Don Lemon Reacts to Blockbuster Meghan and Harry Interview About Racism in Royal Family: ‘The Whole Institution Is Built on a Racist Structure’
CNN’s Don Lemon had some strong opinions about Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s blockbuster interview with Oprah Winfrey, telling CNN Newsroom anchor Brianna Keilar that the whole British royal family was “built on a racist structure,” but it was something that Harry had to experience for himself for the first time with his wife.
No person of color was surprised to hear the couple describe racism within the royal family, said Lemon, because “the system is racist.”
“That is what the monarchy is based on: heredity, hierarchy, a caste system, bloodlines,” said Lemon. “And so the whole institution is built on a racist structure. So there should not be a ‘Oh my God, the British family is racist.’ Of course they’re racist. That’s what the entire monarchy is built on. The racism, the family that is supposed to be in it only by birth. And so far by birth it has only been white royals on the British throne.”
Keilar mentioned that Harry had talked about how he had been surprised, and hadn’t really seen the racism issue “until he had to see it through the eyes of Meghan Markle, through the eyes of a Black woman who he loved.”
“That is what privilege is all about,” Lemon replied. “If you don’t have to deal with it, then it didn’t exist for you.”
Lemon then launched into a tirade against “privileged people” and “white women” on social media who he felt were “trying to be relevant on the backs of black people:”
Look at all the criticism — before the interview aired there were people on social media saying ‘I can’t believe, why are they doing this, ‘woe is me,’ they are rich, wealthy, royal, what have you, not even knowing what the interview was going to be about. Not even knowing someone else’s existence. I wonder why these people always try to explain what someone else’s experiences are. And why all of these privileged people, most of them on social media, white women, who are criticizing Meghan and Harry and Oprah for what they were about to do and then the interview as well.
Why is that — why do you have to get on social media and weigh in on everything that has to do with black people and racism? Especially if you are a white person in this country. Unless you are going to be helpful and open about it, instead of saying it doesn’t exist. ‘Oh, my gosh, how dare you,’ they see everything through the eyes of this. Why don’t you try to look at it with some understanding, with an open mind instead of always criticizing — especially people who have built their reputations on criticizing people.
And you know who you are. Because you do it every time. Every time there is a story about criminal justice or something Black or Colin Kaepernick or Meghan Markle — they always have to rush to Twitter and criticize someone or get in on it because they want relevance. You are not relevant anymore. Stop trying to be relevant on the backs of Black people.
Lemon never named which specific person or people had drawn his ire, but Piers Morgan, Megyn Kelly, and Charlie Kirk all had their own sharply critical takes on the interview — with each of them trending on Twitter for several hours from the backlash. It should be noted that Kelly and Lemon have clashed in the past. She called him out during an appearance on Bill Maher last week, and he has previously criticized some of her controversial takes on racial issues.
Lemon commented that he wasn’t surprised that Harry had “felt it in a personal way” as he learned about racism from these experiences with his wife. “It means the world to him. Harry has a Black child. And a Black wife now. So it is personal.”
Watch the video above, via CNN.
