‘Calm Down, Don Lemon’

Comedy Central’s Larry Wilmore had some late-night advice for CNN Tonight anchor Don Lemon Tuesday: “Calm down, Don Lemon.” Talking about Lemon’s much-discussed segment in which he held up a card emblazoned with the N-word, asking “does this offend you,” Wilmore said, “Wow, you went literal race card, Don.”

Wilmore also gave mocking “kudos to the CNN prop closet” for having an N-word card “at the ready.” Wilmore also imagined what it might have been like for a CNN intern to be sent to a copy shop to order the card.

Lemon’s card sparked cable news debate and a Twitter meme, and as The Washington Post’s Paul Farhi suggests, that may not be a bad thing for CNN. “The anchor caused another social media frenzy this week, but the mockery and outrage he inspires haven’t driven away any viewers.”