Elon Musk and Don Lemon are escalating towards .what could be a bitter contract dispute after X’s owner abruptly terminated. its agreement to broadcast a show hosted by Lemon .
Lemon does not have a signed contract.Lemon was fired from CNN last year. after making sexist comments toward former Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley. He still plans on airing his interview with Musk, but it will no longer appear exclusively on X. The interview will instead appear on YouTube, podcast platforms, and X on March 18th.
This week, the former CNN anchor sat down with Musk at SpaceX’s office in Austin. Texas for what should have been his first interview as a host on the social media platform. which recruited him to help build out its exclusive video offerings.
But the billionaire businessman was displeased with the exchange. Lemon reportedly asked Musk questions about the 2024 presidential elections, and Musk’s reported drug use. Following the interview, Musk promptly texted power agent Jay SureThe abrupt termination of the deal could plunge the two sides into a legal battle over whether X is still obligated to pay Lemon for his brief stint at the company.
Two people familiar with the terms of the deal told Semafor that Lemon had not technically inked a contract with X, arguing that the social media company does not need to pay the former cable news host. Worse, one person familiar with the deal told Semafor, Lemon had not signed the contract for weeks.
s, who represents Lemon, with the words “contract is canceled.”
Don Lemon says Elon Musk canceled his deal with X because Musk wasn’t happy with an interview the former CNN host did with him.
Lemon said Musk informed him of the decision hours after his interview with the billionaire and owner of the social-media platform on Friday. Lemon said his questions were respectful and wide-ranging, though he described the interview as “tense at times.”
Elon Musk canceled Don Lemon’s show on X over some interview questions Musk didn’t like. Lemon says that Musk terminated their partnership just hours after a “tense” interview between him and the platform’s owner.
Lemon doesn’t say what exactly transpired during his interview, but he does say that Musk “is mad” at him. “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,” Lemon says in a video posted to X.
Lemon adds that “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.”
Musk says he canceled the show because it was too much like CNN. He didn’t comment on the interview questions.
The Don Lemon Show was supposed to air on X three times per week, with topics ranging from politics and culture to sports and entertainment. It was part of the exclusive video partnerships X made with several hosts, including former US Representative Tulsi Gabbard and sports radio host Jim Rome. At the time, X championed the move as part of its mission to become “a free speech platform for all voices.”
X’s Business account also confirmed that the platform ended its deal with Lemon’s show. “Like any enterprise, we reserve the right to make decisions about our business partnerships,” according to the post, which said that The Don Lemon Show is still “welcome to publish its content” on X. A spokesperson for X sent the post to The Verge when contacted for comment.
“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,’” Lemon says. “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.”