Former CNN host, Don Lemon is blasting Elon Musk for canceling his new talk show that was supposed to premiere on X, formerly known as a Twitter. Lemon took to his Instagram and revealed that Musk allegedly terminated their partnership after they sat down for an interview.
“There were no restrictions on the interview that he willingly agreed to, and my questions were respectful and wide ranging, covering everything from SpaceX to the presidential election. We had a good conversation. Clearly, he felt differently.”
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In his statement, Lemon accused Musk of reneging on his commitment to free speech and to “amplifying more diverse voices on their platform.”
Lemon said that Musk gave him his “full support” and that he “took Elon and his management team’s word that they…were interested in working directly with new and diverse voices.” “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 said in the post.
Musk didn’t deny Lemon’s allegations either. The billionaire tweeted, “His approach was basically just ‘CNN, but on social media’,’ which doesn’t work, as evidenced by the fact that CNN is dying. And, instead of it being the real Don Lemon, it was really just Jeff Zucker talking through Don, so lacked authenticity. All this said, Lemon/Zucker are of course welcome to build their viewership on this platform along with everyone else.” Musk has previously called himself a “free speech absolutist”.
As we previously reported, Lemon landed a deal with X after being fired from CNN. Lemon and the network cut ties with each other after 17 years. Once the news surfaced on the internet Don Lemon released a statement about the firing.
He said, “I am stunned. After 17 years at CNN, I would have thought that someone in management would have had the decency to tell me directly. At no time was I ever given any indication that I would not be able to continue to do the work I have loved at the network. It is clear that there are some larger issues at play. With that said, I want to thank my colleagues and the many teams I have worked with for an incredible run. They are the most talented journalists in the business, and I wish them all the best.”