Former CNN anchor Don Lemon claims he was sexually harassed during his 17 years at the network. Lemon was fired three years ago after he clashed with his female co-hosts and then-presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy in separate incidents.
In an interview on Bill Maher’s Club Random podcast, Lemon claims he was sexually harassed by both women and men at CNN.
“I’ve been harassed by women and men in the work,” Lemon told Maher. “There are some things that are really egregious, but not everything is Harvey Weinstein-level.”
He recalled the first incident happened in the cafeteria at CNN’s former headquarters, the CNN Center in Atlanta.
Lemon alleges a “young lady” tweaked his nipples and said, “Oh, it’s cold in here!” Lemon said he told the woman, “OK — you realize if I did that, they’d be walking me out the door right now?” Lemon said that he “didn’t care to go to HR” and “didn’t say anything, because I’m just like, ‘it’s a double standard for you.'”
The second incident took place off company property. “I’ve never told this story as well. Someone who I worked with also harassed me at CNN, and I never went to management,” he explained. “She knew I was gay, and it was just bizarre. She was going through a divorce. It was just weird.”
Lemon said he didn’t go to HR because of the woman’s position of power at the network. He was afraid they would fire him if he complained.
Lemon explained taxis weren’t available at the time when he tried to make his exit.
“Remember, this was a while ago, and there was no Uber or anything like that. if you are in Atlanta, the taxis aren’t available,” he said.
Lemon told Maher that the CNN employee in question was “so mean to me afterward.” He added, as a man he is in a position to say no, which he believes may not always be the case with women.
“I’m an adult, and maybe I think it is different for men and women, depending on the power structure. I think it’s flattering as long as you can send them off easily. As a man, I could say, ‘No, I’m not interested.'”
Lemon also revealed that he was molested as a child, which helped him to cope with harassment as an adult.
“But also someone who was molested as a child is a different thing,” he said. “Because you know how to deal with it, and you know what’s really important or not. And you know, like, who has the power. I figure as a man, I have the power to say, ‘I don’t want to.’ I don’t need to go to HR or ruin your career. I just tell you, ‘I’m not interested in this. You were drunk. We had a couple of drinks or whatever. Let’s let it go.'”
Watch the interview below.
