CNN Anchor Don Lemon Gives Coming Out Advice

CNN anchor Don Lemon is doing an AMA (ask me anything) Q&A segment on Reddit today. He's touching on quite a number of subjects, including working at CNN and his recent coming out. Check it all out here.

On the segment Jon Stewart ran on him. Watch the segment HERE.

"I was totally stunned by the Jon Stewart segment. I was watching the show with a friend and was tweeting about the prior segments. Then mine came on and we both said in unison, "uh oh." Then I tweet 'OMG' and walked out of the room.. My friend said come back, watch it. I didn't for about an hour and after I had 2 beers. Then once I watched I thought it was funny and complimentary. I just didn't want to make my co-workers look like the brunt of the joke. But they understood and sent me nice emails. the truth is I love real news and my team knows it. We pride ourselves on gimmick-free news. In fact we ask ourselves when pitching ideas, 'is this too gimmicky?' And if the answer is yes, we drop it. I think the viewer may watch a gimmick for a while but then they catch on and tune out. It really is ok to be smart and present a smart newscast."

On FOX News:

Obviously I prefer CNN. But there are some really great journalists at fox, and you have to admit that their hosts do great TV. No comment on the fair and balanced part.

On wanting to be a journalist:

I’ve known since I was a kid, but I didn't really know what to call it. My mom says I asked A LOT of questions to anyone who would listen. I’d even go over to other people's tables at restaurants. Guess I was 'born this way' or at least born to be a journalist.

I’ve always wanted to be a reporter. But it didn't play out like I thought. I’ve been pleasantly surprised by my success but I thought I’d end up working for NBC for the rest of my life. When I was younger my goal was to anchor the today show. But as I matured that changed a bit and I ended up in a better place, at CNN. Honestly, I’m not sure if I can say there's a best story I ever covered. There are some very memorable ones like 9-11, Obama inauguration, Michael Jackson's death, Hurricane Katrina, the tornadoes in Alabama and on and on. I’m just lucky I get to work at a place where those stories come often. It keeps me passionate.

On what he'd put in an alcoholic beverage named after him:

Wow. That's an awesome question. A lil vodka, some lemonade, a splash of sparkling water for bubbles and I'd stir it with one of my fingers. Aaahhh refreshing!

As advice to a commenter, who asked, "I am just entering my late 20s and still struggling with my sexuality. I'm still closeted and find it really hard to related to gays in my community. Do you have any advice for me?"

That’s a really good personal question. Know that you're not alone. Come out of the closet when you feel comfortable and safe. But know that it's never an easy thing to do at first. Then when you do it you'll wonder why you hadn't sooner. Here’s the thing, you don't have to relate or like anyone just because they're gay. You should relate to or like them because they're a good person or you have something in common. You don't have to hang out or befriend gay people just because you're gay. I have a bunch of straight friends and some really gay ones too. It’s all good. Don’t be so hard on yourself. It all works itself out. Good luck.

CNN's Don Lemon Battles Rand Paul On Debt-Ceiling 'Talking Points'

Lawmakers are still fighting it out on our looming debt-ceiling. And as the Senators and Representatives debated into the weekend, openly gay CNN anchor Don Lemon hosted Tea Party Senator Rand Paul to discuss the process.

The exchange was probably more contentious than either imagined -- though the interview began on a traditional note, it rapidly became a back-and-forth between Lemon and Paul, who the journalist derided for parroting his party's talking points and refusing to compromise with Democratic colleagues.

Here's a sample from the official CNN transcript:

LEMON: OK. Listen. The Democrats have made many concessions when it comes to what's going on here, and even the Tea Party position it appears to most people remains rigid. The question is, have you made your point? And by continuing to go on with this, do you feel like you're overreaching and that you're going to lose the clout? And really, the respect that you've gotten, because when you've really made your point here and then most people will say, you have done a good job at it, but do you feel like you're overreaching right now?

