Don Lemon can’t wait for women, especially black women, to read his new memoir

Don Lemon’s new memoirs are finally out, and he’s excited to share them with the world.

“I’m pleased to announce my new book, “Once I Was Lost: My Search for God in America” “Officially released,” he captioned the Instagram post, which included a video montage of Lemon happily reading his book in New York City while the Sex and the City theme song plays within the background.

“I Once Was Lost,” released today by Little, Brown and Company, chronicles Lemon’s religious upbringing within the Deep South and his rise in broadcast journalism. The book details the controversies Lemon has faced, including his February 2023 comments that Nikki Haley was not “in her prime,” the backlash they sparked, and his eventual firing from CNN in April 2023 following an investigation into potential misogynistic misconduct.

When the title was first announced in Junedescribed it as a “deeply personal endeavor” that began as “a journalistic examination of religion in America.”

“But after leaving CNN, it ultimately evolved into something much deeper and more relatable to anyone who has experienced loss, grief and doubt,” he continued. “I’m so excited to share my journey with all of you. I’m sure it will help you no matter where you are on your life path.”

His journey included coping with his mental health after leaving CNN, adapting to a new reality, marrying his partner Tim Malone and changing his story.

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While the 58-year-old TV journalist hopes everyone will appreciate his latest memoir, he is especially keen to hear from women — especially those he is said to.

“I love my mom, my sister and my family,” he told People magazine. “I hope they’re proud when they read it because they’re all over the book. They’re the main characters.”

Lemon said in an interview that he continually thought of women while writing.

“All those women who held me in their arms and comforted me and always supported me … I wanted to make sure they understood that I loved them and that all the things they read about me were not true. I was not some anti-woman type. Quite the opposite,” he said.

“I wanted to make sure that the people who have given me the most support — women, especially black women — knew I could count on them,” he says.

While talking to New York Times about his book he said: “I know it sounds cliché, but my best friends are women.”

“I used to be lost once” is a sequel to Lemon’s first book, “This is fire,” which examines the history of racism within the U.S. as reflected in his own experiences as a black queer man. On “I Once Was Lost,” Lemon gets much more personal, specializing in how his faith has shaped his life and the present state of affairs within the country.

“I wrote this book because of my love for this country, my love for God, and my faith in God,” he told People magazine, adding that as a member of the LGBTQ+ community, “it really pushed me to become the person that I am. I also wanted to combat the voices in evangelical religious doctrines that sought to marginalize me and people like me.”