Don Lemon Slams Kanye’s Oval Office ‘Minstrel Show,’ Says Rapper’s Mom ‘Rolling Over in Her Grave’

CNN’s Don Lemon tore into Kanye West‘s Oval Office meeting with President Donald Trump, incensed by what he called an embarrassment to the African American community and America itself.

“What I saw was a minstrel show today,” Lemon said Thursday during an interview with his colleagues at the network. “Him in front of all these white people, mostly with people, embarrassing himself and embarrassing Americans, but mostly African Americans because every one of them is sitting either at home or with their phones, watching this, cringing. I couldn’t even watch it. I had to turn the television off because it was so hard to watch.”

Earlier in the day, West had lunch with the president just after appearing in front of a room full of reporters in the Oval Office. Rather than participating in photo ops at the White House, Lemon said the rapper should address his mental health, imploring those who know him to “grab him, snatch him up and get Kanye together because Kanye needs help.”

Then, Lemon then took issue with those who sent cameras to the event.

“This has nothing to do with being liberal or a conservative,” he said. “This has to do with honesty. And we have to stop pretending, sitting here on these CNN panels or whatever network panels, and pretending like this is normal and let’s have this conversation about Kanye West. Who cares? Why are you sending cameras to the Oval Office for Kanye West?”

Near the end of his remarks, Lemon said the artist changed after the death of his mother, remarking his mom would have been disturbed by his behavior and “is rolling over in her grave.”

In a final suggestion to West, Lemon said, “Kanye, back away from the cameras, go get some help.”

Watch the clip above via CNN.

[Image via screengrab]