Don Lemon did not laugh at Maxine Waters during her recent CNN appearance. The video in question used a clip from 2018, and Lemon was fired from CNN in 2023.
The misleading post included a voice-over, not from a CNN producer, but from the account @stevenvoiceover commenting on the situation.
U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., appeared on “CNN NewsNight” on July 9 to discuss President Joe Biden’s candidacy. When anchor Abby Phillip asked about the Democratic strategy to defeat former President Donald Trump, Waters adjusted her hair for about 20 seconds before responding, “I think we need to keep working and work harder.”
A manipulated Instagram video posted on July 10 combined this moment with footage from several years ago featuring a different CNN anchor, making it seem as though Don Lemon was conducting the interview and laughing as Waters adjusted her wig. The video included a voiceover saying “What’s Don laughing at?” and “Can we get hair and makeup in for Maxine’s wig please?”
The text on the video falsely claims, “BREAKING: CNN producer caught on hot mic dealing with Maxine Water’s wig problem.”
This video was flagged by Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its platforms, including Facebook and Instagram.
The voiceover was not from a CNN producer, but from @stevenvoiceover.
The Lemon clip in question was taken from a February 2018 episode of “Don Lemon Tonight.” In the clip, Lemon was laughing after political commentator Symone Sanders-Townsend made a comment about Omarosa Manigault Newman, a former Trump administration staffer. Sanders-Townsend joked, “Don. It’s Black History Month, we gotta talk about Omarosa? Carter G. Woodson did not go to the mat to get Negro History Week that eventually turned into Black History Month for us to talk about Omarosa and her apology tour and her attempt to salvage her reputation on a reality television show.”
Lemon chuckled for a long time before regaining his composure.
Newman, known for her stint on “The Apprentice,” was fired from the Trump administration in 2017 and later said on “Celebrity Big Brother” that she was haunted by Trump’s tweets.
The claim that a CNN producer was caught on a hot mic discussing Waters’ recent interview is rated False.