And, This Is The End Of The Free Press With Don Lemon
This is Gavin Newsom
iHeartPodcasts
3.0 • 7.2K Ratings
🗓️ 20 March 2026
⏱️ 81 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Don Lemon joins the show for a raw conversation on journalism, Trump, and what it means to speak truth to power in today's media landscape. From his early days chasing stories to his exit from CNN, Lemon opens up about his struggles and finding an even bigger audience online. Plus, will media consolidation kill the free press?
00:00 – “We’re Going to Lose the First Amendment”
00:25 – Don Lemon’s Republican Past
03:30 Lemon’s Earliest Journalist Influences
06:50 From $5/Hour to the Newsroom Grind
13:50 CNN Years: Highs, Lows & Breaking Through
21:00 Jeff Zucker, Loyalty & the Turning Point
27:30 Exit from CNN & Personal Fallout
37:45 Therapy, Mental Health & Rebuilding Life
40:00 Elon Musk Interview & The X Fallout
50:45 Building The Don Lemon Show & “Lemon Nation”
56:30 The Future of CNN & Media Consolidation
59:30 Arrest, Press Freedom & Targeting Journalists
01:06:30 Trump, Power & Why Lemon Was Targeted
01:12:00 Are Free & Fair Elections at Risk?
Email the show at TIGNpod@gmail.com
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | We're going to lose the First Amendment. |
| 0:02.5 | We're going to lose the freedom of the press. |
| 0:04.0 | My opinion is that they targeted me because they have been after me for a long time. |
| 0:09.3 | Sorry. |
| 0:11.3 | This is Gavin Newsom. |
| 0:14.0 | And this is Don Lemon. |
| 0:17.8 | This is an I-Heart podcast. |
| 0:21.6 | Guaranteed Human. |
| 0:29.7 | Hey there, this is Josh from Stuff You Should Know with a message that could change your life. |
| 0:34.2 | The Stuff You Should Know Think Spring podcast playlist is available now. |
| 0:37.6 | Whether spring has sprung in your neck of the woods yet or not, |
| 0:41.9 | the stuff you should know, think spring playlist will make you want to get your overalls on, |
| 0:45.9 | get outside, and get your hands in the dirt. You can get the stuff you should know think spring playlist on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. |
| 0:52.7 | Don Lemon, my friend. |
| 0:55.5 | Governor Newsom. |
| 0:56.6 | The young Republican. |
| 0:58.0 | The young Republican. |
| 1:00.0 | Tell me that's true. |
| 1:01.0 | Is that true? |
| 1:01.8 | You were a young Republican? |
| 1:04.7 | That was years ago. |
| 1:06.3 | I was, yeah, I think it was a freshman in college. |
... |
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