Don Lemon, a former CNN prime-time host and morning program co-host, has announced a new position following Chris Licht’s resignation as CEO of the network.

According to Page Six, “On June 16, Lemon will celebrate Pride Month by hosting Emil Wilbekin’s 7th annual Native Son Awards at Barry Diller’s IAC building in New York.”

In a statement, Wilbekin said: “For this year’s awards, we really wanted to shine a light on those who are using their platforms to bring visibility to all the beautiful ways in which Black, queer men show up in the world.”

Page Six reported that Lemon was one of the inaugural recipients of the awards, which were established in 2016 to honor the achievements of Black gay and queer men who are leaders in their respective professions.

“Having Don host this year’s award feels like a full circle moment for Native Son,” Wilbekin told the outlet. “He is one of the most visible Black gay men in media and his presence reinforces the importance and impact of our community.”

The organization remained loyal to Lemon after Licht dismissed him in April, on the same day that Fox News removed Tucker Carlson from the air.

“As one chapter closes, a new one will open. We thank you Don Lemon for speaking truth to power,” the group said at the time.

Lemon told Page Six that he has been keeping a low profile since his dismissal and plans to “enjoy my summer, spend it at the beach, and have a great time.”

He remarked, “That’s it!”

CNN ousted “Licht after a tumultuous year leading the struggling news network that culminated in a damning magazine profile and the growing realization that he’d lost the confidence of the network’s journalists,” The Associated Press reported.

“The change was announced at CNN’s editorial meeting Wednesday morning and came just two days after Licht said he would ‘fight like hell’ to earn the trust of those around him,” the report added.

Fox News contributor Joe Concha responded to CNN CEO Chris Licht’s departure on Wednesday by stating on “America’s Newsroom” that a town hall featuring former President Donald Trump last month “broke” the dam at CNN’s headquarters, along with a scathing article published by The Atlantic that “ultimately brought him down.”

“He had inherited a network that had lost 75 percent of its audience. When you’re comparing early 2021 with the spring of 2022 when he came in and new leadership there gave him marching orders, basically saying, move this network back to the center, the network,” Concha continued.

More on this story via Conservative Brief:

“It was under Bernard Shaw, Aaron Brown, and a guy named Bill Hemmer,” he said, referring to Hemmer, now a co-host on America’s Newsroom. CONTINUE READING…