I'm done. Let me make it easier.

588
00:30:46,320 --> 00:30:49,480
Speaker 1: So I totally get what you're saying. I do believe, though,

589
00:30:49,560 --> 00:30:53,080
Speaker 1: don more than ever today and especially since you, I

590
00:30:53,080 --> 00:30:56,360
Speaker 1: think you and many other I did it when I

591
00:30:56,360 --> 00:30:58,560
Speaker 1: was at ESPN. Jamal did it. Um you know, you

592
00:30:58,600 --> 00:31:01,080
Speaker 1: see Tiffany Cross and jewlry you doing it. They are

593
00:31:01,120 --> 00:31:03,440
Speaker 1: such an onus for people who are black to be

594
00:31:03,520 --> 00:31:06,000
Speaker 1: on air and speak their truth, and they're still feels

595
00:31:06,000 --> 00:31:07,960
Speaker 1: like there's such a pushback from the powers that be

596
00:31:08,080 --> 00:31:10,000
Speaker 1: for trying to win over people who just don't want

597
00:31:10,000 --> 00:31:13,080
Speaker 1: to be won over. And by that I mean the

598
00:31:13,080 --> 00:31:14,360
Speaker 1: the and I don't even want to get into the

599
00:31:14,400 --> 00:31:16,960
Speaker 1: political aspects of it, but the moderate, the person who

600
00:31:17,040 --> 00:31:19,320
Speaker 1: Dr King said, is the most dangerous. Those who don't

601
00:31:19,320 --> 00:31:21,280
Speaker 1: show the empathy, or don't speak up for us, or

602
00:31:21,320 --> 00:31:23,720
Speaker 1: who stay quiet while they're watching what's happening in our

603
00:31:23,720 --> 00:31:26,640
Speaker 1: society today. We didn't We didn't fill in the gap.

604
00:31:27,040 --> 00:31:30,680
Speaker 1: How difficult is it for you to to know that

605
00:31:30,960 --> 00:31:33,200
Speaker 1: this is every day I sit in this chair and

606
00:31:33,560 --> 00:31:35,720
Speaker 1: let an issue come up of race, I'm gonna say something,

607
00:31:35,720 --> 00:31:38,320
Speaker 1: and I'm gonna be attacked, and I don't necessarily know

608
00:31:38,560 --> 00:31:41,240
Speaker 1: the people who are in control of this company understand

609
00:31:41,240 --> 00:31:44,240
Speaker 1: where I'm coming from. How uncomfortable does that make you feel?

610
00:31:44,920 --> 00:31:51,000
Speaker 1: If at all? Um it is? But I've learned to

611
00:31:51,040 --> 00:31:56,720
Speaker 1: live in discomfort because the people who came before me,

612
00:31:56,840 --> 00:32:01,000
Speaker 1: their whole mission was to disrupt other people's comfort. That's

613
00:32:01,040 --> 00:32:03,720
Speaker 1: what the whole idea of protests in the civil rights

614
00:32:03,800 --> 00:32:06,160
Speaker 1: movement that was, that's what protests are all about. It

615
00:32:06,200 --> 00:32:08,720
Speaker 1: is disrupting people's comfort to get them to become aware

616
00:32:08,720 --> 00:32:11,120
Speaker 1: of an issue. Otherwise people get too comfortable and it

617
00:32:11,160 --> 00:32:16,440
Speaker 1: becomes status quo. So um, I have been especially you know,

618
00:32:16,480 --> 00:32:18,760
Speaker 1: I said, who knows how long this is going to last?

619
00:32:18,800 --> 00:32:23,640
Speaker 1: Who gets these opportunities? And so while it is, that

620
00:32:23,800 --> 00:32:26,800
Speaker 1: is the space that I've chosen to operate. And and

621
00:32:27,160 --> 00:32:30,040
Speaker 1: when I get too comfortable, even as I got too

622
00:32:30,080 --> 00:32:33,280
Speaker 1: comfortable at night, I think about it and I look

623
00:32:33,360 --> 00:32:35,240
Speaker 1: at myself and I say, maybe you're a little bit

624
00:32:35,320 --> 00:32:40,480
Speaker 1: too comfortable. And if that does that look like when

625
00:32:40,520 --> 00:32:45,120
Speaker 1: everything is like going great, when you're not being a disruptor,

