After CNN firing Don Lemon says he still has ‘lots to smile about’

The media world was shook recently with the twin firings of Fox News superstar Tucker Carlson and the CNN mainstay Don Lemon. Turns out the latter is taking the hand he was dealt and attempting to make the most out of it.

Lemon showed up at the Time 100 Gala in New York City, per TMZ, with plenty of smiles and good cheer to go around. Lemon, who spent 17 years with the news channel, appeared at the event with his longtime partner Tim Malone. The two were dressed impeccably and seemed in excellent spirits.

Of course, Lemon is a TV professional so honestly it would be pretty weird if he showed up dour or disengaged. He knows what to do when cameras are on him.

“You guys are more worried about me than I am,” he told reporters cheekily on the red carpet.

He has a reason to be optimistic. A seasoned TV personality like Lemon shouldn’t have trouble finding another position, and it looks like the network NewsNation would be happy to scoop him up. The new network just started airing 24-hours a day and they have a lot of air to fill, so picking up Lemon would be a smart choice.

It’s too early to say whether that will indeed be the case, however. In the meantime, both Carlson and Lemon have hired hotshot Hollywood lawyer Bryan Freedman to handle their respective exits, per the New York Times. Freedman has gotten multimillion-dollar settlements from stars like Megyn Kelly and Quentin Tarantino.

Basically, Lemon is going to be just fine. A smile isn’t that surprising at all.