CNN This Moring co-host Don Lemon travelled over to CBS and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on Tuesday to promote the show and insist that “I don’t think we were liberal” when speaking about the pre-Chris Licht era.
Colbert asked about changes to the network under Licht, “The word on the street is you guys aren't allowed to be liberal anymore? Is that the case?”
Lemon laughably argued that, “I don't think we ever were liberal.” After a somewhat surprised Colbert replied with a simple “What?,” Lemon doubled down, “Yes, I don't think we ever were liberal.”
Not only was CNN liberal, it still is, but trying to get Lemon to expand on his assertion Colbert, declared “That's not me saying that. It's the people out there saying he’s not letting you be liberal anymore.”
Giving his understanding of Licht’s ideas, Lemon declared, “Well, listen, I think that-- I think what Chris is saying is that he wants Republicans, sensible Republicans, he wants us to hold people to account, but he wants people to come on and feel comfortable with coming on and talking on CNN, and appearing on CNN. So, if you invite someone in your house, you want to make them feel comfortable. But, also, by the nature of what we do, we have to hold people to account.”
He then proceeded to tripled down on not being liberal, “And so that doesn't necessarily mean we're going liberal or conservative or whatever. It just means we are doing what we do, and that's good journalism.”
After Colbert asked if this means “accountable, not confrontational,” Lemon continued:
I think sometimes one must be confrontational. Look, I don't think a conversation on television should be any different than a conversation in person. Listen, I have confrontational conversations with people I love. And I have uncomfortable conversations with people I love. And I think it's necessary. And I think it's also necessary to do that on television, on CNN.
Wrapping up this portion of the interview, Lemon added, “And then-- but you can do that without being vitriolic. I think not being vitriolic is maybe a better way of putting it, but you can do that and not have vitriol. As people say, you can disagree without being disagreeable and so I think that, you know, that’s what our mission is.”
Back in the real world, the real CNN features Lemon labeling those “sensible Republicans” as worse than Trump.
This segment was sponsored by Volkswagen.
Here is a transcript for the November 28-taped show:
CBS The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
11/29/2022
12:16 AM ET
STEPHEN COLBERT: Chris Licht, he's the CEO of CNN.
DON LEMON: Oh, right, right.
COLBERT: He's your boss now.
LEMON: Oh, he’s not there anymore.
COLBERT: He used to stand right over there—he used to stand right over there-- and hit the applause sign--
LEMON: Yeah.
COLBERT: -- right before we went to commercial, basically all his job was. And now he’s a really hard job—
LEMON: Yeah.
COLBERT: -- which is running CNN. The word on the street is you guys aren't allowed to be liberal anymore? Is that the case?
LEMON: I don't think we ever were liberal.
COLBERT: What?
LEMON: Yes, I don't think we ever were liberal.
COLBERT: That's not me saying that. It's the people out there saying he’s not letting you be liberal anymore.
LEMON: Well, listen, I think that-- I think what Chris is saying is that he wants Republicans, sensible Republicans, he wants us to hold people to account, but he wants people to come on and feel comfortable with coming on and talking on CNN, and appearing on CNN. So, if you invite someone in your house, you want to make them feel comfortable. But, also, by the nature of what we do, we have to hold people to account.
And so that doesn't necessarily mean we're going liberal or conservative or whatever. It just means we are doing what we do, and that's good journalism.
COLBERT: So, accountable, not confrontational?
LEMON: I think sometimes one must be confrontational. Look, I don't think a conversation on television should be any different than a conversation in person. Listen, I have confrontational conversations with people I love. And I have uncomfortable conversations with people I love. And I think it's necessary. And I think it's also necessary to do that on television, on CNN.
And then-- but you can do that without being vitriolic. I think not being vitriolic is maybe a better way of putting it, but you can do that and not have vitriol. As people say, you can disagree without being disagreeable and so I think that, you know, that’s what our mission is.
