Former CNN host and alleged sex pest Don Lemon revealed a planned collaboration with X (formerly Twitter) was canceled following an interview with platform owner Elon Musk.
Lemon interviewed Musk for the inaugural episode of his new online show, which had been slated to partner with X. Now, however, Lemon says the partnership will not go ahead, suggesting the entrepreneur did not enjoy his questions and had changed his mind about “working directly with new and diverse voices.”
Musk has put out his own statement, insisting “X is a platform that champions free speech” and that Lemon remains “welcome to publish its content on X, without censorship” — but “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.”
Pressed on the reasons by a Mark Zuckerberg parody account, Musk said, “[Lemon’s] approach was basically just ‘CNN, but on social media’, which doesn’t work, as evidenced by the fact that CNN is dying.”
He added that he was not speaking to “the real Don Lemon” but to “Jeff Zucker talking through Don, [which] lacked authenticity.”
Lemon says his Musk interview will still air on YouTube, podcast sites, and X.
Elon Musk canceled #TheDonLemonShow👀
Watch on YouTube and listen everywhere on Monday March 18. pic.twitter.com/AAhnvcY0ny
— Don Lemon (@donlemon) March 13, 2024