Don Lemon Speaks Out About His Arrest for Covering Anti-ICE Protest: ‘They Want to Instill Fear’

Don Lemon is speaking publicly about his arrest for the first time.

The 59-year-old journalist appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Monday, Feb. 2, and described what led to his detention after he reported from an anti-ICE protest at a church in Minnesota on Jan. 18.

Asked by Jimmy Kimmel how he’s doing now, Lemon said, “I don’t know… I’m not going to let them steal my joy, but this is very serious; these are federal, criminal charges.”

Lemon pushed back on the idea that he was participating in the demonstration, saying he attended in a professional capacity. “What I will say is that I’m not a protestor, I went there as a journalist,” he said. “I went there to chronicle, document and record what was happening. There is a difference between a protestor and a journalist.”

The interview came less than a week after Lemon was arrested by federal agents in Los Angeles. After being detained for around 12 hours, he was released without bail and is expected to plead not guilty to charges of conspiracy against religious freedom at a place of worship and injuring, intimidating, and interfering with the exercise of the right of religious freedom at a place of worship.

Attorney General Pam Bondi, who directed Lemon’s arrest along with three others, said on X that the case was connected to what she described as a “coordinated attack” on the St. Paul church.

During the late-night interview, Lemon said he had offered multiple times to turn himself in for questioning before his arrest, but never received a response from officials. Kimmel also joked that Lemon hasn’t been a “favorite” of Donald Trump since his CNN days.

Lemon said he was arrested at a Beverly Hills hotel and described being “jostled,” “grabbed,” and “put in handcuffs.” He said he was then taken outside to what he described as “a dozen” agents — a show of force he called unnecessary, given that he had offered to surrender voluntarily.

“They want to embarrass you, they want to intimidate you, they want to instill fear,” Lemon said.

Outside the courthouse after his release, Lemon emphasized the role of journalism, saying, per The Los Angeles Times, “There is no more important time than right now, this very moment, for a free and independent media that shines a light on truth and power and holds those in power accountable. I will not stop now, I will not stop ever.”

In a separate statement, Lemon’s attorney defended his actions as constitutionally protected newsgathering. “Don has been a journalist for 30 years, and his constitutionally protected work in Minneapolis was no different than what he has always done,” the attorney said. “The First Amendment exists to protect journalists whose role it is to shine light on the truth and hold those in power accountable. There is no more important time for people like Don to be doing this work.”