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Don Lemon's New Year's Eve Hijinks

by Melanie Schmitz

Don Lemon just can't catch a break. The CNN anchor came under fire again on Thursday night in New Orleans, Louisiana, after some choice on-air New Year's reporting turned into a bit of a boozy melee, with co-anchor Brooke Baldwin there to watch it all. By the end of the raucous evening, Lemon's wild New Year's Eve antics had sent Twitter into a firestorm.

"Don Lemon is straight up hammered on CNN right now and it's my new favorite show," joked one user, noting that Lemon, host of CNN Tonight, had seemingly had one too many glasses of champagne. Another user defended the anchor as well, noting that Lemon's behavior was a hilariously refreshing change from his normal stoic reporting.

"Don Lemon drunk is the only Don Lemon I want from now on," she quipped.

The evening wasn't all wine and roses. At one point, host Anderson Cooper (who was hosting the evening's main festivities from New York's Times Square) became noticeably uncomfortable after Lemon made a remark about Cooper's co-host Kathy Griffin.

"I have to say Kathy... I have to say... nice rack," Lemon joked. Griffin seemed to laugh it off, but both Cooper and Baldwin seemed taken aback. "OK," Baldwin responded, laughing stiffly and grabbing a plastic cup from his hands. "I'm cutting him off, I'm cutting him off!"

Twitter too, was up in arms, remarking both positively and negatively on the exchange, as well as a bevy of other moments throughout the evening:

While some laughed along with Griffin...

... Others were visibly dismayed by the anchor's behavior:

About halfway through the evening, after Cooper tweeted a poll asking followers whether Lemon and Baldwin should get into a nearby hot tub, Lemon took the initiative and climbed in himself:

Of course, no New Year's Eve celebration is complete without a little music:

Naturally, there were those who were just happy to comment on Lemon's general drunkenness:

Finally, the evening was capped off with some sage words from Lemon himself:

So far, neither CNN nor Lemon have come forward to make any comments on the evening's wild ride, but you can be sure someone will make a move soon. (Rest in peace, Don Lemon's career.)