Don Lemon is back in the headlines, and not for anything subtle. On a recent episode of his podcast, the former CNN anchor went on a fiery and controversial rant, pointing the finger at one group in particular for the problem of mass violence in America: white men.
In the now-viral clip, Lemon asked, “White men, are you okay?” and followed up with a string of accusations. “You keep talking about ooh, Chicago and black-on-black crime,” he said. “I wanna know: White men, are you okay? Because that is the real issue here.” He went even further, claiming, “This country keeps waking up to bodies in the pews, blood on the floor, gunfire in public places and the faces behind the trigger look the same nearly every single time.”
You can watch the full clip here:
So, is Lemon right? Or is this just another case of a media figure using shock value to stay relevant?
Let’s break it down.
First, let’s talk about the facts around mass shootings in America. According to FBI crime data and studies from organizations like the Secret Service and the Department of Justice, mass shooters do come from various racial and ethnic backgrounds. While white men have been responsible for some of the most high-profile mass shootings, they are not the only ones. A 2023 report from the National Institute of Justice looked at mass shootings from 1966 to 2019 and found that while 52% of mass shooters were white, 21% were Black, and 8% were Latino. That means nearly half of mass shootings are committed by non-white individuals. So, the idea that “the faces behind the trigger look the same nearly every single time” is not backed up by the actual data.
Second, it’s important to note that Lemon’s comments didn’t come from nowhere. He was reacting to recent high-profile shootings in North Carolina and Michigan, along with the federal government sending troops to Democrat-led cities to address rising crime. But instead of focusing on the policies or root causes of violence, Lemon singled out race as the main issue.
This isn’t the first time Lemon has sparked outrage. He was fired from CNN in 2023 after several controversies, including saying on air that then-presidential candidate Nikki Haley wasn’t “in her prime,” and allegedly yelling at a co-host off the air. He later claimed he was blindsided by his firing, but CNN pushed back, saying he was offered a meeting with management and chose instead to go public.
After his exit from CNN, Elon Musk briefly offered Lemon a show on the X platform. But that deal fell apart before it even began. Musk canceled the show hours after an interview with Lemon, calling it a “disaster.”
Now, Lemon is doing his own thing with “The Don Lemon Show,” a podcast where he clearly feels free to say whatever he wants. But that freedom comes with consequences. His comments about white men being “broken” and blaming them broadly for violence have ignited fierce backlash. Many online are calling him out for what they see as blatant racism. Some even point out the irony: Lemon is married to a white man, Tim Malone. The two tied the knot last year in a lavish ceremony in Manhattan.
Critics, including well-known commentators like Benny Johnson and Libs of TikTok, didn’t hold back. Johnson called it a “complete racist meltdown,” while others accused Lemon of being a hypocrite.
At the end of the day, Don Lemon’s rant may get him attention, but it doesn’t bring us closer to solving the real problem of violence in America. Blaming one race for a complex issue isn’t only wrong—it’s dangerous. The truth is, violence has many causes: mental health, broken homes, drug abuse, gang activity, and yes, bad policies in cities run by Democrats for decades. If Lemon really wants solutions, maybe he should start there.
Until then, this latest episode is just another reminder: sometimes the loudest voices have the least to say.