Don Lemon Says He's On Pace To Make More Money Podcasting Than He Did At CNN

When CNN fired Don Lemon in 2023, he quickly signed an agreement with Elon Musk to be one of the inaugural podcasters for X. However, the deal lasted only a few months as Musk severed ties with the host after claiming he tried "bringing CNN to X."

Over the past year, Lemon has hosted his eponymous digital show on YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook without any backing. According to Lemon, he could make more money podcasting than he did on television.

"I will say to you that if it stays on the trajectory that it is on now, I will surpass what I was making at CNN," Lemon told Variety this week.

Since 2020, the biggest stars in digital media have made more money than the biggest stars in television. Last year, "Call Her Daddy" host Alex Cooper signed a three-year, $125 million deal with SiriusXM. Joe Rogan re-signed with Spotify in 2024 for a reported $250 million. No one on television is making that type of money in 2025.

Jemele Hill reacts to Don Lemon firing. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images  for Michael Kors)

That said, podcasting remains challenging to monetize unless you are Rogan, Cooper, or someone in the very upper echelon of the industry. Put simply, Lemon isn't on that level.

So, we are surprised to learn that Lemon's digital venture is on pace to earn more per year than the $7 million a year, according to the New York Post, he made at CNN.

For context, Lemon has 800,000 subscribers on YouTube, while his videos have views ranging from 15,000 to 250,000. Credit where it's due: Lemon's channel is successful. However, it's not $7 million a year successful.

But, according to Variety, Lemon has learned to court independent advertisers to sponsor his content. In other words, brands pay a premium to be associated with Lemon, despite his modest viewership. That is nothing new in media. While right-leaning content creators typically attract more viewers, blue-chip sponsors tend to prefer partnering with liberal creators.

Now, you see why MSNBC is willing to pay Rachel Maddow $25 million a year to host just once a week. The network knows she could probably make over $20 million a year on her own.

At OutKick, we encourage everyone in the media to make as much as possible, especially those involved in independent media. So, even though Don Lemon has hypocritical and cringe political views, we are glad that he can make just as much money on his own as he could with CNN.