626
00:32:46,160 --> 00:32:49,480
Speaker 1: when you're going along with the status quo, and the

627
00:32:49,520 --> 00:32:54,160
Speaker 1: status quo is not necessarily great for everyone. And so

628
00:32:54,640 --> 00:32:57,880
Speaker 1: just because I'm doing well, it doesn't mean other people

629
00:32:58,760 --> 00:33:01,560
Speaker 1: are are are doing out. Doesn't mean that I shouldn't

630
00:33:01,560 --> 00:33:04,080
Speaker 1: stand up for other people. When I am doing well,

631
00:33:04,120 --> 00:33:06,520
Speaker 1: and when I am in that degree of comfort where oh,

632
00:33:06,600 --> 00:33:10,239
Speaker 1: this is all great, that means that I need to

633
00:33:10,400 --> 00:33:15,520
Speaker 1: focus more intently on helping others who aren't getting to

634
00:33:15,640 --> 00:33:19,440
Speaker 1: live where I am, and quite honestly, in a position

635
00:33:19,480 --> 00:33:22,840
Speaker 1: of privilege. I am in this position of privilege because

636
00:33:22,920 --> 00:33:25,680
Speaker 1: I was able to live in discomfort and fight to

637
00:33:25,720 --> 00:33:29,440
Speaker 1: be able to get here. And so once one milestone

638
00:33:29,480 --> 00:33:31,720
Speaker 1: is achieved, then you move on and you do another milesone,

639
00:33:31,720 --> 00:33:33,400
Speaker 1: and another mouth someone and another mouth soon, and you

640
00:33:33,480 --> 00:33:39,000
Speaker 1: keep moving yourself out into discomfort as you see fit

641
00:33:39,600 --> 00:33:41,880
Speaker 1: right as much as you can take. And then pretty

642
00:33:41,920 --> 00:33:43,960
Speaker 1: soon that becomes the norm and you realize, Okay, well

643
00:33:43,960 --> 00:33:47,320
Speaker 1: this wasn't so bad, so now let me break this boundary,

644
00:33:47,600 --> 00:33:51,000
Speaker 1: let me crack, put a crack in this glass ceiling,

645
00:33:51,560 --> 00:33:54,280
Speaker 1: let me try this. And so I'm in a position now,

646
00:33:54,360 --> 00:33:57,800
Speaker 1: quite honestly, where I tell everybody what it is like.

647
00:33:58,520 --> 00:34:00,760
Speaker 1: Even my producers now feel like this is great, and

648
00:34:00,800 --> 00:34:02,320
Speaker 1: I just look at and saying this is not gonna work.

649
00:34:03,440 --> 00:34:06,280
Speaker 1: You can try it, We'll try it. But then you're

650
00:34:06,280 --> 00:34:08,560
Speaker 1: gonna have to know when to cut your losses, because

651
00:34:08,960 --> 00:34:11,080
Speaker 1: after a while that you keep pushing for something because

652
00:34:11,080 --> 00:34:12,440
Speaker 1: you think it's gonna work. You think it's gonna work,

653
00:34:12,440 --> 00:34:14,560
Speaker 1: and keep pushing. I know it can Workingna, Sometimes in

654
00:34:14,600 --> 00:34:17,160
Speaker 1: the beginning you know this ain't gonna work, and so

655
00:34:17,480 --> 00:34:20,520
Speaker 1: why don't now before we get too involved in It's

656
00:34:20,520 --> 00:34:23,040
Speaker 1: like a relationship when people say, we're not gonna so

657
00:34:23,160 --> 00:34:28,640
Speaker 1: before this just keeps going on, at least move on. Yeah,

658
00:34:29,600 --> 00:34:32,759
Speaker 1: have conversations with people who are in high positions of

659
00:34:33,120 --> 00:34:37,120
Speaker 1: authority every single almost every single day. So to think like,

660
00:34:37,520 --> 00:34:40,400
Speaker 1: you know, I'm gonna sit there and and interview a

661
00:34:40,520 --> 00:34:44,239
Speaker 1: president of the United States or other country or you know,

662
00:34:44,719 --> 00:34:47,239
Speaker 1: Ukraine or wherever whoever it may be, or a dictator

663
00:34:47,320 --> 00:34:49,680
Speaker 1: or a desk but whatever it is, and then I'm

664
00:34:49,719 --> 00:34:52,279
Speaker 1: not going to hold the people account to account who

665
00:34:52,360 --> 00:34:55,280
Speaker 1: I work for. I mean, you've got another thing coming

666
00:34:55,320 --> 00:34:59,120
Speaker 1: that that's I do what I do? Amen? And what

667
00:34:59,400 --> 00:35:03,120
Speaker 1: and what what a privilege that you have created and

668
00:35:03,160 --> 00:35:06,120
Speaker 1: you have set the tone for I often say being

669
00:35:06,160 --> 00:35:08,600
Speaker 1: the first isn't easy, and you are one of the first.

