The deal Don Lemon inked with Elon Musk for a new talk show on X (formerly Twitter) is over before the ink even dried.
The former CNN anchor posted a video on X Wednesday, March 13, saying Musk canceled the deal shortly after he recorded a “tense” interview with the tech mogul last week.
“Elon Musk is mad at me,” Lemon said. “There’s a whole lot that went down and I’m going to tell you about it in the coming days.”
Related Story: Don Lemon Has ‘No Regrets’ After CNN Exit
Lemon announced the deal on Jan. 9, saying his new show would be “bigger, bolder, freer” than his previous work because Musk was supposedly encouraging free speech.
On Wednesday, Lemon acknowledged that he faced backlash from his core fanbase for getting into business with the controversial billionaire.
“I just want you to know that I did the deal because not only do I believe in free speech, but I believed that this was the best possible chance for the work that I’m doing to reach the largest amount of people,” he said.
Lemon — who recently walked away with a reported $24.5 million separation package from CNN — seemed unfazed by Musk’s decision and said his new show will continue on YouTube and other podcast platforms.
The news anchor then retweeted a post from veteran journalist Kara Swisher saying she warned him about Musk.
“SCOOP: As I told him would happen, @donlemon, the owner of this platform Elon 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,” Swisher posted on X Wednesday.
Swisher added that X will have to pay up for breaking the agreement.
In a statement, Lemon blamed Musk’s thin skin for the deal falling apart.
“Elon Musk has canceled the partnership I had with X, which they announced as part of their public commitment to amplifying more diverse voices on their platform,” Lemon said. “He informed me of his decision hours after an interview I conducted with him on Friday. That interview will remain the premiere episode of The Don Lemon Show on Monday, March 18.”
Reps for Musk did not immediately respond to Urban Hollywood 411‘s request for comment.
The outspoken tech mogul purchased Twitter for $44 billion and took over operations in late 2022. Advertisers bailed and celebrities including Whoopi Goldberg, Shonda Rhimes, Elton John, and Jim Carrey left the platform as hate speech surged. Musk later changed the name of the platform to X.
Meanwhile, CNN parted ways with Lemon in April 2023, as the network underwent changes amid slumping ratings.
Lemon worked at the cable news channel for 17 years, but fell out of favor after management changed and he made headlines for saying then-Republican presidential candidate and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley was past “her prime,” after she called for “mandatory mental competency tests for politicians over 75 years old.”
Reports surfaced at the time that CNN boss Chris Licht described Lemon’s comments as “upsetting.” Licht was ousted shortly after Lemon left the network.
Read the full statement from Don Lemon below about his deal with X ending.
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