Don Lemon claims Elon Musk canceled his new show on X after he interviewed the tech mogul as his first guest and the latter did not like how it went.
“He informed me of his decision hours after an interview I conducted with him on Friday,” the former CNN anchor said in a lengthy statement on the social media platform Wednesday.
“That interview will remain the premiere episode of the Don Lemon Show on Monday, March 18.”
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Lemon, 58, shared that he initially agreed to a partnership with Musk, 52, because he had been told that X was a “digital town square” with freedom of speech and no censorship.
“I took Elon and his management’s team word that they, for the first time, were interested in working directly with new and diverse voices,” he added.
Lemon said when he sat down with Musk last Friday there were “no restrictions” and the Tesla co-founder agreed to his “respectful and wide ranging questions,” from SpaceX to the presidential election.
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“We had a good conversation,” the acclaimed journalist said. “Clearly he felt differently. His commitment to a global town square where all questions can be asked and all ideas can be shared seems not to include questions of him from people like me.”
Lemon did not disclose exactly which topics Musk allegedly had an issue with, but the full interview will be released via YouTube next week.
Page Six has reached out Musk’s reps for comment but did not immediately hear back.
The X owner, meanwhile, appeared to somewhat backtrack on his decision Wednesday, stating via his platform that “The Don Lemon Show is welcome to publish its content on X, without censorship, as we believe in providing a platform for creators to scale their work and connect with new communities.”
He added, however, that any financial ties with the footage will not exist, noting “like any enterprise, we reserve the right to make decisions about our business partnerships, and after careful consideration, X decided not to enter into a commercial partnership with the show.”
Musk further claimed that he did not like Lemon’s approach to the interview, which he described in a separate post on X as “CNN, but on social media.”
“And, instead of it being the real Don Lemon, it was really just Jeff Zucker talking through Don, so lacked authenticity,” the SpaceX founder added, referencing CNN’s former president.
He concluded, “All this said, Lemon/Zucker are of course welcome to build their viewership on this platform along with everyone else.”
Lemon said in a video posted on X Wednesday that Musk is “mad” at him and “so upset” over the how the interview went before acknowleding that the sit-down was “tense at times.”
“Does he even have a reason to be upset?” the reporter asked before further promoting the interview.
When Lemon agreed to the partnership with X, he had his reservations but was mostly looking forward to not having to “worry about getting in trouble.”
“I am going to be the same [as on CNN] — but more,” he told Page Six exclusively in February. “Just wait, I don’t have to worry about getting in trouble. Freedom, it’s the best feeling, freedom.”
Lemon was fired from CNN last April after 17 years on the news network following a controversial remark he made about Nikki Haley, in which he said many would think the politician “isn’t in her prime,” as well as rumblings of tension on set with colleagues.