670
00:35:08,640 --> 00:35:12,800
Speaker 1: It's just not easy. I can't I I can't underscore

671
00:35:12,920 --> 00:35:15,000
Speaker 1: enough though for people who are paying attention, you are

672
00:35:15,120 --> 00:35:17,279
Speaker 1: pure joy when I see you, like and I don't

673
00:35:17,280 --> 00:35:18,680
Speaker 1: know you have bad moves, and I know you can

674
00:35:18,680 --> 00:35:20,480
Speaker 1: be mad at somebody, but the way you treat your staff,

675
00:35:20,520 --> 00:35:22,640
Speaker 1: the way you talk to people, it's unheard of in

676
00:35:22,680 --> 00:35:25,040
Speaker 1: our business with people who have something about when they're

677
00:35:25,040 --> 00:35:27,520
Speaker 1: red light comes on, it turns people into egomaniacs a

678
00:35:27,560 --> 00:35:30,600
Speaker 1: lot of times. And the the privilege that you have

679
00:35:30,840 --> 00:35:33,840
Speaker 1: and the privilege that you demand is two different things.

680
00:35:33,880 --> 00:35:37,040
Speaker 1: And I totally appreciate you for that. Thank you. I

681
00:35:37,080 --> 00:35:39,920
Speaker 1: love in a state of gratitude. Everything you do, you do,

682
00:35:40,000 --> 00:35:43,360
Speaker 1: you stay pleasant, pleasant. Every champion and care every champion

683
00:35:43,440 --> 00:35:46,080
Speaker 1: is to be a champion, a champion and carry champion

684
00:35:46,160 --> 00:35:49,320
Speaker 1: and carry chapion a champion and carry chappion and carry

685
00:35:49,400 --> 00:35:58,280
Speaker 1: champion sports. And then the saying connected work, carry champion

686
00:35:58,360 --> 00:36:01,000
Speaker 1: and carry champion is to do what's bring out a champion.

687
00:36:01,080 --> 00:36:09,200
Speaker 1: They carry champion and they champion and they welcome back

688
00:36:09,200 --> 00:36:11,480
Speaker 1: to Naked. Don Lemon is here with us and we

689
00:36:11,520 --> 00:36:13,560
Speaker 1: get into what I what I think is the best

690
00:36:13,560 --> 00:36:16,359
Speaker 1: franchise that he's a part of. That is the New

691
00:36:16,440 --> 00:36:19,040
Speaker 1: Year's Eve Special on CNN. If you haven't watched it,

692
00:36:19,120 --> 00:36:22,400
Speaker 1: please tune in set you DVR so people still do

693
00:36:22,440 --> 00:36:25,440
Speaker 1: that because it is good. Don Lemon back on Naked.

694
00:36:25,880 --> 00:36:27,800
Speaker 1: I do want to get into something that just gives

695
00:36:27,840 --> 00:36:30,000
Speaker 1: me and and and this is a friend of yours, Jamal.

696
00:36:30,080 --> 00:36:32,279
Speaker 1: It brings us so much joy after every New Year's

697
00:36:32,320 --> 00:36:35,040
Speaker 1: Eve special. We spend the morning looking at your clips

698
00:36:35,600 --> 00:36:39,880
Speaker 1: and we laugh. We A little own secret that I

699
00:36:39,920 --> 00:36:42,480
Speaker 1: will share with our listeners is that when we were

700
00:36:42,560 --> 00:36:45,319
Speaker 1: going to work at CNN Plus, we've tried to get

701
00:36:45,320 --> 00:36:47,399
Speaker 1: in our contract that we do the New Year's Eve

702
00:36:47,480 --> 00:36:50,840
Speaker 1: special with Don. Like we literally requested that. That was

703
00:36:50,920 --> 00:36:53,160
Speaker 1: something that Jamale and I were like, if only we

704
00:36:53,200 --> 00:36:55,759
Speaker 1: could do that, Like that was gonna give that, just

705
00:36:55,960 --> 00:37:00,080
Speaker 1: give us life, That's all we wanted. Like we did it.

