CNN producer “caught on hot mic” commenting on Maxine Waters’ “wig problem.”
Stand up for the facts!
Our only agenda is to publish the truth so you can be an informed participant in democracy.
We need your help.
I would like to contribute
Video of Don Lemon laughing on air was altered; Maxine Waters was not his guest
If Your Time is short
-
The post included a voice-over, not a CNN producer, commenting on the situation.
-
Don Lemon did not laugh at Maxine Waters. The video used a clip from 2018, and Lemon was fired from CNN in 2023.
U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., appeared July 9 on "CNN NewsNight" to discuss President Joe Biden’s candidacy. As anchor Abby Phillip asked about the Democratic strategy to defeat former President Donald Trump, Waters adjusted her hair for about 20 seconds before answering, "I think we need to keep working and work harder."
A July 10 Instagram video mashed up that moment with another one from several years ago involving a different CNN anchor.
The Instagram video makes it appear as though former CNN anchor Don Lemon was conducting the interview and laughing as Waters adjusted her wig. The video included a voiceover saying "What’s Don laughing at?" and "Can we get hair and makeup in for Maxine’s wig please?"
"BREAKING: CNN producer caught on hot mic dealing with Maxine Water’s wig problem," text on the video reads.
(Screenshot of Instagram video)
This post was flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram.)
Featured Fact-check
The voice was not a CNN producer, but commentary by the account @stevenvoiceover.
The Lemon clip was taken from a February 2018 episode of "Don Lemon Tonight." Lemon, who was fired in 2023 from CNN, was laughing after political commentator Symone Sanders-Townsend made a remark about Omarosa Manigault Newman, a former Trump administration staffer.
"Don. It's Black History Month, we gotta talk about Omarosa?" Sanders-Townsend said. "Carter G. Woodson did not go to the mat to get Negro History Week that eventually turned into Black History Month for us to talk about Omarosa and her apology tour and her attempt to salvage her reputation on a reality television show."
Sanders left Lemon chuckling for a long time before he regained his composure.
Newman, a former "The Apprentice" contestant, was fired in 2017 from the Trump administration and ceremonially fired from the show’s first-season competition. She later said on "Celebrity Big Brother" that she was "haunted" by Trump’s tweets every day.
We rate the claim that a CNN producer was caught on a hot mic about Waters’ recent interview False.
Our Sources
Instagram post, July 9, 2024
OK Magazine, Congresswoman Maxine Waters, 85, Adjusts Wig Live on CNN While Discussing 2024 Election in Viral Moment: 'She's Real for This', July 10, 2024
GQ, Don Lemon Can't Stop Laughing at This Omarosa Burn, February 10, 2018
AP News, Don Lemon fired from CNN after divisive morning show run, April 24, 2023
Yahoo News, Symone Sanders Leaves Don Lemon In Stitches After The CNN Anchor Tries To Discuss Omarosa, February 10, 2018
NBC News, Omarosa Manigault Newman forced out of White House, sources say, December 13, 2017
YouTube, Don Lemon cracks up over guest's Omarosa burn, February 9, 2018
CNN Politics, Omarosa: ‘I was haunted by tweets every single day’, February 9, 2018
Browse the Truth-O-Meter
More by Ranjan Jindal
Video of Don Lemon laughing on air was altered; Maxine Waters was not his guest
Support independent fact-checking.
Become a member!
In a world of wild talk and fake news, help us stand up for the facts.