Introduction
When two of cable news’s biggest personalities suddenly find themselves out of the spotlight, people can’t help but wonder what happens next. Are Chris Cuomo and Don Lemon still friends? It’s a question that’s been buzzing around social media and news circles since both anchors left CNN under very different circumstances. You might remember seeing them together on air, sharing laughs and occasionally sparring over the day’s hottest topics. They seemed close, almost like brothers navigating the chaos of breaking news together.
But things change fast in the television news world. Both men have experienced dramatic career shifts that tested not just their professional resilience but possibly their personal bonds too. If you’ve been following their stories, you know their exits from CNN weren’t exactly smooth. So what’s the real deal with their friendship now? Let’s dive into the complicated, fascinating relationship between these two former CNN stars and find out where they stand today.
The Foundation of Their CNN Brotherhood
Chris Cuomo and Don Lemon weren’t just colleagues at CNN. They were two of the network’s most recognizable faces during some of the most tumultuous years in recent American history. Cuomo hosted “Cuomo Prime Time” in the 9 p.m. slot, while Lemon anchored “CNN Tonight” right after him at 10 p.m. This back-to-back scheduling created a natural connection between them.
You could often catch them bantering during the handoff between shows. Those moments felt genuine and unscripted. They’d joke, they’d debate, and sometimes they’d get serious about the issues facing the country. Viewers appreciated seeing that human side of cable news, where anchors weren’t just reading from teleprompters but actually connecting with each other.
Their friendship seemed to extend beyond the studio. Both men have spoken publicly about supporting each other through difficult times. They navigated the pressures of live television together. They dealt with criticism from all sides of the political spectrum. In many ways, they were united by their shared experience of being in the hot seat night after night.
The Fall: When Everything Changed for Cuomo
December 2021 marked a turning point that would reshape everything. CNN fired Chris Cuomo after revelations emerged about his involvement in helping his brother, former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, navigate sexual harassment allegations. The network had initially suspended him, but documents released by the New York Attorney General’s office showed Chris had been more involved than previously known.
This wasn’t just a professional setback. It was a public humiliation that played out across every news platform. Chris Cuomo went from being one of CNN’s top-rated hosts to being out of a job within days. The speed of it all was shocking. One week he was hosting primetime television, and the next he was gone.
During this period, many people wondered who would stand by Cuomo. Would his CNN colleagues, including Don Lemon, publicly support him? The silence from most of his former coworkers was deafening. Lemon didn’t make any grand public statements defending Cuomo. That silence spoke volumes to some observers.
Lemon’s Own Departure: A Different Kind of Exit
Fast forward to April 2023, and Don Lemon found himself in a similar position, though under different circumstances. CNN fired Lemon after a tumultuous few months that included controversial on-air comments and reported tensions with management and colleagues. His dismissal came as a surprise to many, including apparently to Lemon himself, who tweeted that he learned about his firing from his agent.
Lemon’s exit wasn’t tied to any scandal involving family members or ethical violations. Instead, it seemed to stem from a combination of factors including workplace behavior concerns and the network’s broader restructuring under new leadership. The controversy around his departure was different in nature from Cuomo’s, but it was still messy and public.
Now both men had experienced the sting of being pushed out from CNN. They shared something new: the experience of losing their platforms and having to rebuild their careers from scratch. This common ground could have brought them closer together or highlighted differences in how they handled adversity.
Public Signals: What They’ve Said About Each Other
So are Chris Cuomo and Don Lemon still friends? The evidence is mixed and honestly pretty complicated. Neither man has made definitive public statements recently about the current state of their relationship. That ambiguity leaves room for speculation.
After Cuomo’s firing, Lemon did eventually address it, but not in the way some expected. He acknowledged they were friends but maintained professional distance in his public comments. This measured response suggested he was being careful not to damage his own standing at CNN while his friend was in crisis. You can understand the impossible position that put him in.
When Lemon himself was fired, there’s no public record of Cuomo making strong statements in his defense either. Some interpret this as evidence their friendship had cooled. Others see it as both men understanding the complicated politics of cable news and choosing discretion.
In interviews since leaving CNN, both have occasionally referenced their time at the network. Cuomo has been more outspoken about feeling betrayed by CNN’s handling of his situation. Lemon has focused more on moving forward with his career. Their different approaches to processing their departures might reflect different personalities or different levels of remaining friendship.
The Reality of Friendships in Television News
Here’s something you need to understand about television news: workplace friendships in this industry face unique pressures. The competition is fierce. The egos can be massive. And loyalty often takes a backseat to career survival. This doesn’t mean friendships can’t be real, but they exist in a challenging environment.
