Don Lemon Sues Elon Musk Over Canceled Deal

UPDATE Aug 1, 2024 11:56 AM CDT

Don Lemon has sued Elon Musk over their collapsed deal to have the former CNN anchor host a show on the X platform, reports the New York Times. Lemon says Musk promised him a salary of $1.5 million annually, plus a share of ad revenue, according to the lawsuit. The deal went south after Lemon conducted an interview with Musk himself that turned testy.

Mar 13, 2024 1:01 PM CDT

Don Lemon says a partnership with X didn't work out because Elon Musk isn't the "free speech absolutist" he claims to be. "Elon Musk is mad at me," the former CNN host says in a video posted on X Wednesday. In a statement, Lemon says Musk canceled the partnership "hours after an interview I conducted with him on Friday," per the Hollywood Reporter. He says the interview was for the first episode of The Don Lemon Show, which will still air on YouTube and X next Monday.

• The partnership. "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. "He and his team pursued the deal in numerous conversations and made significant commitments about the support X would provide for the show." The Lemon partnership was one of several content deals X announced in January, including partnerships with former US Rep. Tulsi Gabbard and former Fox Sports host Jim Rome, per the Reporter.

• The interview. "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," Lemon says in the statement. In the video, he says it was "tense at times." "Apparently, free speech absolutism doesn't apply when it comes to questions about him from people like me."
• Ketamine questions. Lemon reposted a tweet from journalist Kara Swisher, who writes that as she had predicted, "Musk sent a terse text to his reps: 'Contract terminated' after an interview Lemon did with Musk last Friday that was not to the adult toddler's liking, including questions about his ketamine use."
• He'll take Musk to court if he has to. "Don has a deal with X and he expects to be paid for it," a Lemon rep tells Variety. "If we have to go to court, we will."
• The show's future. Lemon says the only thing that has changed is his "relationship with Elon and X" and there will be many more episodes of his show to come. "While Elon goes back on his word, I will be doubling down, I will be doubling down on my commitment to free speech and I cannot wait to get started."
• Musk's response. "His approach was basically just 'CNN, but on social media,' which doesn't work, as evidenced by the fact that CNN is dying," Musk says in a post on X. "And, instead of it being the real Don Lemon, it was really just Jeff Zucker talking through Don, so lacked authenticity." The X Business account says the show is welcome to publish its content on the platform without censorship, but "after careful consideration, X decided not to enter into a commercial partnership with the show."

(More Don Lemon stories.)