706
00:37:00,360 --> 00:37:03,640
Speaker 1: This is the truth, this is what I'm laughing. They

707
00:37:03,680 --> 00:37:07,239
Speaker 1: were like, we can't guarantee that you can show up,

708
00:37:07,280 --> 00:37:09,759
Speaker 1: and I was like, yeah, no, if we're drinking our show,

709
00:37:09,840 --> 00:37:11,560
Speaker 1: we want to drink with Don. And they were like, hey,

710
00:37:11,760 --> 00:37:13,960
Speaker 1: you know the human hat, which I get. And my

711
00:37:14,000 --> 00:37:15,640
Speaker 1: agent was like, I can't. I just don't think we

712
00:37:15,680 --> 00:37:18,239
Speaker 1: can get that to work, and and so on and

713
00:37:18,280 --> 00:37:21,280
Speaker 1: so forth. And I'm all like, well, that sucks because

714
00:37:23,239 --> 00:37:26,279
Speaker 1: you have you understand the franchise. I even came back

715
00:37:26,280 --> 00:37:28,000
Speaker 1: and talked about it on the podcast. Do you understand

716
00:37:28,040 --> 00:37:30,120
Speaker 1: the franchise you've created with that New Year's Eve show

717
00:37:30,160 --> 00:37:33,560
Speaker 1: and the joy that you the literal joy you bring us. Okay,

718
00:37:33,600 --> 00:37:36,520
Speaker 1: thank you for that, But talk about discomfort like I

719
00:37:36,560 --> 00:37:43,359
Speaker 1: wake up every New Year's Day and go, oh I knew,

720
00:37:43,480 --> 00:37:48,560
Speaker 1: Oh my god, everything right, you did everything right. Here's

721
00:37:48,560 --> 00:37:51,719
Speaker 1: the thing. A lot of that is I'm actually not

722
00:37:51,880 --> 00:37:54,040
Speaker 1: probably drinking as much as people think. Am I having

723
00:37:54,040 --> 00:37:57,600
Speaker 1: a good time? Yes? Am I, like you know, space drunk? No,

724
00:37:57,760 --> 00:37:59,960
Speaker 1: I mean it's a lot of the same drink carrying around.

725
00:38:00,080 --> 00:38:02,960
Speaker 1: It's me, it's my personality coming out. I can be

726
00:38:03,000 --> 00:38:04,840
Speaker 1: the life of the party without being drunk. You know

727
00:38:04,920 --> 00:38:07,000
Speaker 1: what I'm saying. Yeah, I don't think you're drunk. I

728
00:38:07,040 --> 00:38:08,920
Speaker 1: just love that you're just as when I say the

729
00:38:08,960 --> 00:38:11,239
Speaker 1: freest you're at home talking like it's me and you.

730
00:38:11,560 --> 00:38:14,279
Speaker 1: It's like, I love every moment of it. Thank you,

731
00:38:14,400 --> 00:38:17,279
Speaker 1: And I hope that the new regime understands that I

732
00:38:17,280 --> 00:38:19,360
Speaker 1: would love to be able to continue that franchise because

733
00:38:19,400 --> 00:38:21,960
Speaker 1: I feel like if it's the one night of the

734
00:38:22,040 --> 00:38:24,600
Speaker 1: year where everybody can be who they are, everybody can

735
00:38:24,600 --> 00:38:28,760
Speaker 1: show a personality, everybody can be human. Is New Year's Eve. Listen.

736
00:38:28,800 --> 00:38:32,000
Speaker 1: As long as there's not, you know, a war going

737
00:38:32,080 --> 00:38:36,040
Speaker 1: on or something some sort of crazy serious news story,

738
00:38:36,480 --> 00:38:39,560
Speaker 1: then why not Journalists are people too? We have fun.

