Don Lemon was captured by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP on December 12, 2021, in New York.
According to Lemon, Musk sent a text stating ‘contract terminated’ after the billionaire was interviewed by the former CNN anchor.
On Wednesday, Don Lemon, the previous anchor of CNN, announced that Elon Musk had suddenly ended their agreement for Lemon to exclusively host his new talk show on X, the former Twitter.
According to Lemon’s post on the platform, Musk terminated the partnership shortly after they had recorded an interview together, which was supposed to be featured in the first episode of the show. Lemon revealed that Musk sent him a text stating, “Contract terminated”.
According to Lemon, his dedication to creating a global platform where all individuals can freely ask questions and share ideas does not seem to extend to allowing people like myself to ask questions about him.
According to Musk, he did not reject Lemon’s show. The billionaire expressed on Twitter that Lemon’s approach was similar to that of CNN, but on social media, which has proven to be unsuccessful as CNN is currently facing decline.
Musk also noted that it was not the real Don Lemon speaking, but rather Jeff Zucker using him as a mouthpiece, which lacked authenticity. However, Musk still believes that Lemon and Zucker are free to grow their viewership on this platform, along with everyone else. In the past, Musk has identified himself as a strong believer in free speech.
In his post on Wednesday, Lemon confirmed that he will still broadcast the interview with Musk on YouTube and X, and even added the side-eye emoji.
According to Lemon, while Elon may retract his statement, he remains devoted to upholding the value of free speech.
Back in January, Musk’s company announced a talk show deal with Lemon, as X aimed to delve into video content and attract prominent hosts to the platform.
The Don Lemon Show was scheduled to broadcast three 30-minute episodes per week. Lemon was a well-known figure at CNN until he was unexpectedly let go by the network in April, after facing internal conflicts with colleagues and an unsuccessful stint as a morning show host.
Lemon’s decision to leave CNN was shared on X, prompting Musk to inquire if the host would be interested in hosting their show on the platform.
Musk also asserted that the platform’s audience is larger than CNN’s. Additionally, Musk has previously hosted Tucker Carlson’s show on Fox News the platform, following Carlson’s dismissal from the network in the previous year.
On Wednesday, Lemon stated that Elon had openly urged him to become a part of X through a new show. He mentioned that Elon had promised his complete backing and that his “digital town square welcomes everyone.”
Lemon then expressed his trust in Elon and his team, believing that they were genuinely interested in collaborating with a diverse range of voices.
To shift the focus of X towards video content, Musk has faced difficulties in recruiting top talent and enlisting popular influencers like YouTuber Mr Beast to share their content on the platform. Recently, Musk also revealed plans to launch a long-form video streaming app, set to be accessible on smart TVs, as announced last week.
Musk’s decision to expand into video content on X is one of the strategies being employed to make up for the decline in advertising profits. In the aftermath of Musk’s takeover, several major companies halted their advertising on the platform, due to documented instances of hate speech and extremist content, including racism and antisemitism.
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