Work in Progress with Sophia Bush

Episode: Don Lemon
Release Date: August 27, 2025
Host: Sophia Bush
Guest: Don Lemon

Episode Overview

In this deeply personal and lively episode, Sophia Bush sits down with Don Lemon—award-winning journalist, best-selling author, and host of The Don Lemon Show—to discuss the winding path of his life and career. The conversation dives into themes of resilience, authenticity, identity, and joy, weaving in both the challenges and celebrations of being openly queer in media. Don opens up about his childhood, coming out, professional evolution, and married life, while both guests reflect on the power of embracing one’s full self. The podcast exudes warmth as Bush and Lemon candidly explore lessons learned, hopes for the future, and the meaning of being a "work in progress".

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Marriage, Love, and Queer Joy

• Don reflects on never expecting to be able to marry:

  "I never thought I'd get married ever in a million years. It wasn't possible for me." (04:46 Don Lemon)

• Touching wedding story: His husband proposed in 2019 with their dogs wearing collars that read "Daddy, will you marry Papa?" (06:19 Don Lemon)
• Impact of marriage equality: Lemon describes feeling fundamentally changed after marrying with full legal and ceremonial recognition.
• Shared narratives: Both guests discuss stereotypes, societal expectations, and the evolution from hiding relationships to embracing joyful outness.

2. Childhood, Identity, and Self-Acceptance

• Sophia’s recurring question to guests:

  "If you could bend the space time continuum and meet up with your younger self as a kid... would you see yourself in him?" (08:34 Sophia Bush)

• Don’s candid answer:

  "No... That little boy was afraid." (09:05 Don Lemon)
  He carried what he thought was a stigma about his sexuality until well into adulthood.

• Coming out journey:
  • Privately out to loved ones earlier, publicly came out in his 40s in his 2011 book to be fully authentic.
  • "I sort of carried that, what I thought was a stigma around for decades... I didn't come out until I wrote it in a book in 2011." (10:27 Don Lemon)
• Reflections on childhood traits: Both guests connect personal qualities—curiosity, eloquence, storytelling—as roots for their professional paths.

3. Career Pivots and Embracing Change

• Don’s transition from traditional news to independent media:
  • Describes freedom from corporate pressures and the joy of authentic self-expression:

    "I don't have to self-edit anymore. I don't have to worry about representing 4,500 other people in the company." (29:36 Don Lemon)

  • He credits leaving CNN after getting “clickbait canceled” as ultimately freeing and the sign it was time to move on.
  • "Sometimes what you need to do is bigger than what you're doing in that place." (27:12 Don Lemon)
• Sophia’s story of leaving a steady acting job aligns with Don’s courage:

  "Our jobs lost us... and that is the confidence I want to walk through the world in." (28:17 Sophia Bush)

• On self-definition:
  • Don stops letting critics or institutions define who he is. (30:59 Don Lemon)

4. Media Critique, Truth, and Responsibility

• Viral "cancellation" incident: Don and Sophia dissect the infamous on-air moment that was misrepresented and weaponized via clickbait.

  "Everybody put and judged their judgment on me." (24:00 Don Lemon) "You were making a systemic observation about the way our world functions... and you got clipped and clickbaited." (23:57 Sophia Bush)

• The role of media in normalizing disinformation and false equivalence:
  • Media’s fear-driven business decisions, profit motives, and proximity to political power erode truth and propagate both-sides-ism (34:30 Don Lemon).
  • Don laments how news outlets care more about ratings and deals than journalistic integrity.

    "They normalize these things and it's false equivalence... Why are we doing this?" (33:26 Don Lemon)

5. Intersectionality and Rights

• Legal regressions and threat to equality:
  • Conversation about the rollback of rights (Dobbs, Obergefell, Loving v. Virginia) and the urgent need for coalitional advocacy:

    "If your rights change state to state on a road trip, there is no America." (32:51 Sophia Bush)

• The importance of cross-community solidarity:
  • Sophia: "I need your men to show up for us... and I need all the people out there in hetero relationships to show up for us." (32:04 Sophia Bush)

6. Visibility, Representation & Living Openly

• Don’s experience coming out in his book and its impact:

  "The only person on network news that was out at that time was Rachel Maddow... I just have to be honest." (44:41 Don Lemon)

  • Rachel Maddow sent him flowers in support; the story made headlines.
• Sophia’s experience being outed publicly and reclaiming joyful narrative:
  • She describes being unapologetically visible and affectionate with her partner in the face of sensationalist media coverage.

    "If you think you're gonna make me hide, I'm gonna be the most loud and proud human." (48:28 Sophia Bush)

• Discussion on double standards, misogyny, and the performative commodification of queer female relationships versus the risks still faced by queer men.

  “Where the misogyny flips for us is, men think it's pretty hot when two women are kissing.” (49:19 Sophia Bush)

7. The Work in Progress

• Don’s ongoing journey:
  • Prioritizes being present at home and with loved ones over career achievements:

    "I try to work on being more present... maybe I have been thrust in this position now to lean more into my life." (58:45 Don Lemon)

• Sophia’s resonance:

  "When you love your life, you want to lean into it." (60:13 Sophia Bush)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

"Sometimes what you need to do is bigger than what you're doing in that place."
– Don Lemon (27:12)

"Fear is a liar. That's what I mean by the devil. Fear is a liar."
– Don Lemon (29:09)

"If your rights change state to state on a road trip, there is no America, period. End of story."
– Sophia Bush (32:51)

"I don't have to self-edit anymore. I don't have to worry about... representing a brand... if I screw up, I say, you know what? I really didn't mean that. I apologize. That was wrong. And that's how human beings treat each other."
– Don Lemon (29:36, 30:58)

"I realize now, maybe I have been thrust in this position now to lean more into my life..."
– Don Lemon (58:45)

"If you think you're gonna make me hide, I'm gonna be the most loud and proud human. Because I love her. And I'm the happiest I've ever been with her."
– Sophia Bush (48:28)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Don Lemon on marrying his husband and family acceptance: 04:43–07:59
• Sophia’s “talk to your younger self” question & Don’s reflection: 08:34–10:54
• Don’s coming out story & decision to write about it: 44:07–45:33
• Sophia and Don on career pivots and workplace freedom: 27:08–29:36
• Discussion of media’s role in distorting truth: 33:13–35:02
• Advocacy, coalitions, and threats to rights: 32:04–33:11
• Double standards and joy in queer relationships: 41:08–44:07
• Final reflections—leaning into love, home, and presence: 58:45–60:22

Tone & Atmosphere

The conversation is open-hearted, humorous, and refreshingly honest. Both guests are unafraid to share personal vulnerabilities and hard-won wisdom, but the tone is consistently hopeful and energizing. There's plenty of laughter, some irreverence, and an underlying call to action for authenticity and allyship.

Summary Takeaway

In an era of rapid social change and continued battles for equality, Don Lemon and Sophia Bush offer an inspiring example of vulnerability, determination, and hope. By telling their stories—messiness, mistakes, reinvention, and all—they embody the message that we are all masterpieces and works in progress at once. Don’s parting words remind listeners that success is not just a professional pursuit, but a lifelong practice of presence, love, and growth.