Former CNN host Don Lemon compared his recent arrest to the struggles of historic civil rights figures during a speech Saturday, even as newly surfaced evidence continues to raise questions about his alleged role in disrupting a church service in Minnesota.
Lemon delivered the remarks at the Human Rights Campaign’s 2026 Greater New York dinner following his arrest and release on charges tied to an anti-immigration-enforcement protest at Cities Church in St. Paul’s.
“So last week, I felt the weight of that truth in a very, very personal way,” Lemon said.
“Can you imagine the state having control of your freedom simply because they don’t like that you are doing your job? So that was very frightening to me.”
He continued:
“But in my time when I was there, I thought about all the people who come before me.
“I thought about all of the people who fought for civil rights who fought for gay rights, all of the people who were at Stonewall, [Marsha P. Johnson].
“I’m like, yes, those are the people, those are the real heroes.
“And so what’s happening to me, I have at least in this time that I’m living now more agency, more resources, more rights than I hope than the people who were fighting for our freedom and our civil rights.”
Lemon Insists He Was Acting as a “Journalist”
Despite likening his experience to historic civil rights struggles, Lemon reiterated that he was not participating in activism.
“I saw how fast a story can be turned into a warning.
“But I’m not an activist.
“I’m not a protester.
“I am a journalist,” he claimed.
“And my calling is not to shout, but my calling is to witness.
“And that’s what they’re afraid of, of that witness to tell,” Lemon said.
Federal prosecutors have charged Lemon with conspiracy to deprive rights and a violation of the FACE Act stemming from the incident at Cities Church. He was released without bail on Jan. 30.
In a Substack post following his release, Lemon again framed the case in civil-rights terms, writing:
“James Baldwin understood that clarity carries consequences.
“Dr. King knew that truth invites punishment.
“Malcolm X saw that systems built on hierarchy will always attempt to silence those who name them.
“And as voices in the black prophetic tradition have long warned, truth that threatens power will be met with the full force of authority.
“And I have felt that force in my own life.”
Student’s Admission Complicates Lemon’s Defense
Lemon’s insistence that he was merely acting as a journalist comes as court filings and public statements from an alleged accomplice suggest deeper involvement in organizing the church disruption.
As Slay News reported, Jerome Richardson, a Temple University student who surrendered to federal authorities in connection with the same incident, has blown the whistle and admitted that he assisted Lemon with logistics and local contacts tied to the protest targeting Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations.
He told investigators that he helped Lemon plan for the raid over several days leading up to the incident.
Richardson’s own description of coordinating support for Lemon, along with charges alleging a conspiracy to interfere with religious worship, has complicated Lemon’s claim that he was present solely in a reporting capacity.
Federal authorities allege demonstrators stormed the church during a worship service while chanting anti-ICE slogans, prompting arrests and criminal charges tied to the disruption of religious freedom.
Legal Case Moves Forward
The criminal case against Lemon is ongoing as prosecutors pursue conspiracy and federal civil-rights-related charges.
His public remarks comparing the situation to the historic civil rights movement arrive as courts weigh evidence that could determine whether the former cable news host was documenting an event or helping orchestrate it.
READ MORE – Don Lemon Doomed as Student Admits Helping Him Plan Church Storming
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