CNN anchor Don Lemon was not on his own when he came out as a gay man. According to news reports, he had hired high-profile, entertainment industry publicist Howard Bragman to help see him through this transition in his public persona.
This well-managed announcement has served Lemon well. He's truly a celebrity anchor now, many people now know that he has a new book on the way and, not incidentally, his public and private selves are in alignment.
This could not have been an easy step to take, but having a pro like Bragman on his team made this more than a brave personal statement—it's become a positive news story that may change the environment for others in the closet and will likely boost Lemon's career. The media's coverage of the story has been for the most part supportive. It's been a feel-good story—especially the coverage in the New York Times—and we need feel-good stories in such a bitterly partisan climate.
Did Bragman himself leak part of the story to the New York Post before the article appeared in the Times? We'll never know. What we do know is Lemon is a bigger star now, and that hasn't happened by accident.