The former CNN host calls on Kanye West to show 'respect' following their public spat over false rumors surrounding the rapper's abrupt departure from the Grammy Awards.
- February 9, 2025
AceShowbiz - Don Lemon urged Kanye West to show "respect" after the rapper used a racial slur against him. Ye had called Lemon a "koon" on social media, accusing the TV host of spreading a false rumor that the rapper and his wife, Bianca Censori, were ejected from the Grammy Awards.
Speaking to Page Six at the NFL Honors event, Lemon called out Ye, "He got on social media and he called me [a koon], I was like, 'C'mon man, we're both black men. You know what that word means in our community. Have some respect.' "
Lemon clarified that he had indeed shared a rumor online suggesting the couple were removed from the Grammys following their attention-grabbing red carpet appearance. However, he emphasized that he was merely relaying information he had heard and did not personally witness any such incident.
Lemon also recalled a prior encounter with Kanye West where the musician seemed dismissive. He recounted attempting to interview West before the Grammys, only to be met with a curt refusal. "When I tried to interview him, he goes, 'I'm trying to focus. No interviews,' " he recalled the rapper's response.
Shortly after this exchange, West and Censori made their entrance on the red carpet, where Censori's revealing sheer dress, unveiled from under a black coat, became a major talking point.
Reflecting on the couple's Grammy appearance, Lemon remarked on Ye's reputation for publicity stunts. "Kanye's a master marketer. He's a master promoter, so I'm surprised but not surprised. I'm not surprised that he pulled a stunt," he commented.
After the Grammys, Kanye West took to Instagram to call out Don Lemon, "This the goofball that started the rumor that me and my wife got kicked out the Grammies [sic]... 3 decades of innovating music and they always KOONS like this."
Lemon responded by firmly denying the allegations, "First of all, Kanye … Ye, whatever your name is. I did not start a rumor about you being kicked out of the Grammys. I actually corrected it."
He concluded his message with a pointed remark referencing West's political affiliations, "Get your s*** straight. You, of all people, calling me a coon? … That 'Make America Great Again' hat must be too tight on your head."
