Don Lemon Embroiled In New Controversy

Former CNN host Don Lemon is once again facing intense backlash after appearing to give tacit approval to an outrageous Holocaust comparison made by a Texas Democrat during a livestream discussion on the state’s 2026 redistricting battle.

Texas State Rep. Jolanda Jones (D–Houston), who recently fled to Illinois along with dozens of other Democrats to block a Republican redistricting proposal, created outrage when she likened the GOP’s mid-decade redistricting efforts to the Holocaust.

“I will liken this to the Holocaust,” Jones said. “People are like, ‘well, how did the Holocaust happen? How is somebody in a position to kill all them people?'”

“Well, good people remained silent or good people didn’t realize that what happens to them can very soon happen to me or somebody I love,” Jones claimed.

As she delivered the incendiary remarks, Lemon nodded in agreement and muttered, “Mmhmm.”

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Jones remained defiant, even as the Holocaust analogy threatens to derail her party’s messaging. “God forbid they end up targeting you and your family,” she added in her closing line.

Jones, who was elected in 2022, made the comments during a virtual town hall discussing the Republican-led redistricting plan. That proposal—unveiled earlier this summer—aims to redraw 37 of Texas’s 38 congressional districts, potentially giving the GOP control of up to 30 seats ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

Democrats claim the map disproportionately targets Black and Latino-majority districts in cities like Houston, Austin, and Dallas–Fort Worth. But comparing political maneuvering to one of the most horrific genocides in human history has even some liberals backing away from Jones.

Jones’s full comments were even more dire. “If you think it can’t happen, it can,” she said. “We will lose all of our rights. And if you think it can’t happen, it can. And I will liken this to the Holocaust.”

While most of the attention has focused on her remarks, Lemon’s visible affirmation is raising eyebrows as well. The former CNN anchor, who has previously come under fire for bizarre on-air moments, including suggesting women over 40 are “past their prime,” was recently attempting a career pivot through online platforms. Many are now calling for advertisers to cut ties.

The controversy stems from the Democrats’ decision to flee Texas in order to deny the GOP majority a quorum—mirroring a 2021 tactic that critics called “political cowardice.” This time, over 50 lawmakers have taken up residence in Illinois, Massachusetts, and New York, vowing to remain there until the special session ends on August 19.

Republican leaders, meanwhile, are pushing forward. Rep. Todd Hunter, who spearheaded the map overhaul, argues the plan is necessary to reflect population changes and maintain Republican representation.

Civil arrest warrants and $500-a-day fines have been authorized against absent lawmakers, but enforcement remains unlikely outside Texas’s jurisdiction.