Former CNN anchor Don Lemon thinks the comeback trail could suit Matt Lauer well.
Lemon believes that if the disgraced “Today” show host ever decides to return to the spotlight, he’d be welcomed with open arms — especially by women.
Lauer, who was famously fired from NBC News for sexual misconduct in 2017, has kept a relatively low profile since his controversial dismissal.
But that could be water under the bridge for Lauer’s many female fans, according to Lemon, who himself was fired from CNN in 2023 following accusations of misogynistic behavior.
“Women love him,” he shared on the latest episode of the “Hollywood Raw” podcast. “They’re like, ‘Man, oh my God, can I get a picture? I love you. I miss you on television.’ I think the public loves him. The public misses him … it’s the people inside the business who are afraid.”
The former “Don Lemon Tonight” host has been shoring up his own presence online after parting ways with CNN, where he worked on air for 17 years. The twice-daily livestreams of the “Don Lemon Show” on Instagram have attracted hundreds of thousands of followers since his new show on X was abruptly canceled by Elon Musk last year.
Lemon believes Lauer could find similar success away from the traditional TV landscape.
“I think that if he could come back to digital, he can set his own course,” Lemon told podcast hosts Dax Holt and Adam Glyn when asked if Lauer can make a comeback. “Whenever I see Matt out and about — or you know, if we go out to dinner, my husband and I go out to dinner with him and his fiancée — and people love him.”
Lauer, 67, was dumped from “Today” when former NBC employee Brooke Nevils alleged that he sexually assaulted her.
The longtime morning show host denied the allegations, which led more women to come forward with claims of sexual misconduct. He eventually acknowledged in a statement that “there is enough truth in these stories to make me feel embarrassed and ashamed.”
Lemon said that in the wake of the reelection of Donald Trump, who was found liable of sexual abuse in 2023, his pal stands a better chance of a return now than ever before.
“Maybe in this whole Trump era, when canceled is over, maybe there is a way that he’ll come back,” Lemon pondered. “I think the general public would accept Matt back. And I think people would watch him and I think the ratings would be great.”