Born Donald Carlton Lemon, Don Lemon, age 55, is a popular news anchor for Cable News Network (CNN). He was born on March 1, 1966, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. 

Lemon is the author of two books, Transparent, which came out in 2011, and his second book, This Is the Fire: What I Say to My Friends About Racism, was released a decade later. 

As per internet rumors, he was previously married to actress Stephanie Ortiz despite him being gay. This article attempts to shed some light on the matter. 

Is Don Lemon Gay?

Yes, the celebrated journalist has publicly announced being gay. He made the revelation in his 2011 book Transparent. Since then, his identity has been in the public eye. In his first book, Lemon told his readers about being molested for years by a teen neighbor.  

In an interview with Dr. Drew Pinsky, Lemon shared he knew he was gay since his early childhood. But he waited thirty years to break the news to his mom, who did not accept his gender identity initially, but she later came on board. 

Don Lemon And Tim Malone Are In a Relationship

Lemon is currently in a relationship with Malone, who is 18 years younger than him. The gay couple started dating in 2017 and eventually got engaged in 2019.  

As per CNN, they shared an on-air kiss during a live New Year's Eve broadcast on the network in 2017, and by doing so, made their relationship public. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Don Lemon (@donlemoncnn)

After getting engaged in 2019, the boyfriends took to their respective social media and announced the big news to their audience. Pre-COVID, Lemon, was planning to get married to his boyfriend, Malone. However, the ceremony is now put on hold. 

Malone has previously worked as a journalist for various media houses, having earned a Bachelor's degree in history and journalism from Boston College. After 2018, he opted to work as a real estate agent in New York. 

In April 2021, Lemon was a guest on The Tamron Hall Show, and he expressed his desire to have kids. However, the couple is unsure whether they want to adopt or bear a child through surrogacy.

Is Don Lemon's First Wife Stephanie Ortiz?

Online rumor mills have claimed actress Ortiz to be Lemon's former spouse or his first wife. However, these claims come with no legs. There are many reasons to debunk this false claim.

First, Lemon has long been known to be gay. He is currently engaged to a same-gendered partner since 2019, having previously dated him for two years. He has also spoken about feeling gay when he was a kid but not acting on his feelings. 

Furthermore, neither Lemon nor Ortiz has been publicly spotted together. There are no pictures of their marriage anywhere, and since Ortiz is absent from all forms of social media platforms, no evidence can be drawn from her personal life.

If only Lemon's personal life is taken into account, the claim can be neglected. But with no equal amount of information on each side, nothing can be confirmed or denied.   

The only thing that has kept this claim alive is the silence maintained by both parties. And even if we assume that the rumored couple was married in secret, one cannot put a finger on when it actually happened.