Don Lemon praises Sean Hannity while setting fire to Megyn Kelly

Don Lemon expressed his blunt thoughts about his former cable news host Megyn Kelly while praising MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow and Fox News’ Sean Hannity as real stars.

Former CNN anchor Lemon has joined Dean Obeidallah To The Dean Obeidallah Show this week on SiriusXM to discuss the state of corporate media and the current election. Lemon argued that the corporate media helped normalize the former president Donald Trump and when he mostly avoids cable news these days, especially the “food fights.” The shows he notices include Maddow and Hannity.

“There’s a reason why I feel like people are watching Rachel Maddow. She’s a star and not only is she a star, she also has something to say. I want to observe people who have something to say. I don’t agree with anything, almost everything Sean Hannity says or has ever said, but he has something to say and a lot of people are listening to him. Obviously he can move to the right, and I just want to tune in and say, ‘Okay, let’s see.’ Sean is a star. There’s no denying that,” Lemon said.

He went on to call Kelly, who was a vocal critic of Lemon, a “troll” who was a “star” when she appeared on Fox News. Kelly now hosts her own SiriusXM show.

“Even with Megyn Kelly, who I completely disagree with and who has become a troll and has proven that when she said she wasn’t racist, she has proven that she reiterates that every day. But people listen to her for some reason and Megyn was a star. I think she was a star. I don’t think she’s a star now. “I don’t mean to disparage her, but she was a star when she was at Fox and that’s where she should be,” Lemon said.

Lemon said “platform” can be significant for media personalities and compared it to being in the wrong position on a baseball team. As an example of being out of place, he recalled his brief stint as morning show host at CNN.

“You can be a star, but you also have to play in your own lane. If you are not in the right position it will hinder you. You can be the best pitcher or whatever and a terrible first baseman, but you’re great at the game of baseball. So I think you can be a star, but if you’re not in the right position it hurts you,” Lemon said. “And I just felt like I wasn’t in the right position on the morning show. At 10 o’clock at night it’s the perfect place for me because I have editorial freedom and can say whatever I want.”

Check out the exchange below:

DON LEMON: “There’s a reason why I feel like people are watching Rachel Maddow. She’s a star and not only is she a star, she also has something to say. I want to observe people who have something to say. I don’t agree with anything, almost everything Sean Hannity says or has ever said, but he has something to say and a lot of people are listening to him. Obviously he can move to the right, and I just want to tune in and say, ‘Okay, let’s see.’ Sean is a star. That cannot be denied. Even with Megyn Kelly, who I strongly disagree with and who has become a troll and proved that when she said she wasn’t racist, she proved that she reiterates that every day. But people listen to her for some reason and Megyn was a star. I think she was a star. I don’t think she’s a star now. I don’t mean to disparage her, but she was a star when she was at Fox and that’s where she should be. That’s where she was at her best and you wanted to see her. If cable news doesn’t give me that, why am I watching? People who have something to say.”

DEAN OBEIDALLAH: “But when you say someone is a star, does it matter what platform Megyn Kelly is on? Are you saying this person is a star, as if there is a star quality?”

LEMON: “Both. Both are important. You can be a star, but you also have to play in your lane. If you are not in the right position it will hinder you. You can be the best pitcher or whatever and a terrible first baseman, but you’re great at the game of baseball. So I think you can be a star, but if you’re not in the right position it hurts you. And that’s exactly how I felt like I wasn’t on the right track with the morning show. At 10 o’clock at night, it’s the perfect place for me because I have editorial freedom and can basically say whatever I want.”

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