Transcript

Don Lemon LIES About His Role in Disgusting Church Disruption and Slams Parishioners, w/ James Woods

From Megyn Kelly · Episode page · Watch on YouTube

· 17 min · 3,149 words · 42 timestamped sections

This is the full, timestamped transcript of "Don Lemon LIES About His Role in Disgusting Church Disruption and Slams Parishioners, w/ James Woods", an episode of Megyn Kelly published January 20, 2026 (17 min, about 3,149 words). It mentions 3 people, works and ideas, including Michael Null, George Higgins.

What this episode is about

The discussion focuses on Don Lemon's alleged falsehoods regarding his involvement in a disruptive protest at a church, during which he reportedly intimidated parishioners. The conversation highlights potential legal repercussions for Lemon, including possible violations of federal law, and questions his claim of ignorance about the event's location and nature, framing it as part of a broader pattern of deception.

Key takeaways

  • Claiming ignorance in a protest: the new 'I didn't know it was a church' defense.
  • Lying about intent? A tell-tale sign of consciousness of guilt in legal scenarios.
  • When protests go rogue, journalists must remember: documenting isn't carte blanche for harassment.
  • Intent transforms trespass into felony territory; welcome to the legal labyrinth, folks.
  • In the world of activism and journalism, sometimes the line blurs—often to catastrophic effect.

Who speaks in this episode?

What is discussed, and when

  1. – 6:00: Michael Null
  2. – 9:00: Birch Gold Group, George Higgins

Notable quotes from "Don Lemon LIES About His Role in Disgusting Church Disruption and Slams Parishioners, w/ James Woods"

  • Ridiculous person. And you don't want to turn him into a martyr. But you do want to make it clear something Michael Null said yesterday on your podcast that was so right. You…
    about Michael Null · at
  • There are time look there years and years ago there's a movie that was written u based on a book by George Higgins called u the friends of Eddie Coyle and in it they guys…
    about George Higgins · at
  • Will this be the year you decide to talk to somebody from Birch Gold Group? You know you've been thinking about it. They use an educated approach with a deep understanding of macroeconomics.
    about Birch Gold Group · at

Who and what is mentioned in this episode?

People

  • Michael Null — Person · Referenced commentator (quoted approvingly) · 1 mention · first at
    Cited as having made a point the speaker agrees with: enforcing the law firmly ('You don't like it? Too bad. You're going to go to jail.').
  • George Higgins — Person · Referenced author (supporting anecdote) · 1 mention · first at
    Invoked to introduce a crime/justice anecdote via his novel 'The Friends of Eddie Coyle' to argue for strict mandatory sentencing.

Sponsors

  • Birch Gold Group — Company · Sponsor · 1 mention · first at
    Promoted as a financial service for diversifying savings with physical gold, offering a rebate for first-time buyers.

Full transcript with timestamps

It's interesting to me that he's lying about it. I So he I think he's scared. He doesn't I don't think he realized that he was breaking federal laws when he entered that church and disturbed people in their place of worship intimidating them and part of the crew that was physically obstructing them. Um I I don't think he understood. I think now he understands there actually is a real, chance, that, he's, going to, be, in serious legal trouble, especially if he gets c charged under that clan act because now we're talking felony. At a minimum, he trespassed. However trespass is not a federal crime. So what are the odds of him be getting charged zero uh for that by Minnesota officials? So, it's got to be one of these federal crimes, which means it's likely serious, and we'll see whether or not they have him. It actually is fact specific. They're going to be looking at how much he did that sounded more like

protester versus how much he did that sounded more like journalist. But he's lying about his behavior, which is a tell. He went on the crazy podcast of that very angry, weird-faced woman Jennifer, what's her name?

Welch., All, she, does, is, yell., Yeah., Yeah. Thank you. All she does is yell hateful things about Republicans. And I I guess that's her stick. Um here he is. Listen. Listen. He claims he didn't know that he and his cabal were going to a church. Listen for it.