739
00:38:39,640 --> 00:38:41,760
Speaker 1: We like to, you know, party on New Year's Eve

740
00:38:41,800 --> 00:38:43,680
Speaker 1: and the whold country. I think it's a great time

741
00:38:43,680 --> 00:38:46,880
Speaker 1: for people to go, Ah, this year was hard or whatever,

742
00:38:47,120 --> 00:38:49,520
Speaker 1: and I'll take a drink and celebrate the that it's

743
00:38:49,560 --> 00:38:52,920
Speaker 1: over and let's toast the new year. And you do

744
00:38:53,000 --> 00:38:55,120
Speaker 1: it well and it doesn't take away from your credibility.

745
00:38:55,160 --> 00:38:57,759
Speaker 1: But what it is is pure joy. And I don't

746
00:38:57,800 --> 00:39:00,600
Speaker 1: care what anyone says. That is a time and we

747
00:39:00,640 --> 00:39:02,879
Speaker 1: can laugh and have a good were We deserve that

748
00:39:02,960 --> 00:39:05,319
Speaker 1: as a country, and you are providing us with so much.

749
00:39:05,600 --> 00:39:08,280
Speaker 1: It was legit in our contract and they were like, hey,

750
00:39:08,480 --> 00:39:11,400
Speaker 1: we can't. We can't guarantee the special. They were like,

751
00:39:11,440 --> 00:39:13,440
Speaker 1: we don't know what that looks like. There's so many

752
00:39:13,520 --> 00:39:15,680
Speaker 1: people who want to do the show. I was like,

753
00:39:16,160 --> 00:39:18,560
Speaker 1: this has become and they do doesn't even understand it.

754
00:39:18,560 --> 00:39:20,400
Speaker 1: It's like musty TV. Because I ain't nobody doing. You

755
00:39:20,440 --> 00:39:22,080
Speaker 1: get past certain a drein doing that. No New Years

756
00:39:22,640 --> 00:39:27,960
Speaker 1: are You're traveling at all? You have? Yeah, I don't.

757
00:39:27,960 --> 00:39:29,439
Speaker 1: I ain't going out. I know how to get drunk

758
00:39:29,480 --> 00:39:32,080
Speaker 1: in the house, so I but that's what we had

759
00:39:32,239 --> 00:39:34,879
Speaker 1: we had talked about and then in my mind, I said,

760
00:39:34,920 --> 00:39:38,800
Speaker 1: I really appreciate because you know, because you're not trying

761
00:39:38,880 --> 00:39:42,680
Speaker 1: to give us, You're you're not even trying to be extra,

762
00:39:42,760 --> 00:39:45,560
Speaker 1: You're just being. And I'm like, this is really You're

763
00:39:45,600 --> 00:39:47,839
Speaker 1: just being You're just beating, and I'm like, I'm here

764
00:39:47,880 --> 00:39:50,840
Speaker 1: for all of it. Um. I do say this though,

765
00:39:51,520 --> 00:39:52,920
Speaker 1: and I and I mean it. I don't want to

766
00:39:52,920 --> 00:39:54,400
Speaker 1: get too emotional because I know you've got to go

767
00:39:54,400 --> 00:39:56,080
Speaker 1: in a few I'm giving I'll get you out of

768
00:39:56,160 --> 00:39:58,839
Speaker 1: here in a few minutes. I don't like the way

769
00:39:58,920 --> 00:40:01,960
Speaker 1: you are treated. Don't like the way that you're bullied online.

770
00:40:01,960 --> 00:40:04,840
Speaker 1: And while it doesn't bother you, and while you have

771
00:40:04,920 --> 00:40:07,120
Speaker 1: been able to handle it with so much grace, I

772
00:40:07,160 --> 00:40:10,640
Speaker 1: do want to make it be known that I think

773
00:40:10,719 --> 00:40:12,759
Speaker 1: the culture and the community and yes, our folks have

774
00:40:12,840 --> 00:40:14,560
Speaker 1: your back, but I do think we need to be

775
00:40:14,640 --> 00:40:18,279
Speaker 1: more vocal about how we support you. Um, because no

776
00:40:18,280 --> 00:40:21,520
Speaker 1: one deserved to be jumped on TV every single day.

777
00:40:21,560 --> 00:40:24,960
Speaker 1: No one deserves to be called gay, or the effort

778
00:40:25,120 --> 00:40:27,440
Speaker 1: or all the things that no one deserves to be

779
00:40:27,520 --> 00:40:30,960
Speaker 1: attacked genuinely because you're just trying to do your job

780
00:40:31,000 --> 00:40:33,799
Speaker 1: and I understand why, but we are this country as

781
00:40:33,840 --> 00:40:37,120
Speaker 1: you have eloquently said, is more racist than ever openly racist,

782
00:40:37,280 --> 00:40:40,160
Speaker 1: rather because it's always been there, but more openly racist.

