''Don Lemon Tonight'' (formerly ''CNN Tonight with Don Lemon'') is a late evening news commentary program which aired from 2014 to 2022 on
CNN
CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by ...
, hosted by journalist
Don Lemon
Don Lemon (born March 1, 1966) is an American television journalist most well known for being a host on CNN. Lemon anchored weekend news programs on local television stations in Alabama and Pennsylvania during his early days as a journalist. He ...
.
The show aired on weeknights live from 10:00pm to midnight ET.
History
''
CNN Tonight
''CNN Tonight'' is a title that has been used by multiple news programs broadcast by the U.S. cable news channel CNN. The title has primarily been used for transitional programs aired by CNN in the evening and prime time hours as part of chang ...
'' first premiered in April 2014, being introduced amid a revision to CNN's primetime schedule (including the replacement of the canceled ''
Piers Morgan Live
''Piers Morgan Live'' (formerly known as ''Piers Morgan Tonight'') was an American television talk show that was hosted by Piers Morgan and broadcast on CNN. The show premiered on January 17, 2011, and filled in the former ''Larry King Live'' ti ...
'' with CNN original series and specials in the 9 p.m. hour). The series was first promoted as featuring rotating anchors presenting "a live hour of the day’s biggest stories".
The program would be initially hosted by
Bill Weir
William Francis Weir (born December 19, 1967) is an American television journalist based in Manhattan. Weir is a correspondent and anchor for CNN, and the creator and host of the global documentary serie"The Wonder List with Bill Weir."He is the ...
using the former ''Piers Morgan Live'' studio.
The ''CNN Tonight'' title had previously been used for a short-lived program in 2001 anchored by
Bill Hemmer
William G. Hemmer (born November 14, 1964) is an American journalist, currently the co-anchor of ''America's Newsroom'' on the Fox News Channel, based in New York City.
Early life and education
On November 14, 1964, Hemmer was born in Cincin ...
, and a transitional program that temporarily filled the time slot of ''
Lou Dobbs Tonight
''Lou Dobbs Tonight'' was an American political and financial talk program that was hosted by Lou Dobbs.
The program initially aired on CNN from its launch under the title ''Moneyline'', as its main financial news program. The program later shif ...
'' after
Lou Dobbs' resignation from the network in November 2009 (the timeslot was later filled by ''
The Situation Room'' after a realignment to CNN's daytime lineup, until its permanent replacement, ''
John King, USA'', premiered in March).
Don Lemon had been involved in
pilot
An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its directional flight controls. Some other aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are also considered aviators, because they a ...
runs for several potential primetime shows, including ''The 11th Hour'', and in March 2014, ''The Don Lemon Show'', and a special nightly 10 p.m. program to provide additional analysis of the
Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 (MH370/MAS370) was an international passenger flight operated by Malaysia Airlines that disappeared on 8 March 2014 while flying from Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Malaysia to its planned destination ...
disappearance. Lemon would later become permanent host of ''CNN Tonight'', with it developing into more of a personality-based program.
On May 17, 2021, the program was renamed ''Don Lemon Tonight''.
On September 15, 2022, it was announced that the show would conclude in the near future, as Lemon prepares to co-anchor
CNN's upcoming morning show. Alisyn Camerota
Alisyn Lane Camerota (born June 21, 1966) is an American broadcast journalist and political commentator. She currently co-hosts CNN Newsroom from 2-4 pm with Victor Blackwell. She formerly was anchor of CNN's morning show '' New Day'' and a p ...
and
Laura Coates
Laura Coates is an American attorney and legal analyst for CNN. Since 2017, she has hosted a talk radio show, ''The Laura Coates Show'', on SiriusXM's Urban View. In January 2021, ''The Laura Coates Show'' moved to SiriusXM's POTUS.
Education
C ...
were named as interim hosts.
''Don Lemon Tonight'' aired for the final time on October 7, 2022; in his closing remarks, Lemon stated that it was a "bittersweet" moment, but didn't want to be "sad" about it, that "a lot happened between 10 and midnight, or later", and concluded the show by explaining that "sometimes it was exhausting because some of the things that we discuss here are so personal and so consuming. So, I hope I made you proud, and I thank you for tuning in all these years, and I hope that you're going to join me in the morning."
References
External links
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2010s American television talk shows
2020s American television talk shows
2014 American television series debuts
2022 American television series endings
CNN original programming
English-language television shows
American live television series
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