When both people are successful and riding high, maintaining friendship is easier. You celebrate wins together. You commiserate over shared frustrations with management. But when one person falls, especially publicly and controversially, things get complicated fast. The person still employed faces pressure to distance themselves. Speaking up for a disgraced colleague can put your own job at risk.
Add to this the fact that both Cuomo and Lemon were competing for ratings, attention, and influence even when they were friends. They were in adjacent time slots, meaning their success was partly measured against each other. That competitive dynamic doesn’t disappear just because you like someone personally.
Where They Are Now: Separate Paths Forward
Chris Cuomo has moved on to NewsNation, where he now hosts “CUOMO” in primetime. He’s also launched a podcast and YouTube channel where he discusses news and interviews guests. His tone has shifted somewhat from his CNN days. He seems more willing to criticize mainstream media and present himself as an independent voice.
Don Lemon, after his CNN departure, spent time regrouping before launching his own ventures. He announced plans for new projects including a show on Elon Musk’s X platform, though that deal fell apart quickly amid controversy. He’s been working on building his own brand independent of any network affiliation, focusing on digital platforms and his podcast.
Their paths have diverged significantly. They’re no longer colleagues in the traditional sense. They’re not even competitors in the same media landscape anymore. Cuomo is back in cable news with a different network. Lemon is trying to build something new in the digital space. These different trajectories mean they’re simply not in each other’s daily orbits anymore.
The Unspoken Truth About Their Friendship
If I had to guess based on all available evidence, here’s what I think is going on: Chris Cuomo and Don Lemon probably aren’t enemies, but they’re likely not the close friends they once appeared to be. Their friendship was probably always more complicated than viewers realized. It was genuine in moments but also partly a product of their professional circumstances.
When you work in close proximity with someone, share similar pressures, and have aligned career interests, friendship develops naturally. But when those circumstances change dramatically, as they did for both men, the foundation shifts. They don’t have the daily interactions that sustained the relationship. They don’t have the shared mission of putting on great television every night.
There’s also likely some unresolved feelings on both sides. Cuomo might feel Lemon could have been more supportive during his crisis. Lemon might feel Cuomo’s scandal created difficulties for everyone at CNN. These aren’t the kinds of things that end friendships with dramatic blowouts necessarily. They’re the quiet disappointments that create distance over time.
What This Teaches Us About Professional Relationships
The Cuomo and Lemon situation offers valuable lessons about professional friendships more broadly. You’ve probably experienced something similar in your own career. That coworker you were tight with suddenly feels distant after one of you changes jobs. The colleague who seemed like a true friend disappears when you hit a rough patch professionally.
Professional friendships are real, but they’re also contextual. They depend partly on proximity, shared goals, and mutual benefit. That doesn’t make them fake or meaningless. It just means they operate under different rules than friendships formed outside work. When the professional context changes, the friendship has to either evolve or fade.
The key is having realistic expectations. Not every work friend will become a lifelong companion. Some relationships are meant for a specific season of your life. Recognizing this helps you appreciate those friendships for what they are without feeling betrayed when they naturally change or end.
The Media’s Role in Shaping Perception
We should also acknowledge how media coverage affects our understanding of their relationship. Every interaction between Cuomo and Lemon when they were at CNN was analyzed and interpreted through various lenses. Their friendship became part of the CNN brand narrative.
Now that they’re both gone, media outlets continue to speculate about their relationship because it’s an interesting story. Articles ask “are Chris Cuomo and Don Lemon still friends” because readers want to know. This attention creates pressure and potentially distorts reality. Maybe they’re just two busy people who’ve moved on with their lives and don’t think about each other that much anymore.
The tabloid nature of modern media coverage means every absence of public support gets interpreted as shade or betrayal. But sometimes people just don’t comment on everything. Sometimes they’re trying to be respectful by staying quiet. The lack of visible friendship doesn’t automatically mean animosity exists.
Signs They Might Still Be Connected
Despite everything suggesting distance, there are reasons to think they might still have some connection. Both have been through incredibly similar experiences now. They both know what it’s like to be fired from CNN in humiliating circumstances. They both understand the challenge of rebuilding a career after such a public setback.
That shared experience creates a bond that’s hard to break completely. Even if they’re not talking regularly, there’s probably mutual understanding and perhaps sympathy. They might reach out to each other privately during difficult moments even if they don’t broadcast that connection publicly.
Neither has said anything negative about the other in interviews, which is notable. In an era where burned bridges get discussed openly on podcasts and in tell-all interviews, their mutual silence about each other could indicate respect if not active friendship. Sometimes the absence of drama is its own kind of answer.
The Future: Could They Reconnect?
Looking ahead, what might bring Cuomo and Lemon back together? Time has a way of healing wounds and providing perspective. A few years from now, when the pain of their CNN exits has faded, they might find themselves reconnecting. Shared history has value, and theirs is significant.