783
00:40:40,280 --> 00:40:42,680
Speaker 1: And you have been able to persevere in spite of

784
00:40:43,239 --> 00:40:45,200
Speaker 1: there's not one person who would think that you were racist.

785
00:40:45,560 --> 00:40:48,160
Speaker 1: There's not one person to say okay. And there's this

786
00:40:48,200 --> 00:40:50,000
Speaker 1: thing of well he's pro black, Well what's wrong with that?

787
00:40:50,280 --> 00:40:52,680
Speaker 1: If you are? So? What? But I I am also

788
00:40:53,400 --> 00:40:56,040
Speaker 1: these other things. I have lived much life. I am

789
00:40:56,080 --> 00:41:00,160
Speaker 1: also in addition to being this, that is well, Um,

790
00:41:00,320 --> 00:41:03,040
Speaker 1: how would even if you don't ask for what does

791
00:41:03,080 --> 00:41:06,480
Speaker 1: support look like for you? Besides the thank you? Well,

792
00:41:06,520 --> 00:41:09,600
Speaker 1: it would be great. Look, I'm not how do I

793
00:41:09,640 --> 00:41:12,759
Speaker 1: say this without sounding like an egotist or because you

794
00:41:12,760 --> 00:41:14,640
Speaker 1: said like I don't care if you have me or not?

795
00:41:15,960 --> 00:41:18,319
Speaker 1: I mean I do. Look, it's nice. It would be

796
00:41:18,360 --> 00:41:21,000
Speaker 1: nice to get your flowers while you're alive. You know

797
00:41:21,040 --> 00:41:24,120
Speaker 1: what I'm saying. Um, There's hasn't been anyone I don't

798
00:41:24,160 --> 00:41:26,120
Speaker 1: think that has been in the position that I'm meant

799
00:41:26,160 --> 00:41:30,359
Speaker 1: to hold Um a show uh in cable from time

800
00:41:30,360 --> 00:41:31,640
Speaker 1: in the way that I did. I don't think there's

801
00:41:31,640 --> 00:41:34,680
Speaker 1: anyone in history that's done yet. Um. And but no

802
00:41:34,719 --> 00:41:37,520
Speaker 1: one there's not an acknowledgement. I do think this is

803
00:41:37,520 --> 00:41:39,719
Speaker 1: a weird thing. I don't know if you but I

804
00:41:39,760 --> 00:41:45,239
Speaker 1: do think that there is you know, like I'm not.

805
00:41:46,120 --> 00:41:48,319
Speaker 1: I don't know should I say this, say it? And

806
00:41:48,360 --> 00:41:51,880
Speaker 1: if you don't like what I say, okay, So I'm not. Like,

807
00:41:52,120 --> 00:41:55,000
Speaker 1: I do think there's some like light skinned sort of

808
00:41:55,040 --> 00:41:58,080
Speaker 1: thing that Alan Kaeperni have to deal with, Like people

809
00:41:58,120 --> 00:41:59,880
Speaker 1: don't think that I'm black enough, and then when I

810
00:42:00,680 --> 00:42:02,840
Speaker 1: you know, when I am, you know, because to the

811
00:42:02,840 --> 00:42:05,279
Speaker 1: people who don't like black people, it doesn't matter what

812
00:42:05,440 --> 00:42:08,880
Speaker 1: he of black you are. Um. And also like, you know,

813
00:42:09,400 --> 00:42:14,000
Speaker 1: I'm not you know, maybe I'm not. I feel like

814
00:42:14,040 --> 00:42:18,600
Speaker 1: sometimes I don't people don't think I'm urban enough, and

815
00:42:18,680 --> 00:42:22,239
Speaker 1: so they don't view me as necessarily being black enough,

816
00:42:22,239 --> 00:42:24,640
Speaker 1: which is a little bit weird to me. But whatever,

817
00:42:25,080 --> 00:42:26,840
Speaker 1: I don't know if that's fair enough. But that's I

818
00:42:26,880 --> 00:42:29,840
Speaker 1: think about that. And um, so I think that I

819
00:42:30,120 --> 00:42:34,000
Speaker 1: perhaps get my flowers in real time if that were people,

