X owner Elon Musk has defended his decision to end his partnership with Don Lemon, claiming the former anchor had approached his next show as “CNN but on social media.” There is.
Lemon revealed on Wednesday that Musk had canceled his contract, sparking social media buzz after he said the billionaire tech tycoon was “furious” at Musk over an interview Lemon gave on Friday. became.
But when asked why he cut Lemon, Musk suggested Lemon couldn’t shake off CNN’s “approaches.”
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X owner Elon Musk claimed he canceled his contract with Don Lemon because his approach to a new show was “CNN but on social media.” (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
“His approach is basically ‘CNN but on social media,’ and as the fact that CNN is dying shows, that doesn’t work,” Musk told X users on Wednesday. “And it lacked authenticity because it wasn’t the real Don Lemon, it was actually just Jeff Zucker speaking through Don. That said, if Lemon/Zucker, along with everyone else, We are certainly very welcome to increase our viewership on this platform.”
A Lemon spokesperson told PacNews: “Don has a contract with Company X and expects to be compensated for it. If he has to go to court, he will.” expressed a threat.
In January, X announced that he, along with other talent, had signed a deal to produce content on the platform.
But Lemon’s situation came to an abrupt halt Wednesday after the former CNN star interviewed Musk on Friday as the inaugural guest on “The Don Lemon Show,” scheduled to begin next week.
“Elon Musk has canceled a partnership with Company X that he announced as part of his pledge to amplify more diverse voices on the platform. Hours after my interview with him on Friday, he announced that informed me of the decision,” Lemon wrote. in a statement posted on social media.
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Former CNN host Don Lemon said Elon Musk canceled the X contract because the billionaire was “furious” about his interview. (Jesse Grant/Getty Images, THR)
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“Elon publicly invited me to join X’s new show, saying I had his ‘full support’ and that his ‘Digital Town Square is for everyone.’ He and his team pursued a deal through many discussions and made important commitments about the support that X would provide to the show. I decided to work with them in a unique partnership to bring people together in the largest possible venue. I worked directly with the new and diverse voices of Elon and his management team. For the first time, I accepted the word that I was interested in doing something,” Lemon wrote.
“The interview he graciously agreed to was open-ended, and my questions were respectful and wide-ranging, covering everything from SpaceX to the presidential election. We had a good conversation. “Obviously he felt differently,” he continued. “His commitment to a global town square where you can ask any question and share any idea doesn’t seem to include questions for him from people like me.”
Lemon and Musk’s interview will continue to be shared on X, YouTube, and all podcast platforms starting March 18th.
After being fired from CNN last year, Don Lemon is returning to the media world with a new show. (Reuters/Andrew Kelly)
In a statement to FOX News Digital, a spokesperson for Lemon Show welcomes you to publish the content.” We believe that X provides a platform for creators to expand their work and connect with new communities, without censorship. However, like any company, we reserve the right to make decisions regarding business partnerships, and after careful consideration, X has decided not to censor. We have decided to form a commercial partnership with the program. ”
Lemon swiped at X’s statement and wrote, “Please clean aisle X.”
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He also directly criticized Musk, who had posted earlier in the day that “free speech is the foundation of democracy.”
“After our interview, you canceled my contract. I don’t think you believe in free speech,” Lemon told Musk.
Lemon is He was fired from CNN last year. Then-CNN CEO Chris Richt personally showed him the door a few weeks later.
