Bill Maher’s Mocks Don Lemon to his Face

Former CNN host Don Lemon found himself in a moment of self-reflection after bringing up his race and sexual orientation during a segment on “Real Time with Bill Maher” last Friday.

Joined by New York University professor Scott Galloway on Maher’s panel, Lemon, along with the other guests, condemned the ongoing anti-Israel protests happening on numerous college campuses across the country, labeling them as antisemitic. However, Lemon went further to suggest that these protests could serve as a valuable learning experience for students.

“I’m not downplaying what’s happening, but it teaches some of these students to confront discomfort,” Lemon remarked.

While Galloway and Maher nodded in agreement to some extent, Lemon attempted to delve deeper into his perspective.

“Look, I come from a different perspective than you guys. I’m a Black gay man, so I often find myself in uncomfortable situations. And I think that’s a valuable lesson for college students,” Lemon elaborated.

“Why is that? What do you mean?” Maher inquired.

“College isn’t always a comfortable environment. It’s about learning—” Lemon began.

“But you said you experience that. Just explain,” Maher pressed.

“Well, I’m often the only person of color in the room,” Lemon explained.

“Come on, there’s only three of us here,” Maher interjected, prompting laughter and applause from the audience.

Prior to Lemon’s appearance on “Real Time,” he was previously referenced by one of Maher’s guests in 2023, following Lemon’s controversial remarks about Republican then-presidential candidate Nikki Haley.

“As Don Lemon told us on CNN, women actually can’t run for president because he said we’re past our prime once we get to our 40s. But since you have to be 35 to run, it’s like this really tiny window between 35 and 40,” ABC News contributor Sarah Isgur quipped.

At the outset of Friday’s show, Maher launched into a scathing critique of the anti-Israel and pro-Palestinian protests, condemning them as a convergence of “activism with narcissism.”

“You’d have to be pretty dim to think that the way to bring people around to your point of view is to make them late to pick up their kids from day care. And that’s what most regular folks are thinking, ‘I have a kid. I have a job. And yes, I’m sure there are injustices on both sides in the Middle East as there are injustices all over the world, but I’m going to be late for work,'” Maher opined, addressing the protesters directly.