Don't Be Surprised if Don Lemon Slithers His Way Back to CNN

Don't be surprised if Don Lemon slithers his way back to CNN.

Lemon returned to the network last week for the first time since his termination last April. He reappeared on the network to discuss Elon Musk revoking a partnership agreement for X to carry Lemon's new podcast. 

Mediaite asked Lemon if he would return to the network as an employee, to which he answered carefully.

"Look, I would never say never," Lemon replied. "Most of the people who were involved in my ousting are gone. And so it's kind of the place that it was, you know, before I got there. So that would be interesting."

He added, "If another network called, it would depend on the terms… I don't think I would want to do something every single day, but maybe. It depends on the terms and if it's a great offer, I might go back, but I would still like to continue to do The Don Lemon Show in some form or fashion if that were to happen."

Chris Licht, who fired Lemon, is no longer in charge. Mark Thompson is. 

Lemon can play coy, pretending as if he doesn't know if he'd accept a return to television. He would. Lemon is one of the more self-absorbed, egocentric personalities in media today. 

He's a sycophant of himself. 

Just look at his reported contract demands to Elon Musk:

Suffice it to say, Lemon wouldn't turn down the chance to return to cable television, where his makeup is done for him and subservient producers are at his disposal. 

Lemon craves attention. His new podcast is unlikely to fulfill that craving. 

Only a select few podcast hosts generate persistent interest beyond a few notable guests per year. And Lemon has never garnered an enduring audience to suggest he can succeed at a high level in the already overcrowded space of podcasting. 

So, you might ask: why would CNN, a network already hemorrhaging viewership, bring him back? 

The answer is perception. 

Don Lemon would not improve daily ratings for the CNN television channel. Look at his previous ratings in both primetime and in the morning.

However, he wouldn't do any worse than its current batch of hosts. But Lemon would provide CNN with an identity, which it lacks under new management.

What is CNN in 2024?

No one can say for certain. Not even the employees inside CNN, per their numerous leaks.

Conservatives do not trust CNN for obvious reasons. The left feels the brand betrayed it after hosting a town hall with Donald Trump last May. And moderates feel there are more trustworthy news sources than CNN.

Still, if we had to guess, CEO Thompson's mission is closer to Jeff Zucker's era of CNN (best described as an MSNBC impersonation) than Licht's edict to tone down inflammatory rhetoric and restore industry-wide credibility.

Thompson's recently elevated Jim Acosta, after all.

Thompson's investing in Lemon would solidify a direction for the network. And appease now-pesky CNN critics, like Jemele Hill. She's already been campaigning for his return. "

"CNN needs to just admit they were wrong and bring Son back," Hill posted on X.

Plus, CNN might be able to get Lemon on the cheap. He's desperate for relevance. And, to be honest, he recently received $24.5 million from CNN's parent company Warner Bros. Discovery separation terms due to Licht's firing.