Don Lemon – Net Worth 2024, Biography, Personal Life, Professional Career, and Everything
Don Lemon is a famous American journalist who made a significant impact with his reporting and sharp commentary. He is best known for hosting various programs on CNN between 2014 and 2023. He served as a host of CNN’s Don Lemon Tonight and CNN This Morning. For his special reports, Lemon r received three regional Emmy Awards.
This article will explore Lemon’s net worth, personal life, professional career, and more.
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Real Name | Don Lemon |
| Profession | Journalist |
| Date of Birth | March 1, 1966 |
| Age | 58 years |
| Birth Place | Baton Rouge, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Parents | Katherine Marie, Wilmon Lee Richardson |
| Spouse | Tim Malone (m. 2024) |
| Siblings | Leisa Lemon, Yma Lemon |
| Net Worth | Estimated $20 million |
| Don Lemon Instagram |
Net Worth 2024
As of 2024, Lemon’s net worth is around $20 million. He earned most of his wealth through his media career. At the peak of his career at CNN, he earned $7 million annually.
Early Life
Lemon was born to Katherine Marie and Wilmon Lee Richardson in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on March 1, 1966. His father was an attorney. At first, he used his stepfather’s surname, and when he was 5, he discovered that Richardson was his biological father. He stated that when he was a child, he was sexually abused by a teenage boy who lived near his home.
Lemon attended Louisiana State University. At 30, he graduated from Brooklyn College with a major in broadcast journalism. During his college years, he interned at WNYW.
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Professional Career
Before graduating, Lemon worked as a Fox and NBC affiliates correspondent for several years. He became a weekend news anchor for WBRC and WCAC in his early career. He was also an anchor and investigative reporter for KTVI in St. Louis, Missouri, and Fox’s Chicago affiliate. Then, he worked as a correspondent for Today and NBC Nightly News and an anchor for NBC’s Weekend Today and MSNBC programs.
Lemon gained widespread popularity through his works, and CNN appointed him in September 2006. He has been outspoken in his work at the network and has expressed strong opinions, which sometimes led to controversies.
In 2014, Lemon started hosting Don Lemon Tonight, an evening news commentary program until October 7, 2022. He also became the host of The Eleventh Hour and The Don Lemon Show. He served as a correspondent in CNN’s New Year’s Eve Live alongside Brooke Baldwin.
Lemon launched The Handoff podcast in May 2021 with fellow CNN journalist Chris Cuomo. In October 2022, he joined the morning show as a co-anchor with Katlian Collins and Poppy. The following year, CNN fired him because it was reported that the network had difficulty booking guests for his on-air program. Also, his popularity declined among the viewers.
In January 2024, Lemon announced his new show on X, The Don Lemon Show. He first interviewed X owner Elon Musk but canceled his contract before the interview aired on X.
After that, the interview was aired on YouTube and a podcast. Lemon later stated that Elon Musk did not enjoy the interview as he included questions about Muck’s drug usage, lawsuits filed by and against him, etc.
Personal Life
In 2011, Lemon publicly announced through his memoir, Transplant, that he is gay. He began dating real estate agent Tim Malone in 2016, and they married in April 2024 in New York City.
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