Don Lemon has never been someone who holds back, and a recent awards ceremony in Beverly Hills gave him a platform to say what many in media have been thinking. The former CNN anchor, who now works independently, used the 37th GLAAD Media Awards to deliver a pointed message about the direction of American journalism under expanding corporate control.
At the center of his concern is Paramount, the media conglomerate that has been quietly reshaping some of the country’s most recognizable news operations. Lemon argued that what is happening at CBS News in particular represents a troubling shift away from the values that made it one of the most trusted names in broadcast journalism. His message to the company’s leadership was direct and uncomplicated: step back and let the journalists do their jobs.
The deals reshaping the media landscape
The backdrop to Lemon’s remarks is a series of significant corporate moves that have reshaped the ownership of major American media outlets. In the summer of 2025, federal regulators approved a merger between Paramount Global and Skydance Media, a deal valued at roughly 8.4 billion dollars that brought CBS under new ownership. That same summer, Paramount paid 16 million dollars to settle a lawsuit connected to the current presidential administration, a decision that drew scrutiny given the timing and context.
Critics pointed to that settlement as a sign of things to come, and subsequent developments did little to quiet the concern. The cancellation of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert was officially framed as a financial decision, but many observers read it as something more politically calculated. Colbert had been one of the more consistent and pointed critics of the current administration, and his show’s abrupt end added fuel to an already heated debate about editorial independence.
Paramount is now preparing an even larger transaction, a proposed 110 billion dollar merger with Warner Bros. Discovery that would bring CNN into the same ownership fold. For Lemon, who spent years as one of CNN’s most prominent anchors before his departure, the prospect is deeply personal.
Journalism and the question of independence
Lemon’s argument is not particularly complicated, but it carries weight given his experience inside one of the institutions now caught in the middle of these corporate shifts. He believes that journalism has a singular purpose rooted in factual reporting, and that purpose is incompatible with steering a newsroom toward any particular political outcome. He called on Paramount’s leadership to resist the temptation to treat news operations the way they might treat an entertainment property, as something that can be repositioned to appeal to a certain audience or satisfy certain relationships.
His broader point was that a free press is not simply a professional ideal but a structural necessity for a functioning democracy. Corporate consolidation, in his view, threatens that function not through outright censorship but through the quieter and more insidious process of editorial realignment.
A night of advocacy and a well-timed joke
Lemon was also a presenter at the ceremony, where he appeared onstage to honor a journalism segment recognized by GLAAD. He used the moment to comment on the recent dismissal of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, drawing an enthusiastic response from the crowd without wandering too far from the evening’s purpose.
He also addressed the audience directly on the subject of resilience, urging members of the LGBTQ+ community, communities of color, women and immigrants not to surrender to exhaustion or fear in a difficult political climate. The message was that sustained visibility and collective courage remain the most effective tools against forces designed to silence or discourage.
Lemon added a moment of self-deprecating humor by acknowledging that the event was held at the same Beverly Hills hotel where he was arrested by federal agents in January. He currently faces charges related to his coverage of an anti-ICE protest in Minnesota and has pleaded not guilty. For Lemon, the irony of returning to that address was apparently not lost, and he made sure the room knew it.
