Don Lemon Accuses X of Dropping Partnership With His Show Over ‘Tense’ Musk Interview

Don Lemon (L) at the 2023 Center Dinner at Cipriani Wall Street in N.Y.C., on April 13, 2023. (Cindy Ord/Getty Images); Elon Musk (R) smiles at the E3 gaming convention in Los Angeles, Calif., on June 13, 2019. Mike Blake/Reuters

Former CNN anchor Don Lemon has accused social media platform X of dropping a partnership with his show before it debuted because of a “tense” interview with CEO Elon Musk.

Mr. Lemon, who was fired from CNN last April, announced earlier this year that he would host a new show on X three times a week in 30-minute episodes discussing topics such as politics, sports, culture, and entertainment.

The first episode, scheduled to premiere on March 18, will feature the interview with Mr. Musk, which Mr. Lemon alleges is why X tore up an alleged agreement for a partnership.

In a March 13 statement, the former anchor claims he agreed to join X with a new show after Mr. Musk publicly encouraged him.

“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,” Mr. Lemon said.

“Clearly he felt differently. 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.”

According to Mr. Lemon, a self-proclaimed free speech “absolutist,” Mr. Musk was “mad” at him over the interview and terminated their partnership without warning hours after they finished speaking.

“I made the decision to work with them in a unique partnership that I believed would ultimately ensure that my work would be available to the most people in the largest possible venue,” Mr. Lemon said.

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

X Rejects Lemon’s Claim

At the same time, an X spokesperson shared a different version of events through one of the platform’s official accounts.

In a March 13 statement, the social media platform spokesperson claims no official partnership existed with Mr. Lemon, and it has since been decided not to enter into one.

“The Don Lemon Show is welcome to publish its content on X, without censorship, as we believe in providing a platform for creators to scale their work and connect with new communities,” the statement said.

“However, like any enterprise, we reserve the right to make decisions about our business partnerships, and after careful consideration, X decided not to enter into a commercial partnership with the show.”

No further details were provided about the situation or Mr. Lemon’s allegations. However, the X spokesperson reiterated the platform’s commitment to “free speech” and pride in delivering “an open environment for diverse voices and perspectives.”

Mr. Musk had previously welcomed Mr. Lemon to the platform. At the time, The Don Lemon Show was also announced to “run exclusively first” on X.

X has also become home to former Fox News primetime host Tucker Carlson, who happened to be axed from the network in April 2023 at the same time CNN fired Mr. Lemon. Following his exit from Fox News, Mr. Carlson announced his transition to X last May and praised Mr. Musk for his efforts to promote free debate and honest discussion.