Former CNN host Don Lemon is starting a new show on Monday, March 18. In his first episode, Lemon interviewed Elon Musk as the show was poised to have business partnership with Musk’s platform X. However, Musk texted Lemon “contract is canceled” just hours after the interview, according to Lemon.
Lemon sat down with his old network CNN to discuss what happened.
“It was interesting because at the end, I could tell he was upset, uncomfortable, it was tense,” Lemon said in CNN’s interview. “[Musk] and I don’t agree on much but I will fight for your right to be able to say what you want to say. That’s what freedom of speech means to me. Freedom of speech doesn’t mean the same thing to him as it does to me.”
In a statement, X said the partnership cancellation is not an issue of free speech, and the platform is not restricting the show or banning it.
“X is a platform that champions free speech,” an X Business post read in part. “The Don Lemon show is welcome to publish its content on X, without censorship…However, like any enterprise, we reserve the right to make decisions about our business partnerships.”
In addition to the CNN interview, Lemon also posted on social media about how tense the interview with Musk was and alluded to maybe something said during the exchange that triggered Musk to pull the plug on the partnership.
“Hi everyone, Elon Musk is mad at me,” Lemon said. “Apparently free speech absolutism doesn’t apply when it applies to questions about him from people like me. What did we talk about? Why is he so upset? Does he even have a reason to be upset?”
Lemon released some clips from the interview with Musk. In them, Lemon doesn’t shy away from bringing up controversial issues ranging from hate speech and Musk’s voting plans to Musk’s use of ketamine.
Sources who spoke with CNN said Lemon technically had not inked a contract with X, but they claim contracts don’t necessarily have to be signed to be legally binding.
A spokesperson for Lemon told CNN that he has a deal with X and expects to be paid for it. The spokesperson said if they have to go to court over it, they will.
