CNN's Don Lemon talks about the man who confronted Tucker Carlson: 'I don't like it'

On Don Lemon Tonight Monday, Lemon came to the defense of Fox News host Tucker Carlson, who was confronted by a man at an outdoors store in Montana over the weekend. The man, Dan Bailey, told Carlson that he’s “the worst human being known to man,” among other things.

“Let me tell you this, I don’t like it,” Lemon said. “I don’t like it when people do that because I would not want it to happen to me. But I have mixed emotions because Tucker has done this to people before.”

Lemon’s mixed emotions about the confrontation are understandable, as Carlson regularly looks for reasons to attack Lemon, at one point, going so far as to say that Lemon “runs from diversity” in his free time.

“Tucker said some really nasty and silly things about me, and the next day there were paparazzi in front of my house, hiding, taking pictures,” Lemon said. “So I don't want it to happen to anyone, I don't want it to happen to Tucker, but when you do things like that, I don't know.”

Lemon has repeatedly admonished statements made by Carlson, and reiterated how he feels about much of what Carlson says, but believes he has a right to be left alone in public.

“I think that what Tucker says much of the time is completely reprehensible and divorced from reality,” Lemon said, “but he has a right to be in a space and not be accosted and not be ambushed by anyone.”

Lemon also said it appears in the video of the confrontation that Bailey was trying to intimidate Carlson, but CNN contributor Ana Navarro believes Carlson had it coming, citing Carlson’s divisive rhetoric concerning race, and his constant misinformation about the COVID vaccines.

“In the same way that Tucker Carlson spews out hatred every night, and racism every night, and anti-covid rhetoric every night, which has put lives at risk,” Navarro said, “this guy in this fish store, whatever the hell it was, has a right to his opinion.”

Don Lemon Tonight airs weeknights at 10 p.m. on CNN.

Watch Don Lemon address Tucker Carlson's 'ignorance' following racist comments:

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