LOS ANGELES — Don Lemon broke his silence on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” Monday evening, marking his first public appearance since his recent detainment.
Lemon was taken into custody by federal agents while in Los Angeles to report on the Grammy Awards.
The Department of Justice stated that Lemon’s arrest stemmed from his coverage of a protest against ICE held during a church service in Minnesota.
During the interview, Lemon expressed his determination, saying, “I won’t let them dampen my spirits, but this situation is indeed grave. We’re talking about federal charges here.”
The former CNN anchor clarified that his presence at the Minnesota church was purely professional, emphasizing his role as a journalist rather than an activist.
“There’s much I’m unable to discuss, but I must make clear: I am not a protester,” Lemon stated. “I was there in the capacity of a journalist. My intention was to observe, document, and report on the events unfolding. I trailed a particular group, and that is precisely what I did—reported on their actions.”
Lemon said he and his attorney got word an arrest was possibly coming, so he offered to turn himself in – but Lemon said he never heard back from the DOJ when his attorney reached out.
“People who are accused of much worse things than I am accused of doing, they are allowed the courtesy – I mean Donald Trump was allowed the courtesy to turn himself in,” Lemon told Kimmel.
Before his arrest, Lemon said he was heading back to his hotel after attending a couple events when people grabbed him and put him in handcuffs.
“I got back to the hotel. I had my swag bag from the (event), and I was walking up to the room, and I pressed the elevator button and all of a sudden, I feel myself being jostled and people trying to grab me and put me in handcuffs.
“And I said, ‘What are you doing here?’ And they said, ‘We came to arrest you.’ I said, ‘Who are you?’ Finally, they identified themselves. I said, ‘If you are who you are, then where’s the warrant?’ They didn’t have a warrant. So, they had to wait for someone from outside, an FBI guy to come in, to show me a warrant on a cellphone.”
Lemon said there were about a dozen people there for the arrest and called it a “waste of resources” since his attorney said he would turn himself in.
“They want that,” Lemon said. “They want to embarrass you, they want to intimidate you, they want to instill fear, so that’s why they did it that way.”
Lemon said he was surprised by the number of supporters and reporters who were there for him once he was released.
Lemon was at the Grammys Sunday after a judge allowed him to be released on his own recognizance, without bail. He is expected to be arraigned Feb. 9.
The Walt Disney Company is the parent company of this station.
Copyright © 2026 KABC Television, LLC. All rights reserved.
