Share

cover art for Don Lemon on Facts, Fear and the Future of Media

Scalable

Don Lemon on Facts, Fear and the Future of Media

Don Lemon was one of the most recognizable figures in cable news. Since his high-profile exit from CNN in 2023, he's been building an independent media company, trading a traditional studio and production crew for a setup that fits inside a backpack. His YouTube channel, “The Don Lemon Show,” now has more than 1 million subscribers, who call themselves the “Lemonheads.”


Kaya Yurieff and Jasmine Enberg sit down with Lemon in the South of France to discuss everything from his arrest in Minnesota while covering ICE protests earlier this year to why he thinks legacy media is “bending the knee” to the Trump administration and how he approaches clickbaity YouTube thumbnails.


They also get into what he’s had to “unlearn” from traditional media, his biggest revenue streams, whether he’d ever return to cable news and where he thinks independent media is headed next.

Sign up for our newsletter for free at: https://scalablepod.com/subscribe

More episodes

View all episodes

  • Spain Won the World Cup. The Internet Won the Content.

    54:49|
    Spain may have won the 2026 World Cup, but plenty of athletes, brands and fans also emerged as winners on social media. The most boring part? Content from creators who actually attended matches. Kaya Yurieff and Jasmine Enberg break down the best (and worst) moments on social media from Erling Haaland’s meteoric rise to the TSA's cheeky Ranch dressing advisory and the Norwegian Air and British Airways bet to swap logos. Plus, they discuss why FIFA’s restrictive and fragmented approach to creator access may have held content back, and what the results could mean for creator strategies at sports leagues and teams moving forward.Later in the show, they’re joined by F1 journalist Toni Cowan-Brown, who discusses the creator economy’s impact on the sport—and why Netflix's “Drive to Survive” doesn’t deserve all the credit for putting Formula 1 on the map for Americans. 
  • Why Everyone Has a Newsletter Now

    51:34|
    Are we at peak newsletter? Newsletters have quietly become one of the most reliable businesses in the creator economy, with top writers earning millions of dollars from their work. Meanwhile, platforms like Substack, Beehiiv, Kit and Patreon are battling to win over creators, athletes and celebrities like Charli xcx and Tom Brady who have their own newsletters now.Kaya Yurieff and Jasmine Enberg break down why newsletters are booming, whether the market has become too saturated, how creators are actually making money and why today's biggest newsletters are evolving beyond just email.Later in the show, they’re joined by Beehiiv CEO and co-founder Tyler Denk to discuss the state of the industry, where there’s still white space for newsletters and where things go next.
  • The Battle for Smart Glasses and an Exclusive Interview with Netflix CMO Marian Lee

    48:27|
    The tech battle of the summer is heating up. Kaya Yurieff and Jasmine Enberg give their takes on new smart glasses from Meta and Snap, including why Mark Zuckerberg is so excited about its partnership with Kylie Jenner. They also debate which company has more riding on their wearables bet, especially after Evan Spiegel appeared on CNBC wearing the new $2,200 Specs, which showed his ear bending under their weight.Later in the show, they’re joined by Netflix CMO Marian Lee for her first-ever podcast interview. Lee, who spent 8 years at Spotify before joining Netflix in 2021, discusses everything from competition with YouTube, Nordic Noirs and that Jay Shetty deal to her stance on AI in marketing.
  • The $44 Billion Creator Boom

    51:42|
    Nearly every company on the planet now has an influencer marketing strategy, from pharmaceutical companies to toilet paper. In this episode, Kaya Yurieff and Jasmine Enberg break down the state of influencer marketing today, exploring three major questions: where budget is coming from, what brands are actually spending it on and the biggest growth opportunities. Later in the episode, they’re joined by Kim Tipton, a senior social media manager at Kimberly-Clark. She explains how the legacy brand approaches influencer marketing, why brands need permission before showing up on Reddit and how to make compelling creator content for paper products like Viva Paper Towels, which already have an unexpected fandom online. 
  • Meta's CMO on AI, Creators & The Future of Advertising

    45:30|
    What is Meta’s creator strategy? And is its massive spending on AI worth it? Kaya Yurieff and Jasmine Enberg speak with Meta’s CMO and VP of Analytics, Alex Schultz. He explains why Meta works with creators to sell smart glasses, rather than to try to change people’s perceptions of AI the way many of its rivals are doing. He also shares why Meta’s bet on AI is worth the investment and how the technology is impacting advertising.
  • Going Viral Doesn’t Work Anymore & Accenture Bets Big on Creators

    41:30|
    Can you be as big as MrBeast if you start as a creator today? This week, Kaya Yurieff and Jasmine Enberg deep dive into two dynamics happening in the creator economy: Breaking through to new audiences on social media is harder than ever. But at the same time, established creators are struggling to reach their own followers.Later in the show, they’re joined by Neil Waller, the co-founder and co-CEO of Whalar Group. Earlier this week, the holding company sold its influencer marketing business Whalar to Accenture’s marketing services arm, Accenture Song. Waller discusses the sale and what’s next for the creator economy.
  • Meta Has a Reddit Problem. YouTube Has a Netflix-Spotify Problem.

    51:44|
    Kaya Yurieff and Jasmine Enberg discuss the biggest headlines in the creator economy this week, including the real reason Meta launched a new Reddit competitor, Forum. Plus, they analyze Meta’s subscription push and its new Snapchat ripoff Instants. They also unpack the latest twist in the streaming wars as Spotify and Netflix team up against YouTube on an unprecedented podcast deal for Jay Shetty’s “On Purpose.”Later in the show, they’re joined by Jonathan Hunt, vice president of media and content at HubSpot, who explains why the software company is acquiring creator businesses.
  • Piers Morgan Wants a Billion-Dollar Media Company and Corporate Natalie on Her Career and AI

    01:03:42|
    Kaya Yurieff and Jasmine Enberg break down Kaya’s conversation with Piers Morgan at a podcasting conference in London, where he revealed new details about his independent media company Uncensored and his plans to turn it into a billion dollar company. Just don’t call him a podcaster! They’re also joined by Natalie Marshall, better known as Corporate Natalie, to talk about the rise of B2B influencers, how corporate content is moving beyond LinkedIn and why AI companies are investing big in creators. Marshall also shares her rise to fame on TikTok during the pandemic, how her career has evolved since then and what makes her new agency, Expand Co-Lab, different from traditional ad firms.