They, said,, "Well,, there, is, this, thing happening that they've been sending out flyers for. Perhaps you want to cover this." So I said "Sure." And I went "Okay, I'll cover." And then when I went to cover it, they said, "We're doing this um this protest that is sort of um similar to the civil rights movement where they show up places and they sort of disrupt the peace like sitting in at lunch counters or, you know, drinking out of out of water fountains that were only supposed to be for white people." And I said, "Sure, I'll I'll go. I'll chronicle it." And they ended up at a church. I didn't even know they were going to a church. And they ended up at a church. And so once they went in and did their thing, uh other journalists started going in and I went in. So, I'm not exactly sure, Jen, how I became the face of it, unless they just think I'm the bigger name, but it's bizarre. And I

reported on it. I interviewed everyone there, the pastor, some of the congregants, and uh and the protesters. And that was it. And now all of a sudden, it blew up into this big thing where I am the one who is leading the protest., And, somehow, I'm I'm, the agitator here when I'm just the journalist.

Okay., Just, let, me, just, make, a, couple points before I play you the soundbite of him before he went in. He he he didn't. Oh, and I just interview I just documented it. No one wanted to talk to him. The pastor made clear no one wants you here. No one wants to talk to you. Put your stupid mic away and get out. So, he knew very well. He wasn't just there. I was innocently documenting. No you were part of the harassment. You were you were pushing that mic into the faces of people who did not want you there. And you had no right to be there and they had every right to eject you and your harassment continued. But here as for his claim that I had no idea we were going to a church, listen to him before the protest began on Sunday morning on site su

as, Nikima, said, this, is, clandestine the clandestine operation and then we can tell you what's going to happen afterward.

We, don't, know, what's, happening., We, kind of do but we don't know how it's going to play out.

Okay, we're, not, there, yet. We are here now. Do you think if you just have it I think maybe if you just have it on the church, but they if they see me

on, the, what,, Don? They're, going, to, know. Yeah. No, I, don't., It, just, depends.

The, what? Don't, name, the, location. I'm, not, blaming, name, the, location,, but, I mean

I, mean I'm, just, wondering, if, you, see, me. I, mean, the, folks, inside, see, me., Are, the congregants really on live instead of in service right now?

No,, but, they'll, be, like,, "Why, is, Don Lemon here?" Sunday, morning. Sunday, morning, church.

Yeah., Okay., We'll, see. Like, he's, Well,, what, else?, It's, Sunday and we already said the church.

No,, we, didn't. Yes,, you, said, it. Okay., They, didn't, name, the, church, James, but they said repeatedly at the church as the service started. and this idiot let him get away with I didn't know even know we were going to a church throughout that interview. So he's trying to rehabilitate himself by lying which shows a consciousness of guilt.

Right?, You, know every crime that is committed gets escalated when intent is involved. intent, conspiracy, these things are very serious when a a person has a plan in mind that is not what they try to make it appear when the event takes place. You know, if if a person says, "I'm going to defend my household." and they stand outside and they're looking for trouble and you know they make comments and wise guy wise acre comments about shooting people in their houses and so on. You have to be very careful about those things because they sometimes can indicate intent and other times just frustration and so on.

Look, this was an operation. I mean it's operation. He sounds like he's in Delta Force. I mean, he's just such a he's just he's just such a buffoon. And but the bottom line is the last person you want to turn into a martyr is this ridiculous clown. Okay? He's just a ridiculous person. And you don't want to turn him into a martyr. But you do want to make it clear something Michael Null said yesterday on your podcast that was so right. You have to stand up and enforce the law and you have to be tough about it. You don't like it? Too bad.

You're going to go to jail. Look, our drug problem is killing thousands and thousands and thousands and thousands of Americans. Okay? Our drug problem is our immigration problem. Our immigration problem is a Democrat strategy to stay alive as a political party. You know where they don't have a drug problem? Singapore. They catch you with drugs they cut your head off, okay? Or hang you, whatever they do over there.

That'll, do, it. I, mean,, you, know, that, would, do it., That, would, put, an, end to it right quick. You know there is there there are time look there years and years ago there's a movie that was written u based on a book by George Higgins called u uh uh the friends of Eddie Coyle and in it they guys decided they're going to heist the a bank or something I can't remember what the crime was and one of the guy they give Robert Mitchum who plays Eddie Cole a machine gun I think I'm not remember it just right but the point being in Massachusetts for years it may still be the law if you committed a crime with a machine gun.

It was unequivocal. Mandatory mandatory not at the discretion of some liberal judge. Mandatory life imprisonment without parole without exception in every case. That's it. You're going to jail till the day you die.

