A Tipsy Jim Acosta Boasts to Don Lemon: ‘I’m So Hammered That Even Pete Hegseth’ Said ‘Pace Yourself!’
(Photo Credit: Don Lemon on YouTube)
Jim Acosta broke fellow ex-CNN star Don Lemon’s New Year’s Eve rule about not talking about President Donald Trump or politics by making a joke about Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth being a drunk.
Acosta joined Lemon’s live NYE bash on YouTube remotely from Hawaii.
“Aloha, b*tches!” Acosta greeted the show.
Lemon then informed Acosta — who appeared to be enjoying a Jack and Coke or something along those lines — that he violated his holiday rule by saying he wanted to get “as far away” from Trump as he could while still staying in the U.S.
“There goes all my jokes — I was gonna say I’m so hammered that even Pete Hegseth said ‘Jim, pace yourself!”” Acosta said.
That zinger really cracked up Lemon, who flashed a big smile and rocked forwards and backwards. He managed to keep his celebratory fake-gold crown atop his dome while chuckling.
Hegseth’s relationship with alcohol has been a go-to criticism for many on the left. And NBC News reported late last year that Hegseth’s drinking “concerned” many of his old colleagues at Fox News.
“Jim, are you smashed?” Lemon then asked.
Acosta took a big swig of his drink, raised his arms, and told Lemon he was “getting there.”
“It’s been that kind of year, right?” Acosta continued. “We gotta do something, sh*t!”
They then speculated about what 2026 would bring for a moment. Lemon said he thought the ’26 midterms would “change things.” Acosta agreed, and then continued with the comedy routine.
‘I’m so hammered right now, Marjorie Taylor Greene is starting to make sense,” Acosta said.
Lemon enjoyed that quip as well.
“Alright, you had to go there,” Lemon said. “You have politics on the brain.”
In related NYE news, their former co-worker Anderson Cooper let out a big cackle when a CNN correspondent kissed a snake on live TV earlier in the night.
You can watch Lemon’s live show by clicking here. (The Acosta-Lemon chat took place at approximately 10:20 p.m. ET in the live stream.)
