Elon Musk 'Mad' After Interview With Don Lemon, Cancels Partnership of Ex-CNN Anchor's New Show
Elon Musk and Don Lemon appear to have some bad blood after they sat down for an interview.
If you were unaware, Don was let go by CNN in April 2023. He is preparing to launch The Don Lemon Show, which will air on YouTube and other streaming platforms.
It will also air on X (formerly Twitter, the platformed owned by Elon). However, Elon backed out of a partnership that he established with Don after they sat down for an interview. Now, all parties involved are weighing in on the situation.
Keep reading to find out more…
Don took to X to issue a lengthy statement on the matter.
“Elon Musk has canceled the partnership I had with X, which they announced as part of their public commitment to amplifying more diverse voices on their platform. He informed me of his decision hours after an interview I conducted with him on Friday. That interview will remain the premiere episode of The Don Lemon Show on Monday, March 18,” he wrote.
The journalist continued, writing, “Elon publicly encouraged me to join X with a new show, saying I would have his ‘full support,’ and that his ‘digital town square is for all.’ He and his team pursued the deal in numerous conversations and made significant commitments about the support X would provide for the show. I made the decision to work with them in a unique partnership that I believed would ultimately assure that my work would be available to the most people, in the largest possible venue. I took Elon and his management team’s words that they, for the first time, were interested in working directly with new and diverse voices.”
“There were no restrictions on the interview that he willingly agreed to, and my questions were respectful and wide ranging, covering everything from SpaceX to the presidential election. We had a good conversation. Clearly he felt differently. His commitment to a global town square where all questions can be asked and all ideas can be shared seems not to include questions of him from people like me,” Don reflected.
He concluded, “Our conversation will be available on YouTube, wherever you listen to podcasts and X. This will be the first of many episodes of The Don Lemon Show. While Elon goes back on his word, I will be doubling down on my commitment to free speech and I cannot wait to get started.”
Don reshared a post from journalist Kara Swisher, which revealed that Elon “send a terse text to [Don's] reps: ‘Contract terminated’” after the interview.
In a video shared on the platform, Don opined that Elon was “mad.”
About the interview, he reflected, “I asked him to do it. He willingly agreed to the interview. Throughout our conversation, I kept reiterating to him that although it was tense at times, I thought it was good for people to see and hear our exchange and that they would learn from our conversation. Learn more about him. Learn more about me.”
Meanwhile, the X team issued a statement: “X is a platform that champions free speech, and we’re proud to provide an open environment for diverse voices and perspectives. The Don Lemon Show is welcome to publish its content on X, without censorship, as we believe in providing a platform for creators to scale their work and connect with new communities. However, like any enterprise, we reserve the right to make decisions about our business partnerships, and after careful consideration, X decided not to enter into a commercial partnership with the show.”
Elon also weighed in, alluding to why the partnership wouldn’t work out.
“His approach was basically just ‘CNN, but on social media’, which doesn’t work, as evidenced by the fact that CNN is dying,” Elon tweeted. “And, instead of it being the real Don Lemon, it was really just Jeff Zucker talking through Don, so lacked authenticity. All this said, Lemon/Zucker are of course welcome to build their viewership on this platform along with everyone else,” he explained.
Don doubled down in yet another post on the platform. He responded to Elon, who shared the belief that “free speech is the bedrock of democracy.”
“You canceled my contract after our interview. I don’t think you believe in free speech,” he wrote in response.
Did you see that another star is seeking legal support from Elon? Find out why.