HEY, DON LEMON -- NO, SHOULD I SAY GOOD MORNING, DON LEMON.
>> I DON'T HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT.
>> MAYBE YOU ARE ON LONDON TIME. THERE IS BIG NEWS OVER HERE.
>> I'M EXHAUSTED. I JUST GOT BACK TODAY.
WHAT A PLAN THIS BEING ON THE PLANE WHILE THIS HAPPENED AND MY
PHONE WAS HEATED UP ALL DAY. LET ME JUST SAY IT'S BITTERSWEET
FOR ME BECAUSE I WORK WITH THE BEST TEAM IN THIS BUILDING, ONE
OF THE BEST TEAMS IN THIS BUSINESS AND WE BUILT THIS SHOW
OUT OF NOTHING. THIS SHOW WAS NOT SUPPOSED TO
EXIST. AND BECAUSE I HAVE SUCH
FANTASTIC PRODUCERS AND WRITERS AND MARIA WHO IS MY EXECUTIVE
PRODUCER AND MY EXECUTIVE PRODUCER, PHILLIP, THE PEOPLE
THAT WRITE THINGS THAT COME OUT OF MY MOUTH, THE THINGS THAT
MAKE SENSE. SUSAN IS GREAT AND OTHER SENIOR
PRODUCER ALYSSA WELLDON. I JUST HAVE REALLY WONDERFUL
PEOPLE WHO KNOW ME. IT'S LIKE A MIND MELD.
BUT I WAS PRESENTED WITH AN OPPORTUNITY THAT I CAN'T PASS UP
AT THIS NETWORK, AND WE HAVE A NEW BOSS, WHO IS A MORNING SHOW
E EXMPREARIO. AND HE WANTS A SHOW TO KICK OFF
THINGS EVERY DAY. AND SAYING HE MOVED ME -- HE
ASKED ME AND I SAID YES. I COULD HAVE SAID NO.
THIS IS MY SHOW. I HAVE A CONTRACT FOR THIS SHOW.
I DECIDED I WOULD TAKE HIM UP ON THAT.
THIS IS NOT SOMEONE SAYING YOU MUST MOVE TO THE RIGHT DON LEMON
AND GIVE SO MUCH OF YOUR PERSPECTIVE.
THAT IS NOT REAL. THIS IS FODDER FOR TWITTER.
THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY. THIS IS A PROMOTION.
THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR ME TO CREATE SOMETHING AROUND ME AND I
GET TO WORK WITH TWO GREAT LADIES WHO YOU KNOW, POPPY
HARLOW, WHO I HAVE KNOWN FOR DECADES.
I KNEW HER CHILDREN AND HUSBAND. AND KAITLYN COLLINS, SAME THING,
WE HAVE BEEN FRIENDS SINCE KAITLYN HAS BEEN AT THE NETWORK.
IT'S REALLY GREAT. THE ONLY THING IS THE BOSS LAUGH
AND SAID I'M GOING TO HAVE TO PUT SOME EXTRA MONEY IN THE
BUDGET TO HAVE SOMEONE COME OUT TO YOUR HOUSE AND WAKE YOU UP
EVERY MORNING. SINCE I HAVE BEEN IN THIS
BUSINESS SINCE THE 1990s, SERIOUSLY, I HAVE ONLY BEEN ON
THE NIGHT SHIFT. THE ONLY TIME I WAS ON THE
MORNING SHIFT WAS A FILL IN, WHEN I WAS FILLING IN ON THE
TODAY SHOW OR WEEKEND TODAY OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT, EVEN ON THE
MORNING SHOW HERE. THAT IS THE ONLY TIME I HAVE
EVER -- THAT HASN'T BEEN THAT MUCH, SO IT'S GOING TO TAKE SOME
GETTING USED TO. >> I TELL YOU, I KNOW TWO
THINGS. NOBODY PUTS BABY IN THE CORNER
AND NOBODY DICTATES ANYTHING TO DON LEMON.
>> THANK YOU. >> I WAIT UP AND STAY UP EVERY
NIGHT FOR DON LEMON, I'M HAPPY TO GET UP IN THE MORNING.
I CAN'T WAIT. >> THANK YOU.
WHEN I STARTED DOING THIS, IT WAS EIGHT AND A HALF YEARS AGO
AND THEY WERE DOING PILOT -- WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO WITH
PRIME TIME? AND OUR OLD BOSS SAID GO DO IT.
AND IT WAS THE ONLY -- HE SAID THE ONLY PILOT THAT MATTERS IS
THE ONE ON THE AIR. SO YOU GO AT IT.
AND THEN IT BECAME CNN TONIGHT AND THEN CNN TONIGHT WITH DON
LEMON AND THEN DON LEMON TONIGHT.
I'M HAPPY IT IS A SUCCESSFUL SHOW.
IT HAS BEEN 8 AND A HALF YEARS. I WANT TO TRY SOMETHING ELSE.
WHAT IS LIFE WITHOUT RISKS. >> I'M SO EXCITED FOR YOU.
WE ARE ALL BEHIND YOU. IT WILL BE WONDERFUL FOR YOU.
YOU, KAITLYN AND POPPY. I AM TELLING YOU, THOUGH, WE
HAVE ALL BEEN WATCHING YOU ON -- IN ENGLAND TIME, YOU ARE GOOD IN
THE MORNING, KID. >> OH, THANK YOU, YOUNG LADY.
THE NAME OF THE SHOW WILL BE DO AND K POP.
>> I WILL NEED ONE MORE FOCUS GROUP, JUST ONE.
TAKE CARE. >> YOU ARE THE BEST.
SEE YOU TOMORROW. >> TAKE CARE.