Left-leaning anchor Don Lemon on Tuesday announced his return to the media landscape after a nine-month hiatus following his firing from CNN.
Lemon — who was canned after a series of controversies capped by his infamous Nikki Haley “past her prime” remark — will reemerge on Elon Musk’s social media platform X.
“I’ve heard you …and I am back, bigger, bolder, freer!” he posted on the site formerly known as Twitter.
“My new media company’s first project is The Don Lemon Show. It will be available to everyone, easily, whenever and wherever you want it, streaming on the platforms where the conversations are happening,” the firebrand host added.
“And you’ll find it first on X, the biggest space for free space in the world.”
“I know now more than ever that we need a place for honest debate and discussion without the hall monitors. This is just the beginning so stay tuned,” he concluded.
Musk has been trying to lure more liberal voices to the platform’s streaming service, Spaces.
Lemon told The Post in an emailed statement that he’s “been working on the right time, place and partner to return to what I love most — and I have found it.”
He continued: “I have a lot to say, and even more that I want to listen to and understand. In the months since I’ve been away from having a regular opportunity to share what’s on my mind, I’ve realized how much I’ve missed it. Democracy thrives when nothing is left unsaid and everyone has a voice. I’m excited about returning to play a role in that, and I cannot wait to get started.”
Lemon’s spokesperson, Allison Gollust, told The Post that the “goal is to launch in February.”
From there, the show will run three times weekly, for at least 30 minutes each, Gollust said.
It “will run first on X and then elsewhere as well,” she added.
Lemon most recently co-hosted “CNN This Morning” alongside Poppy Harlow and Kaitlan Collins after being shifted from his 10 p.m. primetime show, a move heralded at the time as a “promotion.”
Tensions were reportedly high between Collins and Lemon, who allegedly “screamed” at his co-host in an ugly off-camera incident that rattled the cast and crew who watched on.
According to two sources with knowledge of the situation, 57-year-old Lemon approached 31-year-old Collins following the show’s Dec. 8, 2022, broadcast — and unloaded on her in front of staffers as he accused her of “interrupting” him on air.
News of the explosive incident made its way up to then-CNN CEO Chris Licht, who is said to have been appalled by Lemon’s behavior, according to a source. A second source said a producer talked to Lemon at the behest of Licht and told the anchor to take the next day off to “cool off.”
The December blowup wasn’t the first sign of trouble at “CNN This Morning” since the show’s Nov. 1, 2022, launch: A week earlier, Lemon got into an awkward dispute with Collins and Harlow on air, arguing that the US men’s soccer team should get paid more than the women’s team despite the men’s relative lack of success at the World Cup.
The dustup made headlines, with the Daily Beast quoting Lemon saying the men were “more interesting to watch” — a comment that Lemon quickly walked back and insisted was a joke.
Shortly thereafter, in February 2023, Lemon infamously described then-51-year-old Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley as not “in her prime.”
“A woman is considered to be in their prime in [their] 20s and 30s and maybe 40s,” he said.
After Harlow called him out over the remarks, Lemon doubled down by claiming he wasn’t stating his personal beliefs.
“That’s not according to me. It’s like, prime. If you look it up. If you Google when is a woman in her prime, it’ll say 20s, 30s and 40s,” he argued.
Lemon was unceremoniously fired from the network by the end April with a reported $25 million payout.
In the days following his ousting, Lemon played the victim, telling Extra while on the red carpet at the Time 100 Gala in New York: “There are lots of things that come your way that are unexpected, but I’m a survivor.”
“I live my life with no regrets and whatever I did, I did, I owned,” he told Extra. “I don’t look back and don’t want to change things in the past … Onward.”