820
00:42:34,080 --> 00:42:38,279
Speaker 1: if I was browner and more urban. But I'm not

821
00:42:38,320 --> 00:42:42,239
Speaker 1: going to change who I am or what I am

822
00:42:42,280 --> 00:42:46,840
Speaker 1: because I'm looking to get, um the acceptance or approval

823
00:42:46,920 --> 00:42:50,040
Speaker 1: of anyone. I don't care who that is, by the

824
00:42:50,040 --> 00:42:55,480
Speaker 1: way beautifully said, and and and everyone at one point

825
00:42:55,480 --> 00:42:57,520
Speaker 1: of their in their lives, especially if you're black with

826
00:42:57,560 --> 00:43:00,440
Speaker 1: a little bit of success, always has to answer question,

827
00:43:00,440 --> 00:43:03,360
Speaker 1: am I black enough? Or has? We must prove ourselves.

828
00:43:03,360 --> 00:43:06,359
Speaker 1: This the only culture that penalizes you for success. Um,

829
00:43:06,920 --> 00:43:09,200
Speaker 1: and we gotta work on that. Don Lemon, thank you

830
00:43:09,239 --> 00:43:10,960
Speaker 1: so much for joining me on Naked. Go back and

831
00:43:11,000 --> 00:43:12,959
Speaker 1: make some money so that I can come and visit

832
00:43:13,000 --> 00:43:16,440
Speaker 1: and hang out with you. Okay, that's it. Yeah, well,

833
00:43:16,480 --> 00:43:18,359
Speaker 1: I look, I I wanted to give you thirty minutes.

834
00:43:18,360 --> 00:43:20,160
Speaker 1: It's been thirty minutes. I I you gotta get back

835
00:43:20,200 --> 00:43:21,960
Speaker 1: and go to work. I didn't want to harass you.

836
00:43:22,440 --> 00:43:24,880
Speaker 1: We want you on the morning show. So I have

837
00:43:24,880 --> 00:43:28,400
Speaker 1: to figure out how to do that. And when it

838
00:43:28,440 --> 00:43:31,279
Speaker 1: starts November one at six am, So please tune in

839
00:43:31,320 --> 00:43:32,960
Speaker 1: and you guys, tell me you know I can. I

840
00:43:32,960 --> 00:43:34,279
Speaker 1: can take it. Tell me what you think, Tell me

841
00:43:34,360 --> 00:43:35,719
Speaker 1: you think it could be better. Tell me what you

842
00:43:35,760 --> 00:43:38,960
Speaker 1: think that we should scrub, that we should do or

843
00:43:39,000 --> 00:43:40,960
Speaker 1: what have you. But I would love to because of

844
00:43:41,040 --> 00:43:42,719
Speaker 1: our chemistry. I'm gonna try to get you into do

845
00:43:42,760 --> 00:43:45,120
Speaker 1: a test. I would I would love it but even

846
00:43:45,160 --> 00:43:48,759
Speaker 1: more importantly, I'm supporting you. I'm so damn proud of you. Um,

847
00:43:48,800 --> 00:43:50,840
Speaker 1: I have nothing but great things to say about you.

848
00:43:51,080 --> 00:43:53,080
Speaker 1: And I also know what it takes to do what

849
00:43:53,120 --> 00:43:55,960
Speaker 1: you do, and not necessarily that I've had that at

850
00:43:55,960 --> 00:43:57,880
Speaker 1: that level, but I know what you have to maneuver

851
00:43:58,000 --> 00:43:59,440
Speaker 1: and deal with day in and day out, and you

852
00:43:59,520 --> 00:44:01,960
Speaker 1: handle it with so much grace and so continue to

853
00:44:02,000 --> 00:44:06,279
Speaker 1: be grace and class sonofy. Thank you, thank you. That

854
00:44:06,320 --> 00:44:11,200
Speaker 1: goes right back at you. Okay, thank you, thank you,

855
00:44:11,239 --> 00:44:14,120
Speaker 1: thank you for having me on your So here's the

856
00:44:14,120 --> 00:44:17,160
Speaker 1: biggest takeaway for those who watch CNN and think Don

857
00:44:17,280 --> 00:44:20,640
Speaker 1: is being demoted and moved to mornings. He has said

858
00:44:20,719 --> 00:44:24,160
Speaker 1: it is his choice. On this podcast. I'm hearing for

