Don Lemon Reportedly ‘Begging for Drama’ After Being Called Out for His ICE Protest Coverage

Don Lemon has found himself at the center of controversy.

The independent news journalist, 59, has been called out by politicians and online critics after sharing live footage from a Minnesota protest that took place Sunday, January 18, at Cities Church due to a pastor named David Easterwood who allegedly has ties to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

As the former CNN anchor continues to make headlines, sources told celebrity journalist Rob Shuter for the Tuesday, January 20, installment of his Naughty But Nice Substack that Lemon loves the attention.

“He wants to be part of the story,” a source claimed. “If he gets arrested, he’d probably think it’s the ultimate rating.”

Following the protest, U.S. Department of Justice assistant attorney general Harmeet Dhillon wrote on X (formerly Twitter) that Lemon, 59, has been put “on notice,” as “a house of worship is not a public forum for your protest!”

According to one of Lemon’s former colleagues, “At CNN, he had guardrails — other journalists around him kept him from going completely off the rails,” per Naughty But Nice. “Now he’s his own band. He loves the spotlight and will do anything to get it.”

A friend also told Shuter that Lemon is “literally begging for drama,” adding: “He can’t help himself. This is Don Lemon at his most reckless, loving every second of the attention.”

Responding to the DOJ’s threat that he is now “on notice,” Lemon told Fox News Digital in a statement, “It’s notable that I’ve been cast as the face of a protest I was covering as a journalist — especially since I wasn’t the only reporter there. That framing is telling.”

“What’s even more telling is the barrage of violent threats, along with homophobic and racist slurs, directed at me online by MAGA supporters and amplified by parts of the right-wing press,” continued Lemon, who was called a homophobic slur by Nicki Minaj on Sunday.

“If this much time and energy is going to be spent manufacturing outrage, it would be far better used investigating the tragic death of Renee Nicole Good — the very issue that brought people into the streets in the first place,” he said. “I stand by my reporting.”

Good, 37, was shot dead at the hands of ICE in Minneapolis on January 7.