PAUL: Well, I guess the thing is that we have $14 trillion in debt and the Boehner plan and the Reid plan and whatever the mixture of the two will become, we'll add about seven to $8 trillion over the next ten years. I think what's interesting here is that people talk about Moody's and S&P downgraded our...

LEMON: OK. Hang on, hang on. Can we just stick to that -- we're going to get to that, but hang on, let's stick to the -- hold on, please, be respectful here.

PAUL: Let me finish my thought.

Watch Lemon and Paul's entire conversation, AFTER THE JUMP...

Jon Stewart Exposes Don Lemon's Aversion to CNN's Silly Antics: VIDEO

Jon Stewart can't help but notice that CNN anchor Don Lemon doesn't suffer fools gladly.

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...

Towleroad Interview: Jared Max

This past May, ESPN radio sportscaster Jared Max came out during a live broadcast the same week the sports world saw former Villanova basketball player Will Sheridan and Phoenix Suns President Rick Welts do the same. CNN's Don Lemon also came out that week.

Max has since become pals with Sheridan as well as Lemon, who he had just had breakfast with the morning I spoke to him on the telephone.

Fresh off the euphoric high he is experiencing from his coming out, Max and I had a lengthy discussion about what the process has been like for him so far. Appropriately enough, Max describes the day he came out as "kind of like a new birthday."

SP: What's the fan reaction been so far?

JM: 98.9 percent positive.

SP: And the remaining 1.1 percent?

JM: "I've read some stupid comments that people have written underneath news stories. People go off on their comments. You know, I've heard from enough straight guys tell me, 'it took unbelievable balls to do what you did.' That only underlines the fact that people who write little comments on a page who don't have a profile up there and just have some screen handle. That's the total opposite, so what do I care about the peanut gallery? I read some great, great quote in some book which said, and I don't have the book in front of me so I'm going to paraphrase it, but it's along the lines of, 'Does the moon stop shining because some dogs bark at?' It's kind of been like that. As far as negative, nothing negative. It opened up a fantastic conversation between my father and I that was a little breakthrough in our relationship. My dad's known about me for 15 years or so. We're definitely in a better place now as a result of this all coming through. Me having a long conversation with my dad. He and I are in a real good spot. We didn't really talk about it. We kind of really had some real good breakthrough as a result of this."

SP: How does he feel about all of the press you've been had recently?

JM: "I think he was probably concerned. He's from a different generation. My dad is 64, I'm 37. Let's say for years my dad gets a call from a friend who would say to him, "Hey I heard your son on the radio", this and that and I'm sure it makes my dad happy, a father would be proud of his son. But I don't know how he would feel if all of a sudden he would get a phone call that was 'hey, I didn't even know your son was gay' or 'did you know?' I imagine those type of phone calls would probably be more difficult. So I was compassionate toward the situation and he never said to me that there was anything wrong with it. He wasn't proud of me or anything like that but I now feel like he's proud of me not only for having been successful with what I've done in my career to this point but proud of me for who I am. I've shared a lot of emails with him from things that people have sent me on Facebook where's gotten to see first-hand just the importance of this and the effect that this is having on people and I think it makes him very proud. His son is effecting people's lives in a very positive way."

The rest of the interview, AFTER THE JUMP.

Watch: Don Lemon Chats With NY Assemblyman Daniel O'Donnell and NOM's Bryan Brown About Marriage Equality

Yesterday, Don Lemon devoted a portion of his CNN newscast to the potential introduction of marriage equality to New York state. During the segment things started to get pretty heated between the two guests invited to participate in the discussion: openly gay New York Assemblyman Daniel O'Donnell and NOM's anti-gay president Bryan Brown. Watch the clip, AFTER THE JUMP.

Watch: Rick Santorum Tells Don Lemon He Has Gay Friends

Hard to believe but Rick "frothy mix" Santorum is yet again claiming that he is not a homophobe. This time he tells interviewer Don Lemon that he had just spent time with a gay friend a couple of days beforehand.

Watch the clip, in which Lemon has the same incredulous reaction I had when I first heard his response, AFTER THE JUMP...