NEED TO KNOW
Don Lemon is speaking out about his arrest for the first time.
The 59-year-old journalist appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Monday, Feb. 2, and shared details of how he was arrested after reporting at an anti-ICE protest at a church in Minnesota on Jan. 18.
Upon being asked by Kimmel how he now was, Lemon replied, “I don’t know… I’m not going to let them steal my joy, but this is very serious; these are federal, criminal charges.”
ABC
When Kimmel joked about prison time, Lemon replied that he shouldn’t get ahead of himself.
Lemon then noted that while there was a lot he could not say, “what I will say is that I’m not a protestor, I went there as a journalist. I went there to chronicle, document and record what was happening. There is a difference between a protestor and a journalist.”
The interview came less than a week after the former CNN anchor was arrested by federal agents in Los Angeles.
After being detained for around 12 hours, Lemon was released without bail and is expected to plead not guilty to charges of conspiracy against religious freedom at a place of worship and injuring, intimidating, and interfering with the exercise of the right of religious freedom at a place of worship, PEOPLE previously reported.
PGP / BACKGRID
According to Atty. Gen Pam Bondi, who directed Lemon’s arrest along with three others, his arrest was in connection to what she described on X as a “coordinated attack” on the St. Paul church.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Lemon told Kimmel that he offered to hand himself in for questioning multiple times before his arrest, but never heard back from officials. Kimmel also joked that Lemon has not been a “favorite” of Donald Trump since his CNN days.
Lemon then told Kimmel about the circumstances of his arrest at a Beverly Hills hotel, and revealed that he was “jostled,” and “grabbed,” and “put in handcuffs.”
He also described being taken outside where there were “a dozen” agents, which he called a “waste” of resources, given that he had offered to hand himself in.
“They want to embarrass you, they want to intimidate you, they want to instill fear,” Lemon said.
Addressing a crowd outside the courthouse upon his release last week, Lemon said, per The Los Angeles Times, “There is no more important time than right now, this very moment, for a free and independent media that shines a light on truth and power and holds those in power accountable. I will not stop now, I will not stop ever.”
“Don has been a journalist for 30 years, and his constitutionally protected work in Minneapolis was no different than what he has always done,” his attorney said in a statement, as previously reported by PEOPLE.
“The First Amendment exists to protect journalists whose role it is to shine light on the truth and hold those in power accountable. There is no more important time for people like Don to be doing this work.”
