-Don Lemon, thank you so much for being here.
It really means a lot to me. I know how busy you are.
-I am honored to be here and to be in your home.
It means a lot to me.
Can I say something? -Sure.
-Your open. Wow. Bravo, brother.
And that's exactly what we all need to do is examine ourselves.
And that was really honest and very brave of you.
And I appreciate you having the depth, really,
to do what you did in that open.
That's amazing.
I wish more people would do that,
because we can't go back to the way we were.
Even before this death happened with George Floyd,
with the pandemic, Jimmy, we weren't gonna go back
to life the way it was.
And now that this happened, we can't go back.
So this is a time for us to change, and I thank --
I appreciate you for stepping up
and being a leader and helping to change.
-I wanted to thank you for saying that,
but I want to thank you even before we got into this,
just to say, just for the pandemic,
when that was happening, thank you for staying on the air
and being there for all of us.
You know, I don't know if you get enough credit,
as much as you deserve.
You deserve a lot of credit for getting out there
and making us feel calmer and safer
and just giving us the information
and showing up and being there for us.
So, that was happening, and I wanted to thank you for that.
And now I saw your special last night,
"I Can't Breathe -- Black Men Living and Dying in America,"
and that was absolutely phenomenal.
Bravo to you for that.
What has this been like for you, professionally?
-Well, professionally, it's tough
because it's so personal, you know?
Because I'm seeing people who look like me,
who have similar backgrounds,
who have loved ones who look like my family, dying.
I mean, literally watching them die.
We watched this man die on-camera,
we watched Ahmaud Arbery die, in Georgia, on-camera
literally within the span of a week or two.
And, I mean, it's been tough to go on and not be emotional,
but, you know, I lead from the heart
and I'm very candid and I don't always say the right things.
That's why -- I don't always say the right things,
but I always say what I'm feeling in the moment,
and it's always real.
And I don't mean it --
You know, it doesn't come from a bad place.
And so that's why I appreciate what you said
and what you're doing, because we have to stop
beating people up for mistakes, because we're all human.
We have to allow people to be human.
And we all have pasts, and they're not perfect.
And we have to allow people to be flawed and have conversations
like we're having now and not castigate people for it.
People say the wrong things all the time.
In your family, with your wife, with your mom, your dad,
your sister, whomever, your brother,
you have conversations, you have arguments,
and you say the wrong thing,
but you're still a family and you still love each other.
And I think even as Americans who may not live together
or know each other, we have to allow each other
that same freedom.
And that's all -- That's what I'm trying to get across
every single night, especially since this happened.
-What can people be doing right now?
White people, black people.
I'm not saying, "Tell me what to do,"
but what do you think all of us as a country
should be doing or can be doing?
-Exactly what we're doing right now.
That's what they should be doing.
And every time something like this happens, Jimmy,
we say, "We need to have a conversation.
We need to have a conversation."
Yes, we need to have a conversation,
but that is at the very minimum.
We should be having a conversation.
White people, get some black friends.
Examine your social circles.
Do you have any people of color in your social circles
besides people you work with or maybe who work for you
or maybe you ride the subway with,
I mean, who live in your neighborhood?
Do you? I mean, just let's be honest.
And look at your staff if you work.
Look at the people you work around,
especially if you're a boss.
How many people of color do you have on your team?
How many direct reports do you have?
Because that influences what you put out in the world.
And I think people should just be honest,
because we all created this toge--
This is the America that we all created,
and we can all change it if we really wanted to.
And we have to stop asking, "Well, what can we do?"
It is shocking, honestly, Jimmy, to most African-Americans,
if not all African-Americans, that what happened
to George Floyd, as sad and awful as it is,
is an epiphany for white people.
It's not an epiphany.
It happens all the time, and many people
make these calculations every time they see it.
"Well, this doesn't happen much. They're making an excuse.
It happens to white people."
How much videotape -- Have you seen videotape like that
of white people?
And if you do, it's very rare. Have you seen it, Jimmy?
-No. -Okay.
So when people are telling you that these things happen,
well, you should probably meet them where they are
and believe that they do, because it happens,
and stop making excuses for racism and get out there.
But the biggest thing is take some action.
Use whatever platform you have or wherever you are
and try to do something for a person of color
or understand a person of color or improve conditions.
When something happens in the workplace
that you perceive to be discriminatory,
don't stand by and let it happen and then say,
"Oh, that's terrible that it happens to you."
Speak up.
-Yeah, you had a quick call-out the other night,
because you said that you were getting texts and DMs
saying, "Great job, Don."
You're doing great."
And you're like, "Yeah, what are you doing?"
-Yeah. -"Don't tell me.
You have a platform. Use it."
-Well, here's the thing. And you know this.
So, the trades will pick up a headline -- right? --
and say, "Oh, Don Lemon is calling people out."
What I meant was not in a derogatory or negative way.
And I did say, "You may be doing something
that I don't know about, and if you are,
then I apologize."
But I have asked people to come on CNN many times,
and even with this, and they'll say,
"Oh, I can't do it.
You know, I just -- Man, it'll ruin my brand" or
"I'm worried about it.
I can't -- You know..."
And if you don't help those young people
who are really out there and try to change that narrative
about all of this rioting and everything is bad
and black people are causing chaos --
If you don't step up to those people who are standing
on an abyss and trying to change things,
when are you going to do it, black or white?
And that's not just for
Hollywood people and celebrities.
Those are the people who represent them,
Those are the producers,
all of those people who are making money.
And the reason I said that is because
there's a vacuum of leadership in this country,
and we live in a very celebrity-driven society.
And people listen to artists of all kinds --
rappers, actors, comedians.
They listen, and you have a big voice and a big platform.
And the reason I mention all those bold names
that I mentioned is because I love those people,
I respect those people, and they have a major, huge influence.
And sometimes, if you're doing things behind the scenes,
you're giving money, it's very important.
Don't get me wrong.
But visibility is also extremely important,
because young people need to be able to see that
they can be like you and that sometimes doing
a Twitter post or an Instagram post, that's great,
but it's in a vacuum sometimes.
Do you understand what I'm saying?
-Yeah, I do.
-I use my platform the way that I can.
I'm not criticizing people in that way,
but it's just a call to action for everyone
to do what they can,
because this a critical moment in our country.
That's it.
-I want to talk more with you
when we come back from the break.
Is that okay? -Absolutely.