Former CNN host Don Lemon revealed how he was arrested in connection with the Minnesota church attack in an interview with ABC on Monday jimmy kimmel.

Lemon first revealed that his attorney, Abe Lowell, had contacted the Justice Department before his arrest to discuss his client turning himself in, as senior Justice Department officials spoke publicly about bringing charges against him, but Lowell “never heard back.”

He then provided a timeline of what happened before his arrest late Thursday night, how he attended a pre-Grammy event and was not accosted by federal agents until he returned to his hotel in Los Angeles.

“I Pushing the elevator button, and all of a sudden I felt like I was being pushed and people were trying to grab me and put handcuffs on me,” Lemon said. “I said, ‘What are you doing here? ‘They said, ‘We’re here to arrest you.’ I said, ‘Who are you?’ And then they, like, finally identified themselves. “

DON Lemon released after court appearance

Former CNN host Don Lemon recalled being arrested while attending “Jimmy Kimmel Live” in Los Angeles. Monday, February 2, 2026. (Screenshot/ABC)

The former CNN star later said he then asked for a search warrant, but the agents who arrested him didn’t have one, so he said they had to “wait” for an outside FBI agent to have a copy of the warrant on his phone.

“Jimmy, this could take a dozen people, it’s a waste of resources,” Lemon told Kimmel. “Because I told them weeks ago, maybe once or twice…that I could just go in and they wouldn’t have to be the ones who were working there that day, and they wouldn’t have to have all these people following me.”

“This is not just a waste of resources,” Kimmel reacted.

“You’re right, it’s not just a waste of resources,” Lemon replied. “They want that. They want to embarrass you. They want to intimidate you. They want to instill fear, so that’s why they do it.”

Don Lemon’s long history of anti-Iceland rhetoric

Lemon is Arrested and charged Friday Suspected of conspiracy to deprive rights and violate the FACE Act for participating in anti-ICE protests that disrupted church services in Minnesota.

Lemons went viral last month for live-streaming an attack by left-wing agitators at St. Paul’s City Church during a Sunday service. Lemon insisted he was there as a reporter, not a protester. However, the Justice Department accused him in the indictment of coordinating with protest organizers before they arrived at the church.

Don Lemon went viral for his live coverage of the anti-ICE protests at St. Paul’s Cities Church. (Don Lemon/YouTube)

“I’ve been covering news my whole career. I’m not going to stop now,” Lemon told reporters outside the courthouse on Friday. “There has never been a more important time for a free and independent press to expose the truth and hold those accountable. I will not stop now. I will never stop.”

“Last night, the Department of Justice sent a team of federal agents to arrest me in the middle of the night for what I have been doing for the past 30 years. This is journalism. The First Amendment protects my job and the work of countless other journalists who do what I do. I stand with them all, and I will not remain silent. I look forward to my day in court.”

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Don Lemon speaks to the media after a hearing at the Edward R. Roybal Federal Court in Los Angeles on January 30, 2026. (Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images)

A federal magistrate judge previously rejected the Justice Department’s initial attempt to bring charges against Lemon. The U.S. Department of Justice then sought an indictment from a Minnesota grand jury.

Before his arrest, Lemon Challenging the Trump administration Make him “the new Jimmy Kimmel.”

Kimmel is a fierce critic of Trump; was briefly suspended Last year, his comments about Charlie Kirk’s alleged killer drew the attention of the Federal Communications Commission and were subsequently reported by ABC. Like Kimmel, Lemon has become a liberal folk hero for her fight against the Trump administration.

Lemon’s next court appearance is scheduled for February 9 in Minneapolis.

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