(UPDATED)CNN's Don Lemon boasts that he 'had to get rid of' friends from red states because of their views on coronavirus

Editor's note: The original version of this post, based on a shorter clip, incorrectly stated that Lemon was referring to all Trump supporters with his comments. An examination of the fuller context of Lemon's remarks indicates that he was not referring to Trump supporters generally, but rather to people who are not taking the coronavirus seriously enough for his tastes, a phenomenon which he certainly blamed on Trump and being from "red states." This post has been edited to add fuller context to Lemon's remarks, and we regret the error.

CNN's Don Lemon revealed on Thursday that he had to cut loose friends, who he said were from "red states" who were "too far gone."

What are the details?

Lemon made the remarks during a handoff between him and CNN anchor Chris Cuomo.

"I have many people who I love in my life," he began. "And yeah, I come from a red state. I've lived in several red states. There are a lot of friends I had to get rid of because they are so nonsensical when it comes to this issue. They have the whole — every single talking point that they hear on state TV and that they hear from this president. They repeat it and they are blinded by it."

"I had to get rid of them because they're too far gone," Lemon said of these people. "I try and I try and I try, they say something really stupid, and then I'll show them the science, and I'll give them information, and they still repeat those talking points."

He continued his rant, and complained, "I had to get rid of a lot of people in my life because sometimes you've just got to let them go."

On the flip side, Lemon said that he'd be willing to welcome them back into his life if they had their own come-to-Jesus moment and decided that "they want to live in reality."

"I think they have to hit rock bottom like an addict, right?" the CNN host continued. "And they have to want to get help, they have to want to know the truth, they have to want to live in reality."

He added, "I don't know if after this I will ever be able to go back and be friends with those people, because at a certain point, you just say, 'They're too far gone and I got to let them go.' And if they're willing to come back and willing to live in reality, then I will welcome them with open arms. But I can't — I can't do it anymore."