In his first public appearance since being fired by CNN on Monday, Don Lemon spoke to Extra at the Time 100 Gala in New York City about where his head is at now, what his immediate plans are, and where he sees his future.
But while Lemon was tight lipped about whether or not he’ll be suing his former employer, he did tell Extra’s Tommy DiDario, “I live my life with no regrets.” You can watch the brief clip at the top of the page right now.
“I’m not making headlines,” Lemon said after being approached on the red carpet by DiDario, who asked if he was surprised to have been fired. “I think that my statement speaks for itself. Yeah, it was a surprise, but life goes on, you know, that’s behind me and we’ll see what happens in the future.”
“I’m gonna spend my summer on a beach and on a boat and with my family,” Lemon continued, “and just chill out. And then I’ll see what happens next. But I am fortunate enough to be in a position where I can do that, where I have time, where I don’t have to rush to another job. Even if I want another job — I do, I want to work again, but I’m lucky enough to be in a position where I don’t have to worry about those things.”
DiDario asked Lemon if he is excited “for a new chapter,” and Lemon said he was. “Because I think life is short, and you have to, whatever life hands you, you have to bob and weave and do it.”
Lemon compared being fired to two other unhappy surprises in his life. “I didn’t think that I would be at work one evening and I’d get a phone call that my sister had died, but I had to deal with that. I didn’t think that, you know, my dad would die young of diabetes, I had to deal with that, you know. So there are lots of things that come your way that are unexpected, but I’m a survivor, I come from strong, sturdy stock in Louisiana, and a lot of people who are rooting for me and who love me.”
At this point, DiDario gestured to Lemon’s fiance, Tim Malone, who Lemon said was “my biggest supporter.”
Just before exiting, Lemon said, “I live my life with no regrets. And, whatever I did, I did and I own. So, no, I don’t look back and I don’t wanna change things in the past. I would love to bring my sister back, but that’s not gonna happen. You can’t change… you can’t turn back time and you can’t go in the past. So, onward.”
