Elon Musk cancels Don Lemon’s show suddenly

Lemon stated that Musk texted “contract terminated” after the former CNN anchor interviewed the billionaire

Former CNN anchor Don Lemon revealed on Wednesday that Elon Musk had suddenly ended an agreement to exclusively host Lemon’s new talk show on X, formerly Twitter. Lemon explained in a post on the platform that Musk canceled the partnership shortly after they had filmed an interview, which was intended to be part of the show’s premiere episode. Lemon shared that Musk texted him, stating, “contract terminated.”

“In his commitment to a global town square where all questions can be asked and all ideas can be shared, it seems that questions about him from people like me are not included,” Lemon expressed in the post.

Musk did not deny canceling Lemon’s show. The billionaire tweeted, “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 of course welcome to build their viewership on this platform along with everyone else.” Musk has previously referred to himself as a “free speech absolutist.”

In his post on Wednesday, Lemon mentioned that he would still release the interview with Musk on YouTube and on X, along with the side-eye emoji.

“While Elon reneges on his agreement, I will be reaffirming my dedication to free speech,” Lemon remarked.

Musk’s company initially announced the talk show deal with Lemon in January, as X aimed to expand its 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 prominent figure at CNN before the network unexpectedly dismissed him last April, following internal conflicts with other staff members and an unsuccessful stint as a morning show host.

When Lemon announced his departure from CNN on X, Musk replied, asking if Lemon would consider hosting his show on the platform and claimed that the “audience is bigger” than CNN’s. Musk also hosted the former Fox News host Tucker Carlson’s show on the platform after Carlson was fired from the network last year.

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

Musk has faced challenges in attracting top talent to X, as he aims to shift the platform toward video content and persuade influencers like the popular YouTuber Mr. Beast to share their content. Musk also revealed last week that the company was introducing a long-form video streaming app for smart televisions.

Branching out into video content is one of several strategies X is employing to recover declining advertising revenues. Following Musk’s acquisition, a number of major companies ceased advertising on the platform, citing an increase in extremist content, including racism and antisemitism, as documented by researchers.