Left-leaning former CNN anchor Don Lemon announced Wednesday that he is leaving Elon Musk's social media platform X, criticizing the site's new policy that all legal disputes be heard in Texas.
Lemon, who is currently suing Musk in California after Musk canceled his show on “X,” argues that future changes to the terms of service will interfere with free speech.
“I used to believe that [X] It was a space for honest discussion and debate, transparency and free speech, and now I feel it has no longer served that purpose,” Lemon told his 1.5 million followers. About X in the video.
X's new terms of service, which take effect Friday, require all lawsuits to be filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, rather than the Western District of Texas, where the company is headquartered.
According to Steve Vladeck, a professor at Georgetown University School of Law, 10 of 11 active judges in the Northern District were appointed by Republican presidents, compared to 6 of 11 judges in the Western District. Ta.
Quoted by Lemon Washington Post reportThe newspaper said X's new policy “ensures that these cases will be heard in courts that are conservative strongholds, which could make it easier for X to protect itself from lawsuits and punish its critics.” 'says the expert.
“I think that says it all,” Lemon said before connecting his YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram and Bluesky accounts.
A representative for X did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
X users were quick to criticize Lemon for fleeing the platform.
One user wrote, “Don Lemon is leaving X because if he goes to small claims court, he won't be able to elect a radical judge in his district.”
Another person suggested that Lemon might be leaving X because he was “no longer censoring”. I can't compete in the arena of ideas, so I'm quitting. MSM [mainstream media] It was easy to create extinction for ourselves. ”
A third user seemed to suggest that Lemon was abandoning X due to his controversial relationship with owner Elon Musk.
The former CNN anchor sued Musk over the summer, accusing him of refusing to pay him, after Musk abruptly canceled plans to host Lemon's “X” show.
Musk fired Lemon hours after a grueling sit-down that was supposed to be the show's premiere episode.
“Remember when Don Lemon tried to make a ridiculous request to Elon Musk to appear on the X show? That was funny,” the user wrote.
Lemon reportedly had an extensive list of demands for Musk's contract, even though he had been fired from CNN just months before Musk's offer to show “X.” He expected a free Cybertruck to host space's first podcast, an $8 million salary and a $5 million advance on company stock, as The Post previously reported.
In a lawsuit filed in San Francisco federal court in September, Musk and Mr. X asked a federal judge to dismiss Lemon's lawsuit.
According to the complaint, Lemon claims that X was defrauded because the show cost “several hundred thousand dollars” to prepare. The lawsuit also alleges that Musk used lemons to boost his company's advertising sales.
Musk allegedly told Lemon he “didn't have to” sign the contract and said he did nothing wrong. Musk said it was unreasonable for Lemon to rely on a statement rather than a written contract for a multimillion-dollar partnership.
Mr. Lemon's lawyer, Carney Shegerian, said Mr.
Lemon avoided a legal battle with Musk with his “Goodbye” video.
The cable host faced similar scandals during his 17 years at CNN before being fired in April 2023.
In December 2022, the longtime network anchor reportedly “screamed” at co-anchor Kaitlan Collins after an on-air segment, The Post reported.
A source said Collins was “visibly upset and stormed out of the studio.” Another said that Collins wanted to be “on set as little as possible with Don” after the incident.
