Former CNN host Don Lemon recently appeared on “The View,” where he provided his side of the story after the cancellation of his partnership with X. Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk recently scrapped an agreement with Lemon to feature his show on X shortly after the debut episode was filmed. Since then, a social media spat has ensued, and Musk and Lemon have provided their respective views on the matter.
Lemon explained to the panel on “The View” that “I was doing my job.” He further detailed how he believed Musk terminated the X deal for “The Don Lemon Show” because the multi-company CEO was displeased with the tough questions Lemon asked him during the recent interview between the two.
“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,” Lemon announced on social media earlier this week.
However, Musk responded to Lemon’s statements on social media, asserting that Lemon was essentially bringing CNN, which he labels a “dying network,” to social media. He further claimed that Lemon “lacked authenticity” and was a mouthpiece for Jeff Zucker.
He stated, “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.”
Lemon and other co-hosts on the show claimed that X had been “begging” him to work with the platform. “He knows who Don Lemon is, he knew who I was. He asked me to come on the platform. He offered incentives and money. They agreed to a deal. They flew me out to Las Vegas to announce this at CES. They trotted me out in front of clients, in front of advertisers. I went to the X offices to do client meetings and to try to entice advertisers back to the platform,” he said.
“So, I was a good solider,” Lemon added, “I was doing my job.” The former CNN anchor then offered a theory of why Musk canned the agreement, suggesting it was because Lemon had tough questions that allegedly held the billionaire “accountable.”
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“So, what happened? I think it was just uncomfortable for him to sit in front of someone and actually have to answer questions, to be held accountable, to really, you know – instead of being in a friendly — usually for the most part his interviews are with a friendly crowd.”
Responding to claims that Don Lemon would still upload his show to X, Elon claimed that Lemon is a “pompous fool” but is still welcome to upload his content to the social media platform. Musk further stated that he would also be permitted to receive advertising revenue. “Even though I think Don is a pompous fool who spouts nonsense, he is still free to upload his show to 𝕏 and will receive advertising revenue,” he said.
Watch Lemon here: