Don Lemon fans have been on the edge of our seats since April, waiting to hear where the newsman might end up after his shocking dismissal from CNN. There have been plenty of whispers, including that he could return to his old job after Chris Licht, the CEO who let him go, was shown the door himself, but over the past month or so, much of the conversation has been about The View. Rumors were hot and heavy that he could be appointed the daytime staple’s first male host in its long history, but much of that talk has died down over the past few weeks. So, what did Don Lemon do? He dropped a picture on social hanging out with The View co-host Joy Behar, of course.
Lemon is friends with several of the ladies on The View. He even hosted a party to celebrate the release of Sunny Hostin’s novel Summer On Sag Harbor. So, it’s not as if him hanging out with Joy Behar is strange or slam dunk evidence he’s negotiating a contract, but for someone as media savvy as Don Lemon, it feels a little convenient that he’d drop a picture with the comedienne just as talk of him going to The View was losing serious momentum. You can check out the post below…
Now, for those of you who may not know me, it might sound like I’m roasting Don Lemon here. Let me be very clear: I am not. He’s had his share of scandals and on-air whoopsies, but he’s also knowledgeable, quick on his feet and willing to give his opinion on pretty much anything. He also has a wild and daring sense of fashion (for someone who reports the news), and he’s inherently got a natural inclination toward both soft and hard news.
All of that makes him a uniquely excellent candidate to be the first male co-host of The View, which is, I think, why those initial rumors were so widely reported. If you get past the whole allegedly having problems with some of his female co-workers thing and his comments about women of a certain age being past their prime, which he apologized for, it’s actually easy to imagine him fitting in well. He could participate in conversations about pop culture, as well as lend credibility to their more serious and political exchanges. Also, it's not as if The View hosts don't have their own scandals on the regular too.
I have no idea what’s going to happen with Don Lemon. I don’t know if he posted this picture to keep people talking about his possible connection to The View, or he simply rode in a convertible with Joy Behar and wanted to make a comment about it. But I do know I’d like to see Don Lemon back on television, preferably in a role that allows him to access the fun parts of his personality too. Hiring a male host for The View would represent a big change for the daytime show, and I totally understand if they don’t want to go down that road. If they do, however, Lemon is a great option, and they should lean into these rumors, as he seemingly has.
