Don Lemon, the CNN reporter who anchors the primetime news program CNN Tonight, is engaged to New York City real estate agent Tim Malone.
The couple has been together for more than two years. Malone asked Lemon to marry him on April 5, 2019. He put new collars on their two dogs that read, “Daddy Will You Marry Papa?”
Here’s what you need to know.
1. Tim Malone & Don Lemon Do Not Appear to be Rushing Down the Aisle
Don Lemon and Tim Malone have not yet shared public details related to the wedding planning, including a timetable as to when they might like to walk down the aisle. They do not appear to be in a rush, but rather prefer to enjoy their time as an engaged couple.
Lemon told People in April that he was “just trying to enjoy this moment of bliss” and did not want to jump into the stress that comes with wedding planning. He said that friends had encouraged him not to get too caught up in the details too soon.
Oprah Magazine pointed out in a recent article that Lemon and Malone have a wide selection of location to choose from when it comes time to plan the ceremony. Malone is originally from Water Mill on Long Island. Lemon was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The couple lives in Harlem in New York City but also spend a significant amount of time in Sag Harbor on Long Island as well.
2. Don Lemon & Tim Malone Were Introduced More Than a Year Before They Started Dating
Sparks did not immediately fly between Don Lemon and Tim Malone due to bad timing. Lemon explained in an interview with Metrosource in 2018 that he and Malone first met on Long Island. They were introduced at a restaurant in the Hamptons.
Lemon told the outlet that Malone was in a different relationship at the time. “He was seeing someone, and I was playing the field. They broke up, and we got together, but we knew each other as friends for a year and a half.”
3. Don Lemon Has Said That His Relationship Feels ‘More Real’ Since Getting Engaged
Don Lemon has been open about the fact that he did not make his romantic life a priority for a very long time, while he was solely focused on his career. He vowed to change that during CNN’s New Year’s Eve celebrations to ring in 2017. He told Brook Baldwin live on the air that his resolution was to find love in 2017.
The following year, Tim Malone made an appearance on CNN’s New Year’s show and the couple shared a kiss at midnight.
Since getting engaged, Lemon has said his relationship feels “more real” than ever before. He told US Magazine, “I grew up thinking that … my relationships would never be public, let alone get married, and now I can get legally married. My relationship is public and I have started thinking about children. So I’m a real late bloomer!”
4. Tim Malone Popped the Question But Both He & Don Lemon Are Wearing Engagement Rings
Tim Malone was the one who proposed, but both he and Don Lemon are sporting engagement rings. Lemon’s CNN colleague, Chris Cuomo, teased him about the size of the rock on his finger during an on-air chat back in April.
Cuomo joked, “For somebody who was worried about the subtlety of it, you blew the cover off that with that ring! Liberace was embarrassed by that ring.” Lemon, laughing, responded, “I didn’t buy it!”
Lemon then added that he had always known that, when he got engaged, he “some bling.” Cuomo responded that Tim Malone had clearly been listening!
5. Tim Malone Is a New York Native & Works in Real Estate
Tim Malone was born and raised in Water Mill, Long Island. He graduated from Southampton High School in 2002 and went on to study journalism at Boston College.
Malone began his professional career in media. He worked in sales at NBC Universal before taking a job at Billboard in 2013.
Malone switched to real estate in 2018. He worked for the Corcoran Group in New York City for two years before switching to Douglas Elliman Real Estate in February 2020.
For more on Malone’s background and work history, follow the link below.
