CNN Anchor Don Lemon Announces Engagement To Tim Malone With Adorable Instagram Post

While influencers, models, and female celebrities often reign supreme on Instagram — there are plenty of bikini shots to go around, it seems — every so often, a truly memorable post comes around from someone outside the typical bubble of social media. This week, that honor goes to CNN anchor Don Lemon.

As reported by People, news anchor Don Lemon, best known for anchoring CNN Tonight, recently announced his engagement on Instagram. Lemon, 53, revealed that he in engaged to his longtime boyfriend, Tim Malone. Malone, who works as a real estate agent, and Lemon have been together for the past couple of years. As detailed by Page Six, the two first met years ago at a restaurant in the Hamptons.

“He was seeing someone and I was playing the field,” Don Lemon explained. “They broke up and we got together, but we knew each other as friends for a year and a half.”

The two took their relationship to the next level when they made their status public. The pair were seen at a Saturday Night Live after-party and were photographed as they held hands.

As mentioned, Don Lemon took to Instagram to announce his recent engagement. He shared a post of two dog tags, which were both engraved with a simple message.

“Daddy will you marry Papa?” the dog tags read. The photo’s caption was equally heartfelt.

“He gave me a present on his birthday,” Lemon wrote. “How could I say no?”

The engagement, which took place on April 5, also marked the day before Tim Malone’s birthday. That same day, Malone, Lemon, and some of their friends went out on the town to celebrate Malone’s birthday — which is today.

While it is certainly a happy time for Don Lemon and his fiance, things haven’t been so easy for the CNN anchor over the past few years. As detailed by The New York Times, Lemon publicly revealed that he was sexually abused as a child, a secret that he kept until he was 30-years-old. In 2011, he came out as gay in his memoir, Transparent. As The New York Times notes, only a handful of national news anchors have publicly revealed that they are gay.

Lemon explained his stance on the personal nature of coming out.

“I think it would be great if everybody could be out,” Don said. “But it’s such a personal choice. People have to do it at their own speed. I respect that. I do have to say that the more people who come out, the better it is for everyone, certainly for the Tyler Clementis of the world.”