Don Lemon, former CNN anchor, says Elon Musk canceled his new show on X
NBCMAR 14 2024
Don Lemon Sues Elon Musk and X Over Canceled Show
Above: Don Lemon speaks at the Essence Festival of Culture at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center on July 06, 2024, in New Orleans, Louisiana. Image copyright: Josh Brasted/Contributor/FilmMagic via Getty Images
The Facts
Former CNN host Don Lemon on Thursday sued Elon Musk and his social media platform X (formerly Twitter) after a $1.5M one-year deal to host a talk show on the billionaire's platform was revoked.
After Lemon was fired from CNN over controversial comments about then-Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley in April last year, Musk reached out to him to launch a new show on X.
However, after just one episode of "The Don Lemon Show" — in which Musk was the guest and was asked about his drug use and alleged hate speech on X — Musk abruptly canceled the deal.
The Spin
Left narrative
Musk and X sought Lemon to revitalize the platform after dozens of advertisers pulled out over its content moderation policies. Musk must compensate and pay for damages after unfairly terminating the multi-million-dollar partnership deal.
Right narrative
During negotiations, Lemon sought out numerous benefits, and Musk had generously agreed to pay him several financial perks. Could he really be so surprised that the deal was canceled once he went after the man paying his bills?