The Truth About The Don Lemon Scandal
Beloved CNN anchor Don Lemon has been at the center of a harassment scandal for nearly two years. He joins the ranks of other accused anchors such as Eric Bolling, Chris Cuomo, and Bill O'Reilly.
Lemon's accuser, a man named Dustin Hice, recently spoke about the allegations on the "Megyn Kelly Show." Hice claimed that Lemon, on multiple occasions, has offered him close to $500,000 in exchange for his silence regarding an alleged assault in 2018, per Radar. "This isn't about me trying to get money," Hice told Kelly. "At this point, I just want my life back. I don't see any kind of settlement happening without an admission of guilt or an apology, but I seriously doubt with his ego and pride that's going to happen." Lemon's attorneys have adamantly denied any wrongdoing by the anchor, per Page Six.
The facts surrounding the allegations have become increasingly confusing even as more information continues to come to light.
Don Lemon could be in trouble
Dustin Hice, the man who claims that Don Lemon assaulted him at a Hamptons bar in 2018, told Megyn Kelly he believes the aggression is likely a pattern of behavior for the news anchor. "Anybody that acts like that in public without any fear of what it might do to somebody or the consequences it might have, that's a pattern," he said, per the New York Post. Hice went on to say that Lemon has offered him large sums of money to drop the suit, which he has rejected because all he really wants is an apology.
However, information brought forward by Lemon's attorneys greatly contradicts Hice's account. Lemon's attorneys turned over evidence that Hice has asked for large sums of money from Lemon in order to drop the case and has promised potential witnesses a payoff if he wins the suit. That particular witness was not able to corroborate Hice's version of events and reportedly said he was doubtful about whether Hice and Lemon had any physical contact that night at all. CNN also issued a 2019 statement that Hice "displayed a pattern of contempt for CNN on his social media accounts," per USA Today.
Hice claimed that the conflict began when he spotted Lemon at a bar and sent him a drink. According to Hice, Lemon became aggressive and began yelling vulgarities at him. However, Lemon's attorneys claim that Hice was aggressive towards Lemon and that Lemon is often the subject of bigoted accusations.