Don Lemon thrilled to imbibe on his own NYE special after CNN banned boozing

Don Lemon tin portion connected nan occupation this New Year’s Eve, aft his erstwhile employer wouldn’t fto him partake connected past specials.

After being forbidden from drinking on-air astatine CNN, nan erstwhile cablegram news anchor is bringing his New Year’s Eve statement to his YouTube show — shots and all!

It became Lemon’s yearly schtick to imbibe on-air during CNN’s New Year’s Eve typical until 2022, erstwhile his past caller boss, Chris Licht, implemented an intoxicant prohibition for anchors and correspondents.

An insider, however, claimed Licht, “did let [annual show co-hosts] Andy [Cohen] and Anderson [Cooper] to drink.”

Cohen exclusively told america backmost successful 2022 that he and his broadcasting bestie would refrain from drinking connected their yearly show aft CNN cracked down connected nan on-air libations.

(The duo downed non-alcoholic “mystery shots” passim nan the show that year.)

Lemon, however, is thrilled this twelvemonth that he “wont person immoderate leader telling him what to do,” arsenic he readies his first New Year’s Eve broadcast arsenic an indie journalist, our root said.

He moreover proudly reminded his followers that he was nan CNN trailblazer that started nan boozy trend, not Cohen!

“The full CNN point astir New Year’s Eve and drinking, I started that s–t. Nobody was drinking. I’m like, I’m successful a bar,” he explained to fans.

Lemon added that his past co-host Brooke Baldwin, “was like, ‘What is he doing?’ I’m like, ‘I’m trying to person fun,'” he said.

Producers took announcement of their lively short segment, and, “The much nosy I had, nan much they kept coming backmost to me, and past they expanded it from 30 minutes to an hr and a half,” Lemon said.

“So, everybody now wants to drink, and they want to do shots and they want to do champagne. They did not do that s–t earlier I stared doing it,” he claimed.

Lemon’s live New Orleans New Year’s Eve typical streams coming astatine 7 p.m. (EST), pinch typical guests for illustration Luann de Lesseps, Big Freedia, Joy Reid, Sunny Hostin, Joy Behar, Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas), Tamron Hall and Alec and Hilaria Baldwin.

“Nobody, not 1 personification that you’re watching connected New Year’s Eve is going to person arsenic overmuch f–king nosy arsenic we’re going to have,” Lemon insisted.