859
00:44:24,239 --> 00:44:26,919
Speaker 1: the very first time it is his choice. Management didn't

860
00:44:26,920 --> 00:44:28,480
Speaker 1: come in and say we tied to you and you

861
00:44:28,520 --> 00:44:31,400
Speaker 1: did this and there's a scandal surrounding him leaving his

862
00:44:31,440 --> 00:44:34,960
Speaker 1: own show at night. In fact, he was told by

863
00:44:35,120 --> 00:44:37,759
Speaker 1: new management, the new president of the network, who has

864
00:44:37,800 --> 00:44:40,719
Speaker 1: created great morning shows, we need you. We need you

865
00:44:40,760 --> 00:44:43,520
Speaker 1: in the morning. It's that simple, because now it gives

866
00:44:43,560 --> 00:44:45,600
Speaker 1: you an opportunity to do something that you haven't done

867
00:44:45,600 --> 00:44:48,680
Speaker 1: thus far. In your career. And he went into the

868
00:44:48,800 --> 00:44:51,719
Speaker 1: night because he wanted to, not because they made him.

869
00:44:51,840 --> 00:44:53,520
Speaker 1: And he did say that he would have made it

870
00:44:53,560 --> 00:44:57,399
Speaker 1: really crystal clear, like he's very transparent. Um, hey, this

871
00:44:57,440 --> 00:44:59,360
Speaker 1: is what happened, and I'll pun intended. He has a

872
00:44:59,360 --> 00:45:03,160
Speaker 1: book called Transparent, right, but he's very transparent about what's

873
00:45:03,200 --> 00:45:04,920
Speaker 1: going on. And we would have known if this was

874
00:45:05,320 --> 00:45:08,800
Speaker 1: a forced move. It's his choice, and I congratulate him

875
00:45:08,840 --> 00:45:13,120
Speaker 1: for for making his own choice and really ignoring the critics.

876
00:45:13,239 --> 00:45:14,719
Speaker 1: He's been able to do that in a way in

877
00:45:14,719 --> 00:45:17,799
Speaker 1: which I can only appreciate from Afar, because I'll be

878
00:45:18,200 --> 00:45:21,240
Speaker 1: he says, don't respond, I'd be like yo, mama, yr mama,

879
00:45:21,280 --> 00:45:24,239
Speaker 1: and your daddy, my old child, yourself, always talking about

880
00:45:24,239 --> 00:45:28,160
Speaker 1: somebody's parents. Meanwhile, I asked that we continue to support

881
00:45:28,200 --> 00:45:30,200
Speaker 1: him because what he's doing is probably more difficult than

882
00:45:30,239 --> 00:45:32,680
Speaker 1: any of us really understand. I know how tough it

883
00:45:32,760 --> 00:45:36,520
Speaker 1: is to walk into a corporate situation and battle just

884
00:45:36,560 --> 00:45:39,359
Speaker 1: to say two or three words on television once a week,

885
00:45:39,600 --> 00:45:41,800
Speaker 1: and then you turn around and you pick up your phone,

886
00:45:41,840 --> 00:45:43,799
Speaker 1: and then you're battling people who are saying you're not

887
00:45:43,840 --> 00:45:46,359
Speaker 1: doing enough for the culture and you are this, and

888
00:45:46,400 --> 00:45:50,439
Speaker 1: you are that. It could wear you down, It could

889
00:45:50,520 --> 00:45:53,160
Speaker 1: break you down mentally. And I say this over and

890
00:45:53,200 --> 00:45:55,920
Speaker 1: over again. His spirit is so light and easy, probably

891
00:45:55,960 --> 00:45:58,480
Speaker 1: because he's making money. But at the same time, I

892
00:45:58,480 --> 00:46:00,200
Speaker 1: don't care who you are after while some of that

893
00:46:00,280 --> 00:46:02,960
Speaker 1: stuff will just take you out. And thus far has

894
00:46:03,000 --> 00:46:07,640
Speaker 1: not support Don Lemon, regardless of your political affiliations. Support

895
00:46:07,680 --> 00:46:09,919
Speaker 1: people who work hard and who got it from the mud.

896
00:46:10,600 --> 00:46:14,400
Speaker 1: With that being said, support Naked and me and my staff,

897
00:46:14,480 --> 00:46:17,239
Speaker 1: and we appreciate you. We'll be back next week.