Don Lemon Torches Trump-Fearing Media By Name — Calls On CNN Stars To ‘Stand Up To The Corporation!’

Independent journalist Don Lemon spoke out against “corporate media” and President Donald Trump, urging his colleagues to “stand up” to their parent companies in his first broadcast following his release from jail.

The political media world was shocked Friday morning when news of Don Lemon’s arrest broke. Federal agents took Lemon into custody in Los Angeles over his coverage of a protest at a St. Paul church.

Lemon was released from custody without bail Friday night and struck a defiant tone outside the courthouse.

Minutes later, the host was live for a special edition of the Lemon LIVE at 5 podcast, during which he addressed and thanked his former CNN colleagues, ripped media outlets who “bend the knee,” and extolled independent media:

DON LEMON: I’ve heard that my former colleagues at CNN all came out pretty unanimously, pretty strongly to support me. I understand–. I believe that CNN released a statement. I have heard that CNN released a statement.

Thank you very much. I had no animus for CNN. I have no animous for anyone, but I tell the truth as about what I see.

And I think it’s time for all journalists to stand up for each other. So I appreciate that. And look, at CNN, I worked with the best journalists in the world. So I wish them nothing but the best.

But I believe those journalists as well need to stand up to the corporation! They need to tell Warner Brothers Discovery, stop playing and get your hands out of the newsroom.

CBS needs to tell Paramount and David Ellison and whatever, get out of our newsroom, get out our journalism!

Bari Weiss, take your hands off of it! Let the journalists be the journalists. All of all of them that goes for every single corporate entity that owns a journalistic organization. Let the journalists be the journalists because they’re going to save our democracy!

If you just let them do it the way to stand up to a bully to a tyrant is not to bend the knee. It’s not to acquiesce. It is to metaphorically punch them right in the nose and you need to introduce — not only Donald Trump and the folks who work for him and his administration — but the corporate overlords and the gatekeepers you need to introduce them to the word no!

All the journalists! They cannot fire you! We were always taught when I worked in corporate media that the news is the star. That’s bullshit.

If the news was a star everybody would have the same ratings and everybody doesn’t have the same ratings.

The journalists are the stars. The people who are delivering the news those are the stars. And the people, who do it well do well they get the ratings and they get respect.

So it is an actually having come from that. And now I understand that what my star quality is that is being honest and authentic and telling the truth.

And I think that’s if everyone did that and they are not afraid of the powers that be that’s our motto! That’s our mission! Just like a doctor just like the lawyer what we’re supposed to do is hold the powerful to account. And do no harm.

And if you don’t want to do harm to the American people then stand up for democracy stand up the first amendment.

So thank you so much. CNN journalist. I love you, Dana Bash. Thank you, Jake. Thank you. Erin Burnett. Thank you to all of the people over at CNN who I like.

And thank you to the management and to– who I worked with forever for putting out a statement.

And thank to the folks on MSNBC. Thank you Scott Galloway and to everyone.

Watch above via the Lemon LIVE at 5 podcast.

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