Don Lemon demanded the sun, moon and stars from SpaceX’s president, but was unceremoniously fired this week, the Post has learned.
A former CNN anchor sent Elon Musk an astronomical wish list during contract negotiations to host a show on the billionaire’s social media platform X. That includes a free Tesla Cybertruck, an $8 million salary plus a $5 million advance, and stock. Documents reviewed by the Post show that he was given a stake in the multibillion-dollar company and the right to approve changes to X’s policies related to news content.
Lemon, who was scheduled to air an interview with Musk on the debut episode of the I was also asked to do so. This was revealed by a person familiar with the situation.
Sources told the Post that Musk agreed to an interview with Lemon even though he was aware of some of Lemon’s outlandish demands.
The proposal reviewed by the Post was sent to X executives by Lemon’s agent at United Talent Agency in December.
The partnership was announced in January, but a spokesperson for ‘I haven’t finalized the contract or signed it,” he said.
X declined to comment on the details of the document.
“This is complete nonsense and there is not a grain of truth in it,” UTA Vice President Jay Schurs told the Post.
Lemon was fired hours after the one-on-one sit-down, with Musk calling the anchor “dull” and “overwhelming.”
The testy, hour-and-a-half discussion included heated exchanges about Musk’s political leanings, past drug use and the site’s content moderation policies. It will be streamed on YouTube starting next week.
Lemon claimed on Wednesday that Mr.
Mr. Lemon’s discussions with the company began shortly after he was fired by CNN last April following a series of high-profile incidents, according to sources familiar with the matter.
In an interview with veteran technology journalist Carla Swisher on Friday, Lemon claimed that over the summer there were discussions in which the company threatened to fire him if he did not attend the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. .
CES, which was held from January 7th to 10th earlier this year, is one of the most anticipated technology events as companies including X flock to the show to negotiate with advertisers. There is one.
A spokesperson for Company X called Lemon’s claims “disingenuous lies.”
Lemon wanted to fly to the convention on a private jet with his longtime fiancée and stay in a private suite. She also wanted X to pay for the alcoholic drinks and massages she ordered with her fiancé during their stay at the convention. Vdara, an MGM-managed resort on the Las Vegas Strip, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Negotiations progressed after Musk hired former NBCUniversal advertising executive Linda Yaccarino as X’s chief executive officer, people familiar with the matter said.
But negotiations stalled over Mr. Lemon’s extensive demands, including an executive assistant and a marketing budget of $10 million to $15 million, people familiar with the situation told The Post.
A spokesperson for Mr. Lemon told the Post: Literally nothing. ”
