Two months ago, Don Lemon announced a partnership with X/Twitter for his new talk show. However, the deal has been axed, with Lemon revealing that it was canceled shortly after a one-on-one interview with the platform’s owner, Elon Musk.
In a statement, Lemon expressed his disappointment, stating, “We had a good conversation. Clearly he felt differently.” Lemon emphasized that there were no restrictions on the interview, and his questions ranged from SpaceX to the presidential election.
Musk, in response, criticized Lemon’s approach, stating, “His approach was basically just ‘CNN, but on social media’, which doesn’t work, as evidenced by the fact that CNN is dying.” Musk believed Lemon was bringing his CNN habits to social media, lacking authenticity.
Lemon, however, defended his interview style, asserting that Musk’s commitment to free speech seemed to exclude questions about him from people like Lemon. Despite the cancellation, Lemon’s show will go on, with the Q&A with Musk set to be released on various platforms.
In a further statement, Lemon highlighted Musk’s claim to be a “free speech absolutist,” stating, “But apparently free speech absolutism doesn’t apply when it comes to questions about him from people like me.”
X defended Musk’s decision, stating, “The Don Lemon Show is welcome to publish its content on X, without censorship.” However, the company decided not to enter a commercial partnership with the show.
Musk, when questioned about the decision, attacked Lemon and CNN, although CNN is not involved in Lemon’s new venture.