CNN’s Don Lemon gave an emotional farewell Friday as he signed on for his final primetime show, “Don Lemon Tonight,” before anchoring the network’s morning show on Monday.
“I wasn’t always perfect, because no one is perfect,” Lemon said after playing a montage of highlights from his eight-year run on primetime. “There’s an immense amount of pressure that comes with this job, and especially with this time slot at 10 a.m., when people are going to bed. So sometimes all I could do was – I’m going to be honest with you. Hoon – just smile and get the commercial break sometimes.”
Lemon, who joined the network in 2006 and received his primetime show in 2014, accepted the pressure of his gig. “Sometimes it was exhausting, because some of the things we discuss here are so personal and so all-consuming, all-consuming,” he said. “So I hope I’ve made you proud. And I thank you for tuning in all these years. And I hope you’re going to join me in the morning.”
After giving a simple “good night,” Lemon said, “I’m about to leave and I’m going upstairs.” Then he stood up from his desk and walked away, waving and giving a high pitch, “Goodbye”. As the credits of the show rolled, she could be seen climbing a ladder at the back of the set, sniffing and sighing as her shoes were mounted on the metal stairs.
On Monday, Lemon will join co-anchors of CNN’s Morning Show along with Poppy Harlow and Caitlan Collins. Alisin Camerota and Laura Coates will co-anchor Lemon’s primetime slot from 10 p.m. to midnight ET. In addition, Jake Tapper will handle the 9 p.m. time slot, which has seen a rotating crew of hosts since the firing of Chris Cuomo last December.
You can watch Lemon’s full sign-off above.