Okay? Even, the, mafia,, they, didn't, use, machine guns. Don't use a machine gun. What are you crazy? If we get caught, that's it. We're done. There's no way out. Now, in Chicago, where you have a mass murder every weekend, these gangs shooting each other, they have a thing called a giggle switch on their Glocks. It's a Glock switch. It's a switch you can put on your handgun, you squeeze the trigger and if you have a 30 round magazine, you can rip off 30 30 rounds like a machine gun. And they do it all the time. It's like they use them all the time now. The police are up against these lunatics with with with machine basically machine guns. But nobody enforces that law uh with any force. You start enforcing the law. Look look how many times we watch Kamala. But Camala I've I've been to the border. You haven't been to the I've been to the border. No you haven't. Well I've been to Europe. That Camala Harris

the borders are who never been to the border. You know how many times you have to listen to her and Morcus and Biden. Poor Biden. I don't make fun of him because he's got all

Stop, that, right, now., We're, not, ripping on Kamla anymore until she gets the nomination. Like just keep keep your powder dry. Let's let her sail right in there. She really believes she can do it. Wait, I want to keep going. We have a ton to get to. I only have you for an hour.

Um, I, got, to, show, you, this., So, separate it and apart from you know the, criminal, charges, and, all, that, and, we actually, are, going to, have, a, deep, dive on the criminal charges tomorrow with Dave Aronberg and Mike Davis on this program. So you won't have have a better legal debate anywhere. A new year means new financial goals like making sure your savings are secure and diversified. Will this be the year you decide to talk to somebody from Birch Gold Group? You know you've been thinking about it. They use an educated approach with a deep understanding of macroeconomics.

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Now, here, of course, he goes back to his priors. He's all excited that he's the center of attention and he's got to raise all the things that he always raises. like first I'm a gay black man in in responding to Nicki Minaj and then also these accusations which we heard from him in one sh way shape or form throughout his entirety on CNN and certainly since he's gone quote independent sought for

I, think, that, there, is, obviously, this there's racism in it the whole point of it is that they're trying to they're detaining people on the streets because of accents and the color of their skin uh and they're also targeting they're targeting people of color and black people uh as well as as brown people. So there is uh a certain degree of racism there and there's a certain degree of entitlement. I think people who are, you know, in the religious groups like that. It's not the type of Christianity that I practice, but I think that they're entitled and that that entitlement comes from a supremacy, a white supremacy. And they think that this country was built for them, that it is a Christian country when actually we left England because we wanted religious freedom. It's religious freedom, but only if you're a Christian and only if you're a white male, pretty much. And so yeah, I absolutely 100%.

But it's an intimidation tactic. I, mean,, it's, unbelievable., I, I, guarantee you all the people in that church are sup are supreme versus Don Lemon, but it I speak of intellect and class.

Don, is, a, bit, a, bit, of, a, racist, himself if I'm not mistaken. He's always he literally MAGA coded as if you're white or if you have the American flag.

It's, like,, you, know, great., There, a, lot, a, lot, of, people, in, my family were white and had the American flag and shed blood for it. You know, my dad had two Purple Hearts in World War II, you know, and and in the Korean War. He didn't it wasn't wounded in the Korean War, but you know, I just took it for granted that that, you know Americans have shed blood for for more people shed blood in the Civil War for people with black skin than in every war since combined. More American. Look how casually he throws that out there, James. He smears just these the these people sitting in a church in Minnesota minding their own business. He has no evidence that any of them supports ICE or doesn't. There was some an unconfirmed report that one of the pastors may have had an affiliation with ICE. So what? That's it. Like nothing about anybody in the church. all the members who were there, the

children, all smeared as white supremacists and not practicing his brand of Christianity based on what?

You, know,, Megan,, it's, really, pretty simple. If somebody's breaking the law or has broken the law, the law enforcement people that we hire or vote for uh are responsible are obligated to rectify that. And you know, ICE in particular has been going after uh there was a a statistic yesterday that Secretary of Homeland Homeland Secretary Gnome uh broadcast of the news. 70% of the people that I have arrested so far either have outstanding warrants or have committed crimes, violent crimes in the past. I mean, what why here? You know, I have I have a friend who's a poker player. He was in a Mexican gang.

His last name is actually Irish. He's a great guy. We're friends. And he goes "Hey man.