They might collaborate on a project someday. Imagine a podcast where they discuss their experiences in media, offering dueling perspectives on the industry they once dominated together. That kind of content would attract significant attention and could give them both a platform to tell their stories authentically.
Or they might simply run into each other at industry events and rediscover the rapport they once had. Without the pressures of CNN politics and the immediate trauma of their departures, they might find it easier to relate to each other again. Friendships can be dormant for years and then reignite when circumstances allow.
What We Can Learn From Their Story
The story of Chris Cuomo and Don Lemon’s friendship offers insights that extend beyond celebrity gossip. It’s fundamentally about how relationships navigate crisis, change, and competing loyalties. You can apply these lessons to your own life.
When a friend faces controversy, supporting them publicly can have costs. You have to weigh loyalty against self-preservation. That’s not selfish or wrong. It’s human. The key is being honest with yourself and your friend about what you can and can’t do. Silence isn’t always betrayal. Sometimes it’s just survival.
Change doesn’t mean relationships were never real. The fact that Cuomo and Lemon may have drifted apart doesn’t invalidate the friendship they shared during their CNN years. Those experiences were genuine even if the relationship couldn’t withstand what came after. Accepting that relationships can be both real and temporary is part of emotional maturity.
Conclusion
So, are Chris Cuomo and Don Lemon still friends? The honest answer is we don’t know for sure, and they probably aren’t discussing it publicly anytime soon. Based on available evidence, they appear to have drifted apart after leaving CNN under difficult circumstances. Their once-visible friendship has faded from public view at minimum.
But friendship isn’t always black and white. They might not be calling each other weekly, but they probably don’t hate each other either. They’re likely somewhere in that complicated middle ground where former close colleagues exist. They share history, mutual understanding, and perhaps occasional thoughts about reconnecting someday.
Their story reminds us that even the strongest professional friendships face tests when circumstances change dramatically. It’s a very human story playing out on a very public stage. Whatever the current state of their relationship, both men are moving forward with their careers and lives, and maybe that’s what matters most.
What do you think? Have you experienced a professional friendship that changed when your circumstances did? The Cuomo and Lemon situation might feel familiar even if your stakes weren’t quite so high or public.
FAQs
Are Chris Cuomo and Don Lemon still friends after leaving CNN?
The current state of their friendship is unclear. Neither has made recent public statements about their relationship. They appear to have drifted apart after both left CNN, but there’s no evidence of active animosity between them.
Why did Chris Cuomo leave CNN?
CNN fired Chris Cuomo in December 2021 after revelations showed he had been more involved than initially disclosed in helping his brother Andrew Cuomo respond to sexual harassment allegations. Documents from the New York Attorney General showed he used his media connections to gather information about his brother’s accusers.
Why did Don Lemon leave CNN?
CNN terminated Don Lemon in April 2023. The network cited no specific reason publicly, but reports suggested it followed controversial on-air comments, workplace behavior concerns, and tensions with management during CNN’s restructuring under new leadership.
Did Don Lemon support Chris Cuomo when he was fired?
Don Lemon’s public support was limited and measured. He acknowledged they were friends but maintained professional distance in his comments. He didn’t make strong public statements defending Cuomo, which some interpreted as protecting his own position at CNN.
Did Chris Cuomo support Don Lemon when he was fired?
There’s no prominent public record of Chris Cuomo making strong statements defending Don Lemon after his CNN firing. This has led to speculation about the state of their friendship, though both men may have chosen discretion over public commentary.
What is Chris Cuomo doing now?
Chris Cuomo hosts “CUOMO” on NewsNation in primetime. He’s also built a presence on digital platforms including YouTube and podcasting, where he discusses news and current events with a more independent voice than during his CNN days.
What is Don Lemon doing now?
After leaving CNN, Don Lemon has focused on building independent media ventures. He briefly had a deal with X (formerly Twitter) that fell apart, and he’s been developing podcast projects and digital content separate from traditional television networks.
Were Chris Cuomo and Don Lemon close when they worked together?
Yes, they appeared to have a genuine friendship during their CNN years. They had adjacent time slots and frequently bantered during show transitions. Both have spoken about supporting each other through the pressures of live television and political coverage.
Have Chris Cuomo and Don Lemon spoken negatively about each other?
No, neither has publicly criticized or spoken negatively about the other. Their mutual silence on each other could indicate either respect and discretion or simple distance in their current relationship.
Could Chris Cuomo and Don Lemon work together again in the future?
While there’s no current indication of collaboration, it’s possible they could reconnect professionally in the future. Time often provides perspective, and their shared experiences in television news could make for compelling content if they chose to work together on a podcast or other project.
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