Don Lemon Net Worth, Biography, Career, Boyfriend and Controversies

Don Lemon Net Worth    $12 million

Louisiana native, Don Lemon, is well known as a television journalist. He has anchored weekend news programs on local TV stations in Pennsylvania and Alabama, particularly during his early days as a journalist.

He has worked as a news reporter for NBC on its programs, such as NBC Nightly News and Today. In 2006, he joined CNN and worked there as a correspondent until he later achieved celebrity status as the presenter of CNN Tonight starting from 2014.

Lemon is a recipient of three regional Emmy Awards and an Edward R. Murrow Award as a testament of his accomplishments in journalism.

Let’s quickly take a peek at his life’s history, goals, and career achievements, all put together in this short biography of Don Lemon.

Don Lemon’s Biography & Career

Donald Carlton Lemon was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States on March 1, 1966. He has Creole ancestry; his grandfather’s father was of French descent, adding to African-American ancestry.

He attended a public high school known as Baker High School, situated in the Baker town of East Baton Rouge Parish. It is said that he was voted president of his class during his senior year.

He then attended Louisiana State University before graduating with a degree in broadcast journalism from Brooklyn College in Brooklyn, New York. During his time in Brooklyn College, he worked with WNYW as a news assistant.

At that same time, he got hired by Fox News and worked with its Chicago and St. Louis affiliates for several years. As soon as Lemon graduated, he became a reporter for NBC affiliates in Chicago and Philadelphia.

Don Lemon has spent his whole career in the media. In the beginning of it all, he started working as an anchor in Birmingham, Alabama. He then worked the weekend slots at WBRC, and then moved to work for Philadelphia’s WCAU.

He also has other experiences as an anchor and host to his credit. This includes his work at KTVI St. Louis. He also worked as an investigative reporter for a while.

Lemon joined NBC News as a reporter, and worked on several news shows while serving at the channel. He was a reporter for NBC Nightly News and also NBC’s famous news program “Today”. He also secured the role of anchor on Weekend Today and MSNBC.

Moving on in his career, he started working as a co-news anchor and reporter at NBC O&O station WMAQ-TV in the year 2003. He worked there for nearly three years after which he joined CNN in 2006.

During his time working with these major media outlets, he has made several remarks that were deemed quite controversial up to the extent of putting his position at CNN in jeopardy. A petition was signed in 2015 to demand his discharge from CNN for controversial comments he made against the police.

Don Lemon also anchors the New Year’s Eve special for CNN, a program he has been hosting since 2014.

In addition to all that has been mentioned above, Lemon has also released a book. Titled ‘Transparent’, the book became available in 2011 and was published by Farrah Gray Publishing Inc.

His book talks about his life, his sexual orientation, the sexual abuse he encountered when he was a child, and his view on the black American community.

Awards & Achievements

His works have not gone unrecognized so far, as he has had a fair share of recognition and acknowledgments for his works, especially his exceptional reports.

He won an Emmy Award for his special report on the real estate market in Chicago. He has received an Edward R. Murray Award for the story he did on the D.C area sniper.

Furthermore, he has also been awarded for his story on Hurricane Katrina and a report on AIDS in Africa. In 2009, he was listed by Ebony Magazine as one of the 150 most influential African Americans. The tides turned when he was named as one of the worst journalists by Columbia Journalism Review in 2014.

Personal Life

Don Lemon can trace his roots from Cameroon, Congo, Nigeria, and Creole. He is from a mixed ancestry of Africa and Creole. He has been open about his sexual orientation, and has revealed that he is gay.

He is also having a relationship with boyfriend Tim Malone. Not only that, but he even became more popular in the news for his criticisms against former president Donald Trump.

He penned down an open letter to the then president, citing several issues he deemed harsh. He was seen getting expressive while reading out the letter on live television. His letter has been widely hailed for hitting the nail spot on, on the head.

Unfortunately, not everyone thinks so. Some people considered him out of place and felt his letter was improper for a news anchor and television personality.

Don Lemon Net Worth

The journalist has earned nearly everything he owns at this moment from his career as a newsman. Although his salaries are yet to be made public, it is obvious that he earns a great deal and his salary increases steadily.

As at press time, Don Lemon’s net worth is nearly $12 million. He currently has no children, so he lives alone with his boyfriend in his Mansion in New York.