Dinner, at, your, house, is, gonna, be, fun." But if you saw this guy, he's got gang bang., He's, one, of the, greatest, poker players. He has three bracelets, uh World Series bracelets. He's a genius poker player. And we've become great friends. He go, "Hey man, I hear you're against immigrants." I said, "There's not a single person in the United States who isn't an immigrant, including the so-called, you know, um you know, tribes that actually came across the Bearing Straight into North America. But, you know, I I'm against illegal illegal immigration. There's such a thing as legal immigration. And the people who actually work hard to have legal immigration work so hard to do it. They by they have to get a lawyer and they study and then I guarantee you by the time they get their citizenship so many of the legal immigrants in this country know more about the constitution than half the people probably sitting in

Congress. Certainly the Democrats. Although, I, will, say, a, lot, of, these Somali have become naturalized citizens and now there's a push to to denaturalize them. take away that citizenship if they've committed any sort of fraud or crime uh or you know welfare fraud what what have you. And I'm totally behind that too. You don't get to come here

game, the, system, just, to, get, yourself declared an American just so you can mooch off the rest of us. Get out and stop with the mooching. Here's one more from Lemon. His thoughts on ICE. Sat 6.

Attention, ICE., Let, me, just, say, something that most people most journalists will not say. They can't say it. I understand that. But uh I'm an independent journalist now, so I can say it. off, ICE. all the way off. You are low-life losers and you feel empowered by your dear leader, Donald Trump. You have never had this position of power before, small person. And you are treating people in an inhumane way, and you don't even understand why because you you're too dumb to figure it out. You are the poorly educated that Donald Trump loves.

That's who you are. And you're out there doing his bidding, doing things that are illegal, doing things that are unconstitutional, doing things that are inhumane, like killing someone because you're pissed off. You are fat losers, who, just, crawled, out, of, a trailer park from some uh Proud Boy meeting or if not worse.

You, know, who, you, know, who, lives, in trailer parks? People, who, have, sacrificed, their, lives or limbs for this country in wars throughout its history. You know the fat people that he derides and so on. Losers.

Yeah., you, know,, they're, working, hard., I I'll tell you who's really uh really disgusting people are the people who don't speak English with a driver's license in a truck killing eight-year-old children in crosswalks drunks, uh the ones who raped all of these women. We see, you know, page after page on X. I I look all these stories about the illegals who are raping and murdering and oh, we can do that where we come from. We we can rape 12-year-old. I it it's it's just it's appalling. And when he said regular journalists can't say this, but I can say it. So, in other words, there's a special class of journalists. Here's what journalism is about. Getting the facts, reporting the facts, and doing it without fear or favor and without bias.

When you say ICE, what you're saying is the federal government in their obligation, their sworn obligation to the Constitution, oath on a Bible to enforce the laws of the land. So when he says that, he just he I didn't I didn't think it was possible for him to grade himself any further. He's a buffoon.

Thanks, so, much, for, watching., If, you, like what you just saw, hit the subscribe button for more clips and full episodes.

Questions about this episode

Who speaks in "Don Lemon LIES About His Role in Disgusting Church Disruption and Slams Parishioners, w/ James Woods"?

Megyn Kelly (Guest), James Woods (Guest).

What is "Don Lemon LIES About His Role in Disgusting Church Disruption and Slams Parishioners, w/ James Woods" about?

The discussion focuses on Don Lemon's alleged falsehoods regarding his involvement in a disruptive protest at a church, during which he reportedly intimidated parishioners. The conversation highlights potential legal repercussions for Lemon, including possible violations of federal law, and questions his claim of ignorance about the event's location and nature, framing it as part of a broader…

What is mentioned in this Megyn Kelly episode?

3 people, works and ideas are mentioned, including Michael Null, George Higgins. Each one on this page links to its own page with every episode that mentions it.

How long is "Don Lemon LIES About His Role in Disgusting Church Disruption and Slams Parishioners, w/ James Woods"?

The episode runs 17 min; the transcript is about 3,149 words in 42 timestamped sections.

More from Megyn Kelly

About this transcript: the episode's spoken words as captioned on YouTube, split into timestamped sections. Reclip.Me locates every person, work and idea in the text, keeps the time it is first named, and quotes the words around it verbatim. Last updated January 24, 2026.