Last updated on April 5th, 2024 at 11:27 am

Lemon stated that Musk texted him ‘contract terminated’ after the former CNN anchor interviewed the billionaire

Former CNN anchor Don Lemon announced on Wednesday that Elon Musk had abruptly terminated a deal to exclusively host Lemon’s new talk show on X, formerly Twitter. Lemon stated in a post on the platform that Musk canceled the partnership hours after they had filmed an interview, which was intended to be part of the show’s debut episode. Lemon said Musk texted him, “contract terminated”.

“In his vision of a global town square where all questions can be asked and all ideas can be shared, it seems questions about him from people like me are not included,” Lemon said in the post.

Musk did not deny canceling Lemon’s show. The billionaire tweeted, “His approach was basically just ‘CNN, but on social media’, which doesn’t work, as evidenced by the fact that CNN is dying. 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.” Musk has previously referred to himself as a “free speech absolutist.”

In his post on Wednesday, Lemon mentioned that he would still broadcast the interview with Musk on YouTube and on X, and added the side-eye emoji.

“While Elon reneges on his agreement, I will be reinforcing my commitment to free speech,” Lemon stated.

Musk’s company initially announced the talk show deal with Lemon in January, as X aimed to expand its video content and attract prominent hosts to the platform. The Don Lemon Show was scheduled to air three 30-minute episodes per week. Lemon was a prominent figure at CNN before the network unexpectedly terminated his contract last April, following internal disputes with other staff and an unsuccessful stint as a morning show host.

When Lemon announced his departure from CNN on X, Musk replied asking if Lemon would consider hosting his show on the platform, claiming that the audience there was larger than CNN’s. Musk also hosted former Fox News host Tucker Carlson’s show on the platform after Carlson was fired by the network last year.

“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 stated on Wednesday. “I took Elon and his management team’s word that they, for the first time, were interested in working directly with new and diverse voices.”

Musk has faced challenges in attracting significant talent to X as he seeks to transition the platform toward video content and persuade influencers like popular YouTuber Mr. Beast to share their content. Last week, Musk also announced the launch of a long-form video streaming app that will be accessible on smart televisions.

Musk’s expansion of X into video content is one of several strategies the platform is employing to recover from declining advertising revenues. Several major companies ceased advertising on the platform in the months following Musk’s acquisition, as researchers observed an increase in extremist content on X, including instances of racism and antisemitism.