Lemon, 55, a veteran of CNN's New Year's Eve Live, rang in 2022 for the central time zone on Friday, hosting from New Orleans alongside fellow anchor Alisyn Camerota and comedian Dulce Sloan.
As the clock near midnight, Lemon, who appeared boisterous and more outspoken than usual, spouted: "I don't give a — what you think about me, what do you think about that."
He went on to claim that people dislike him because he is a 'successful black man'.
"I am who I am. I'm a grown, successful black man who a lot of people hate because they're not used to people seeing me - and people like me - in the position that I am," Lemon ranted.
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"To be able to share what I...my point of view on television, it freaks people out. And you know what? You can kiss me behind. I do not care."
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"I don't care. I really don't care. I have one life and this is who I am and I feel very, um...," at which point Sloan finished his sentence with the word "blessed."
"To be able to do this. So all the hate I get? It motivates me. Bring it, I don't care," Lemon, who joined CNN in September of 2006, finally concluded.
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The rant has been viewed hundreds of thousands of times yet it's not the first time the TV host's comments have drawn attention.
Last month, Lemon threw his old pal Jussie Smollett to the wolves hours after following his conviction for faking a hate crime and avoided claims that he's offered the actor inside information about the police probe into his claims.
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On December 9, just hours after Smollett was convicted, Lemon said: "He had to make up too many lies as to why he didn't want to do certain things."
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"To cover. Like another lie - and I guess he got caught up in that because he took the stand himself. He got angry with the prosecutor as the prosecutor poked holes in his story - calling the only other witnesses liars."
Lemon also slammed Smollett for making it harder for real victims of hate attacks to be taken seriously, and he listened intently while his legal analyst Joey Jackson called for Smollett to face jail
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Questioned by Lemon what he thought of the verdict, Jackson responded: "I think it's the proper result."
However, days earlier, CNN came under pressure to fire Lemon after it was revealed he contacted the former Empire star to tell him that the Chicago police didn't believe his story.
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