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CNN host Don Lemon did not hold back and blasted Kanye West over his meeting with Donald Trump that turned into a tirade that Lemon called a “minstrel show” that would have West’s mother rolling over in her grave, reports the Daily Mail.
READ MORE: Kanye’s antics didn’t end at the White House, just ask the people at the Apple store
Appearing on CNN’s The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer on Thursday, Lemon could hardly contain himself, placing a hand on his forehead and shaking his head before tearing into West who met in the Oval Office with Trump, Jared Kushner, Ivanka Trump and NFL Hall of Fame running back Jim Brown.
Lemon said West not only embarrassed himself but he embarrassed the African American community. He criticized Trump for “using” West and said that he needs mental health that no one seems to take seriously enough.
“Kanye needs help … This was an embarrassment. Kanye’s mother is rolling over in her grave. I spoke to one of her friends today. I texted with one of her friends today from Chicago. I used to live there. I know him. She said Donda would be embarrassed by this. She would be terribly disturbed by this,” he added.
“I have no animosity for Kanye West. I’m just going to be honest and I may get in a lot of trouble for it. I actually feel bad for him. What I saw was a minstrel show today,” Lemon said on The Situation Room.
“Him in front of all these white people embarrassing himself and embarrassing Americans, but mostly African Americans because every one of them is sitting either at home or with their phones, watching this, cringing.
“I couldn’t even watch it. I had to turn the television off because it was so hard to watch. Him sitting there, being used by the President of the United States. The President of the United States exploiting him,” he added.
People are now calling for Lemon to be fired over the comments
After panelist Tara Setmayeron called West “the token negro of the Trump administration” on Lemon’s show, former football star Herschel Walker called for Lemon to be fired.
READ MORE: Kanye deletes social media again, ‘SNL’ star urges him to ‘get back on meds’
“Went to bed appalled over Don Lemon’s despicable behavior laughing at Tara Setmayer and Bakari Sellers’ awful remarks about Kanye West’s visit with [Trump]! Woke up wondering why CNN doesn’t take all three off the air?” Walker tweeted on Thursday.
Candace Owens, a Trump supporter and friend to Kanye, joined the fray to blast Lemon’s segment saying it was “not only racist, it was absolutely despicable.”
“I cannot believe it would be allowed on any network, least of all having a host that’s laughing as if it’s funny,” she added.
Donald Trump Jr joined in to throw his support behind West.
“Kanye dares to think for himself so @CNN commentators mock him, saying Kanye (a wildly successful businessman) ”is what happens when negros don’t read.” At some point you have to ask, why is free thought & expression so dangerous & scary to liberals?” he wrote.
He didn’t stop there
“If anyone around him cares about him…they need to grab him, snatch him up and get Kanye together because Kanye needs help. This has nothing to do with being liberal or a conservative. This has to do with honesty. And we have to stop pretending, sitting here on these CNN panels or whatever network panels, and pretending like this is normal and let’s have this conversation about Kanye West,” Lemon said.
After his erratic rant at the White House during a meeting with President Trump, Kanye West, in search of another captive audience, stood on a table inside a Washington D.C. Apple store and gave an impromptu speech no one asked for.