Don Lemon Defends Reporter Who Confused Samuel L. Jackson With Another Black Actor

CNN's Don Lemon said he was not entirely shocked when anchor Sam Rubin confused Samuel L. Jackson for Laurence Fishburne during a live interview.

On Monday, the local TV anchor asked Jackson about the Super Bowl commercial he starred in, mistaking him for Lawrence Fishburne in the Kia ad. Jackson responded with a notorious reaction, and Rubin later apologized for the mix-up, calling it an "amateur mistake."

But Lemon defended Rubin on CNN Tuesday night and claimed that the mistake is not as surprising as it seems.

"I'm probably going to get in trouble here-- people do look alike!" he said. "There are features that African Americans have that are similar, there are features that white people have that are similar, there are features that hispanic people have that are similar."

He described to CNN's Erin Burnett how he himself has been mistaken for former CNN anchor TJ Holmes several times.

"When someone is in our tribe, its easier for us to tell them apart because we're used to their facial features," Lemon said. "But when someone is in a different tribe, sometimes it is harder."

"You go to Brooklyn and everybody's got a beard and a plaid shirt," he continued. "They may be able to tell each other apart, but they kind of all look alike to me."

Watch the video for the full clip.

(h/t: Mediaite)