Don Lemon has appeared recently jimmy kimmel show, where he spoke candidly about his arrest last week. On January 18, he was taken into custody after covering an anti-ICE protest at a church in Minnesota. The former CNN anchor and journalist discussed the incident during an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! On Monday.
Don Lemon appears on Jimmy Kimmel’s show
Federal law enforcement arrested Don Lemon on January 29, 2026, for reporting on anti-ICE protests in Minnesota last month. The authorities released him without bail the next day. Speaking with Jimmy Kimmel on his show, the television journalist shared that he was “fine” following the arrest, but noted the seriousness of the situation.
He declared, “I’m not going to let them steal my happiness, but this is very serious. I mean, these are federal criminal charges.” During the interview, Kimmel asked Lemon, “Is there any difference between whether those protesters had the right to go into the church and whether a credentialed journalist like you had the right to go into the church and cover them?”
Lemon responded, “I’m in the middle of it, so I can’t say much.” He added, “There’s a lot I can’t say, but what I will say is that I’m not a protester. I went there to be a journalist. I went there to describe, document and record what was happening.” He added, “I was following that one group. And so that’s what I did. I reported on them. But I think there’s a difference between a protester and a journalist.”
Describing his arrest experience in detail, the journalist revealed that he did not get a chance to make a phone call immediately. “I asked him, ‘Will I get a phone call for me?’ He said, ‘No, you don’t do that. Whenever the court says you can, you talk to your lawyer. And so it wasn’t until the next day,” Lemon shared.
He also expressed his gratitude for all the support he has been receiving after the incident. The former CNN host then thanked “everyone for their support, especially the journalists, especially the people who were there.” He added, “I mean, it’s been amazing to walk down the street or wherever I am, and people will say, ‘Nice to see you.’ I said, ‘Yeah, it’s nice to see,’ but it’s a lot of support.
Originally written by Namrata Ghosh Mandatory.