Don Lemon recounted his January arrest during a recent appearance on ABC’s “The View,” where the famed journalist tearfully shared his experience being taken into custody following coverage of a Minnesota ICE protest.
The host of “The Don Lemon Show” on YouTube that boasts almost 1.3 million subscribers, sat alongside panelist, former co-worker, and long-time friend Sunny Hostin to debate the incident.
Don Lemon Tearfully Recounts January 2026 Arrest By Federal Authorities During Visit To ‘The View’
On Thursday, April 2, former CNN anchor Don Lemon paid a visit to “The View” and spoke about his experience being arrested in a Los Angeles hotel room days after doing on-the-ground coverage of an ICE protest at a Minnesota church.
Lemon was arrested in Los Angeles while on the town to cover the 2026 Grammy Awards, but his legal team attempted to contact the Department of Justice beforehand when word spread that the journalist could be arrested. Nevertheless, Lemon said they were ignored in favor of publicly embarrassing him.
“All they’d to do was [say] ‘Hey, Mr. Lemon, turn yourself in,’” he said.
Hostin agreed together with his assessment of the DOJ favoring public embarrassment, stating they wanted “to send a message to intimidate and harass.”
“I’ve been leaning on Sunny for counsel just as a friend. No legal stuff, but just as a friend,” Lemon said while on the panel, adding the DOJ selected to arrest him despite his willingness to show himself in “because they wish to embarrass people.”
The conversation took an emotional turn when Lemon teared up recalling how federal agents taking off a marriage present from his husband was the one way his arrest was known.
“I used to be twiddling with it, [and an agent] was like, ‘Do you wish me to take that off?’” Lemon said of the diamond bracelet given to him by his husband Tim.
“There was an FBI agent that walked as much as me and said, ‘I’ll deal with it.’ I said, ‘Give this to my husband…’ And he took it up. That was the one way that anybody knew that I’d been arrested,” he shared.
Don Lemon Was Previously Arrested By Dozens Of Federal Agents, Which Was Deemed ‘Wildly Excessive’
While staying on the Beverly Hills Hotel during Grammy weekend, Lemon was taken into custody by greater than two dozen federal agents, from each the FBI and Homeland Security, in keeping with PEOPLE.
Per the outlet, Lemon was arrested around 11 p.m. local time in Los Angeles on the famed location, when agents showed up at his hotel room door.
Following his arrest, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson issued a press release to the outlet regarding Lemon’s charges.
“Don Lemon is being charged with 18 USC 241, Conspiracy to Deprive Rights, and 18 USC 248, Violation of the FACE Act, interfering by force of somebody’s First Amendment rights,” the spokesperson said.
The overwhelming response to Lemon’s arrest was generally supportive, and when the variety of agents readily available to arrest him was released, the sentiment included what many consider to be a large overreach.
“That’s wildly excessive. That’s treating someone like they’ve an assault rifle,” one commenter wrote in response to the PEOPLE details. “Two dozen heavily armed to arrest one man, very cowardly,” added one other.
The Journalist Pled Not Guilty During His February 2026 Arraignment
On February 13, Lemon appeared in a Minnesota federal court on charges stemming from his coverage of an anti-ICE protest at a neighborhood church, which he was broadcasting live for his online news program.
Based on NBC News, he stood in front of Magistrate Judge Douglas L. Micko and entered a plea of not guilty on all counts. The judge also told Lemon that he’s “free to travel unless he were to violate any state or federal laws.”
In the course of the hearing, the prosecutor within the case confirmed that Lemon’s cellphone was seized by authorities on the time of his arrest and a search warrant has since been obtained to analyze its contents.
Abbe Lowell, a member of Lemon’s legal team, said that seizing the cellphone was an motion of possible “over-execution,” per the outlet.
Lemon Initially Spoke Out About The Arrest After His Release From Custody
Following his January 29 arrest, Lemon was formally released from custody after a brief court appearance on January 30, per The Hollywood Reporter. “He’s committed to fighting this case,” Lemon’s attorney Marilyn Bednarski said on the time.
U.S. District Judge Patricia Donahue allowed Lemon to be released on a no money bond.
Based on the 14-page indictment that was previously unsealed, Lemon “is charged with conspiracy and interfering with the First Amendment rights of worshipers,” per the Associated Press.
Following his release from custody, Lemon stood outside the courthouse before the media and issued a transient statement.
“I actually have spent my entire profession covering the news. I is not going to stop now. There isn’t any more necessary time than right night to cover the news…I is not going to stop now. I is not going to stop ever. I is not going to be silenced, I stay up for my day in court,” Lemon said.
The White House Mocked Lemon’s Arrest On Social Media
In a post on X, formerly generally known as Twitter, the White House openly mocked the award-winning journalist. A black-and-white photo of Lemon from the Minnesota ICE protest was posted with the caption, “When life gives you lemons,” alongside an emoji of chains.
Per Deadline, Bernice King, daughter of Martin Luther King Jr. and the CEO of the Center for Nonviolent Social Change, offered a blistering yet easy response to the post that many deemed racist.
King referred to the message for example of “immaturity, poor taste, and fascism.”