Don Lemon Reveals Elon Musk Backed Out of X Show Deal

Elon Musk Terminates Partnership with Don Lemon’s Upcoming Talkshow on X Platform

Musk’s Decision Comes Hours After Lemon’s Interview with the Multibillionaire

In a surprising turn of events, Elon Musk, the owner of X (formerly known as Twitter), has decided to cancel the partnership with Don Lemon’s upcoming talkshow on the platform. The news was shared by Lemon himself, a former CNN anchor, who revealed that Musk informed him of the decision just hours after he had conducted an interview with the billionaire for the premiere episode of the show.

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. He informed me of his decision hours after an interview I conducted with him on Friday.

The Don Lemon Show to Continue Despite Setback

Despite the unexpected cancellation of the partnership with X, Lemon remains undeterred and has announced that The Don Lemon Show will continue as planned. The much-anticipated interview with Musk will still serve as the show’s premiere episode and is set to air on March 18 across various platforms, including YouTube, podcast channels, and X. Lemon, who parted ways with CNN last year after a 13-year tenure, has assured fans that this episode is just the beginning of many more to come.

X Clarifies Its Stance on the Partnership

In response to the news, X released a statement on its business account, clarifying that while Lemon’s show is welcome to publish content on the platform without censorship, the company has decided not to enter into a commercial partnership with the show. The statement emphasized X’s commitment to providing a platform for creators to scale their work and connect with new communities while reserving the right to make decisions about its business partnerships.

Musk’s Perspective on the Show’s Approach

Elon Musk shared his thoughts on the matter, suggesting that The Don Lemon Show’s approach was essentially “CNN, but on social media,” which he believes is not a successful formula, as evidenced by CNN’s declining viewership. Lemon, however, maintains that Musk willingly agreed to the interview and that his questions were respectful, covering a range of topics from SpaceX to the presidential election. Despite what Lemon described as a “good conversation,” it appears that Musk had a different perspective on the matter.

X’s Push for Original Content

The Don Lemon Show was one of the first original shows slated to launch on X, as part of Musk and X CEO Linda Yaccarino’s efforts to transform the social media site into a video-centric platform. The show’s episodes were initially planned to air three times a week, with exclusive first-run airings on X. In January, the platform announced two other original shows alongside Lemon’s: one hosted by former congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard and another by former Fox Sports host Jim Rome.