Don Lemon isn’t letting his unexpected termination from CNN keep him down. The longtime TV newsman is looking on the bright side and planning for his upcoming summer.
Lemon walked the carpet at the TIME 100 Gala in New York City on Wednesday — where he was joined by his fiancé, Tim Malone — and he spoke with ET’s Rachel Smith about parting ways with the network.
“I’m doing well, and I’m here to celebrate… I’m happy to be here,” Lemon said, smiling. “I am happy to be moving in a new direction. I’m going to miss all the talented people and journalists at CNN, who are my friends and who I love, and who I’ve been speaking to.”
Lemon reiterated, “I’m fine, life is good, I’ve got my beautiful fiancé here and we’re all good.”
On Monday (moments after Fox News ousted Tucker Carlson), CNN revealed it had “parted ways” with Lemon, who had spent 17 years at the network as a correspondent and anchor.
CNN CEO Chris Licht said in a statement that “Don will forever be part of the CNN family” and he thanked Lemon for his contributions to the network. Following that statement, Lemon took to Twitter to share he was “stunned” by the decision.
Despite the acrimony that appeared to exist behind the scenes of his exit, Lemon says he’s simply looking toward his future and some much-needed relaxation. For the longtime anchor, he’s looking forward to “summer on the beach and on the boat, chilling with my family… it’s gonna be a great summer.”
“I’m just chilling out and we’ll see what happens next,” he added, when asked if there are any irons in the fire with regards to his next venture. “One day at a time and one foot after the other.”
He was also definitive when asked if he has any regrets with regards to his time at CNN, sharing, “No, this is life. You get one life, and I have no regrets.”
“I live my life virtually carefree and regret-free. You can’t change the past, you can only move into the future and live in the present,” he added. “And that’s what I’m doing.”
The day after his firing, Lemon’s former “CNN This Morning” co-hosts, Poppy Harlow and Kaitlan Collins, opened the show by wishing him well. See the video below for more on his shocking departure.
MORE FROM ET:
Don Lemon Spotted Out for the First Time Since Firing From CNN
Megyn Kelly and Chris Cuomo React to Tucker Carlson and Don Lemon News
Why Don Lemon & Tucker Carlson Were Fired & What Their Next Moves Are
Don Lemon Says He Was Fired at CNN and Wasn’t Told By Network
