Terry Crews and CNN's Don Lemon Debate Black Lives Matter Movement

America’s Got Talent host Terry Crews and CNN’s Don Lemon have a conversation about the Black Lives Matter movement. Watch the pair debate on live TV.

By Mike Vulpo Jul 07, 2020 5:42 PMTags
Watch: Black Lives Matter Protests That Are Changing The World

Terry Crews and Don Lemon are continuing the conversation when it comes to the Black Lives Matter movement.

On Monday night's episode of CNN Tonight, the America's Got Talent host appeared on the show to discuss his recent tweets.

"If you are a child of God, you are my brother and sister. I have family of every race, creed and ideology," Terry shared on Twitter earlier this summer. "We must ensure #BlackLivesMatter doesn't morph into #BlackLivesBetter."

The TV host would elaborate on his mindset in a message over the Fourth of July weekend.

"Are all white people bad? No. Are all Black people good? No. Knowing this reality—I stand on my decision to unite with good people, no matter the race, creed or ideology," he shared. "Given the number of threats against this decision—I also decide to die on this hill."

When discussing Terry's tweets, Don shared his perspective and explained why he wasn't surprised that the messages made headlines.

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"Terry, you're a high-profile person, you're writing things out there, you know you're going to get backlash.  You know people are going to respond to what you are saying on Twitter," he shared. "I don't think you should be surprised by that. I have a skin that's tough as an armadillo because of what I do and I think maybe you should adapt that."

While Terry saw positives in the movement, he also shared his concerns. 

"Here's the thing. It's a great mantra. It's a true mantra. Black lives do matter but when you're talking about an organization, you're talking about the leaders, you're talking about the people who are responsible for putting these things together," he shared before pointing out the rash of gun violence in Chicago. "Black people need to hold other Black people accountable. This is the Black America's version of the MeToo movement. If anything is going to change, our ourselves need to look at our own communities and look at each other and say this thing cannot go down."

Don, however, argued that the movement is focused on police brutality and injustice in that manner.

"The Black Lives Matter movement was started because it was started about police brutality. If you want an All Black Lives Matter movement that talks about gun violence in communities including Black communities, then start that movement with that name," the CNN anchor shared. "But that's not what Black Lives Matter is about."

He continued, "If someone started a movement that said 'cancer matters' and then someone comes in and says, 'Why aren't you talking about HIV?' It's not the same thing. We're talking about cancer." 

As more and more viewers watch the full debate online now, Terry had one additional thought about the conversation.

"If I'm truly your equal, I can discuss my concerns with you—but if I'm not—all my concerns are perceived as threats," he shared on Twitter Tuesday morning.

CNN Tonight airs weeknights at 10 p.m. EST on CNN.