ATLANTA, GA - Don Lemon responded Tuesday to criticism of a segment in which he and two guests ridiculed Trump supporters. In his response, a furious Lemon blasted critics for the invasion of his privacy.

"I want you all to have a bit of sympathy and think how'd you feel if things you said in the privacy of a therapy office, at home with friends, or on CNN on a Saturday night were blasted out for the entire world to hear," Lemon said on his show. "You'd feel violated."

Lemon explained that what he said with guests Rick Wilson and Wajahat Ali was never supposed to be seen by anyone, which is why it was on CNN prime time on a weekend. "It was just friends messing around," Lemon said. "Can you imagine how shocked we were when the next week we saw it on the internet? People were watching us?" Lemon then began to look a bit scared. "What else did you overhear? Because that was all really private."

After the speech, the rest of Lemon's show was much more subdued, Lemon and his guests not saying anything and just occasionally glancing fearfully at the cameras.