Don Lemon To Host Weekly Talk Show For CNN+

Don Lemon is joining the ranks of CNN anchors and hosts who will have a presence on the network’s upcoming subscription streaming service CNN+.

The nightly anchor will host The Don Lemon Show, which will have a studio audience. The network says that it will focus on “the most talkable news stories each week.”

In a statement, Lemon said, “I’ve been enamored by talk shows since I was a child. I’d hide the remote and made my siblings watch Johnny Carson. I wanted to be him. And then I discovered Phil Donahue and it all clicked. ‘Caller, you’re on the air.’  A talk show centered around news, current events and everyday provocative topics – I watched every single day! Same with Oprah. Time now for this generation’s version of that great tradition.”

CNN+, set to launch in the spring, is drawing on other network personalities, like Wolf Blitzer, who will host a nightly newscast; Jake Tapper, who will host a weekly show focused on books; and Anderson Cooper, who will have two weekly shows, including one focused on parenting.

The streaming service will be closely watched to see the public’s appetite for another subscription offering, and one focused on a news brand. CNN also has tapped other figures like Chris Wallace, Kasie Hunt and Audie Cornish for shows.