Don Lemon announced Sunday that his independent media company Lemon Media Network (LMN) is expanding its newsroom and operations teams. According to a release from LMN, the network has amassed more than 10 million subscribers across YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Substack, Facebook, Twitch, Threads and Bluesky, with half of the growth occurring in the last year.
“Two years ago people told me independent media was a step down. Ten million followers later, I think we’ve answered that,” Lemon said in a statement. “While legacy media chases false equivalence, outrage and endless food fights, audiences are moving toward voices that feel authentic, direct and trustworthy.”
NEW: Don Lemon is expanding Lemon Media Network, his independent media co, which he says has surpassed 10 million followers across all social platforms… • McKinsey alum Douglas Robins is joining as Director of Operations. • Spectrum News alum Daniel Grimes is joining as… pic.twitter.com/eb47zHP3KK
— Dylan Byers (@DylanByers) May 10, 2026
He continued, “There’s a real freedom in what we’re doing here. No corporate boss, no fear of losing the job for telling the truth. We answer to the audience, not the elite, the oligarchs or the Oval Office. That’s what freedom of the press is supposed to mean. The networks have the resources. We have the relevance. They should be asking themselves why. And starting today, I’ve got a daily newsletter for our subscribers on Substack, The Lemon Lucky 7. Seven stories, every morning, from me.”
Douglas Robins will join as director of operations, and previously served as a policy advisor for Louisiana Governor’s office.
The news comes months after Lemon was arrested on federal civil rights charges after covering a protest in St. Paul. The charges included conspiracy to deprive rights and violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act, which prevents one from interfering with someone’s First Amendment right of religious freedom.
“Thank you, thank you. I wanted to say this isn’t just about me, this is about all journalists, especially here in the United States,” he told reporters at the time. “For more than 30 years I’ve been a journalist and the power and protection of the First Amendment has been the underpinning of my work for the First Amendment, the freedom of the press, the bedrock of our democracy.”
Lemon added, “The process is the punishment with them. I will not be intimidated, I will not back down. I will fight these baseless charges, and I will not be silenced.”
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