‘Daddy’ Don Lemon Is Celebrated for Poodle-Themed Marriage Proposal

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

“CNN Tonight” anchor Don Lemon announced Saturday that he said yes to marrying his boyfriend, and the media rejoiced.

Lemon, 53, shared the news in an Instagram post. He said Tim Malone had proposed a day earlier while they were celebrating the real estate agent’s 35th birthday.

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

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Based on the photos in the post, Malone appeared to have enlisted the couple’s two poodles, Boomer and Barkley, to help him pop the question – bedazzling them with dog tags that read: “Daddy Will You Marry Papa?”

View this post on Instagram

He gave me a present on his birthday. How could I say no?

A post shared by Don Lemon (@donlemoncnn) on Apr 6, 2019 at 12:26pm PDT

Malone posted the same photos, which also featured the men’s rings, in his own Instagram post with the caption: “He said Yes!”

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The news was widely covered by mainstream news outlets, including CNN, and by a number of LGBT publications, which regularly write about Lemon. Pink News highlighted the poodles’ involvement with the headline: “CNN anchor Don Lemon gets engaged to boyfriend, with help from their dogs.”

Since coming out as gay in 2011, Lemon has not shied away from publicly discussing his sexuality, even invoking it on air to weigh in on issues of the moment from a distinctly liberal perspective. Lemon has similarly willing to speak out as a black man, including in response to criticism from President Donald Trump.

While Lemon’s personal touch has seen him to respectable ratings, it has also earned him and his network criticism for blurring the lines between fact and opinion.

Lemon and Malone have been dating since 2016. They attracted attention last year for kissing during CNN’s live New Year’s Eve broadcast.

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