What Don Lemon Has Been Up To Since Getting Fired From CNN

When Don Lemon announced that he had been fired from his job at CNN, there was no one more "stunned" than he. "I was informed this morning by my agent that I have been terminated by CNN ... After 17 years at CNN I would have thought that someone in management would have had the decency to tell me directly," the former host tweeted on April 24. Lemon continued to say that "there are some larger issues at play," to which CNN responded, "He was offered an opportunity to meet with management but instead released a statement on Twitter."

While CNN didn't provide any explanation for Lemon's departure, CEO Chris Licht said to the staff, "Don will forever be a part of the CNN family, and we thank him for his contributions over the past 17 years. We wish him well and will be cheering him on in his future endeavors," per CNN. Despite the initial shock, Lemon seems to be brushing his alleged firing off his shoulders, and he shared what his plans were for his near future.

It looks as if Don Lemon is enjoying his unexpected downtime. During a brief talk with TIME during the TIME100 Gala just days after leaving CNN, he shared that his goals were, "Sitting on the beach with this gentleman all summer," referring to his fiancé, Tim Malone. "I'm going to have a summer of a 12-year-old," he joked.

As for how he felt upon his sudden departure, Lemon stated, "I'm not an angry person, I'm not mad. I'm a very resilient person. I've had a very full life with lots of twists and turns. I come from strong, sturdy stock in Louisiana and I am lucky enough to be in a position where I don't have to worry about, you know, not having a place to live or a home or whatever," he told Page Six. Lemon is all about keeping his outlook positive and leaning on loved ones, such as Malone. "I have people around me who love me, including this gentleman right here. So I'm good," he declared. Despite his sunny perspective, things were reportedly strained between him and Malone post-firing, but it seems to have brought them closer together.

Apparently, Don Lemon was warned by his fiancé Tim Malone to "cool down" at CNN prior to his termination. A source close to Malone told the Daily Mail, "He told Don many times to just cool it down and go with the flow, but Don is not the type of person to listen. He pushes the boundaries in every facet of his life and this show was no different." Despite their initial friction, the insider revealed that Lemon's time away from the show has done him good and stated, "To be honest, they are actually kind of excited that Don gets to be home with their dogs now, as their dogs are their life. Tim has said that now Don gets to play house-husband."

It looks as if Lemon has made good on his promise to relax on the sand and is chilling out in the Hamptons. "Not mad at this weather... & my boys love it too... Nothing better than a doggy joy ride & a beach walk. Summer's coming," he wrote while sharing an Instagram post of himself with his beau and fur babies. Lemon is also enjoying domestic life and visited a local greenhouse to stock up on plants. "#Spring planting. With help from the pups," he shared. With his $25 million payout expected from CNN, Lemon has all the time in the world to think about his next career move.