Former CNN host Don Lemon announced on Wednesday that Elon Musk had abruptly canceled the partnership between X and “The Don Lemon Show” mere hours after sitting for an interview for its unaired premiere episode. Lemon, who was fired from CNN over painfully low ratings and problematic off-screen behavior, is now accusing Musk of suppressing free speech—while sources report that Musk found Lemon “underwhelming, unprepared, and dull.”
After 17 years with CNN, Lemon was put on an indefinite hiatus by the network over comments about 51-year-old South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley and other women her age being “past their prime.” Additional complaints about his treatment of network staff and other hosts ultimately led to him being fired.
Then, in early January, Lemon announced that he was “back bigger, bolder, freer” with a new media company and an exclusivity deal with X, the “biggest space for free speech in the world.”
X also celebrated the partnership, welcoming Lemon’s “unique and honest voice” to the platform’s diverse lineup of content creators. This sentiment was shared by alternative media figures across the political spectrum, including Tucker Carlson and other conservative commentators.
We’re delighted to announce a new content partnership with @DonLemon for his new project, The Don Lemon Show. The award winning TV journalist will share his unique and honest voice in 30 minute episodes, three times a week, covering politics, culture, sports and entertainment.…
— Business (@XBusiness) January 9, 2024
Learn the benefits of becoming a Valuetainment Member and subscribe today!
The inaugural episode of the newly minted “Don Lemon Show,” scheduled for March 18th, was set to feature a wide-ranging discussion with Elon Musk, covering “everything from SpaceX to the presidential election,” as well as Musk’s use of microdoses of ketamine to treat depression.
First guest. @elonmusk like you’ve never seen him before.
You won’t want to miss this. #TheDonLemonShow pic.twitter.com/hEBGBAoqdp
— Don Lemon (@donlemon) March 12, 2024
But while Lemon left the interview confident in how things had gone, Musk was reportedly less than impressed.
“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,” Lemon wrote in a statement shared across his social media pages. “I took Elon and his management’s team’s word that they, for the first time, were interested in working directly with new and diverse voices.”
“We had a good conversation. Clearly he felt differently,” he continued. “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.”
Lemon also addressed the canceled partnership with a video, in which he declared that “Elon Musk is mad at me” and directed his followers back to the statement “about what happened between him, me, and the interview that he is apparently so upset about.”
Elon Musk canceled #TheDonLemonShow👀
Watch on YouTube and listen everywhere on Monday March 18. pic.twitter.com/AAhnvcY0ny
— Don Lemon (@donlemon) March 13, 2024
Related: New CNN CEO Mark Thompson Warns Network is “Nowhere Near Ready for the Future”
Musk did not initially provide comment on the canceled contract, but sources told the New York Post that the Tesla owner was clearly disgruntled once he realized “how bad [the show] was” during the interview.
“Don was underwhelming, unprepared, and dull,” one person said. “He didn’t ask Musk about [ex-girlfriend] Amber Heard. Elon probably would have liked it.”
“He was unpolished. He didn’t have producers in his ear,” the source continued. “Jeff Zucker used to be in his ear and he would repeat back everything he was told.”
Several hours after Lemon released his statement, Musk clarified that “‘The Don Lemon Show’ is welcome to publish its content on X, without censorship,” but said that “after careful consideration, X decided not to enter into a commercial partnership with the show.”
Further prompting led Musk to admit that Lemon’s approach “was basically just ‘CNN, but on social media,’ which doesn’t work, as evidenced by the fact that CNN is dying.”
“So, instead of it being the real Don Lemon, it was really just Jeff Zucker talking through Don, so lacked authenticity,” he continued. “All this said, Lemon/Zucker are of course welcome to build their viewership on this platform along with everyone else.”
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…
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 13, 2024
Despite the canceled deal with X, Lemon indicated that he still plans to move forward with “The Don Lemon Show” as scheduled, and the interview with Musk will drop on X and YouTube on Monday, March 18th.
Connor Walcott is a staff writer for Valuetainment.com. Follow Connor on X and look for him on VT’s “The Unusual Suspects.”
Add comment