Billionaire Elon Musk responded to Don Lemon on Wednesday following Lemon’s revelation that Musk had canceled their deal for a show on X after a contentious interview.
Lemon took to social media to express his disappointment, stating, “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.”
In Musk’s response, he highlighted his perspective, stating that Lemon’s approach was akin to “CNN, but on social media,” which he believed was ineffective given CNN’s declining viewership. Musk also questioned the authenticity of Lemon’s persona during the interview, suggesting it was more reflective of Jeff Zucker, CNN’s former president. Nevertheless, Musk affirmed Lemon and Zucker’s opportunity to build their viewership on the platform.
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.
Tech journalist Kara Swisher provided additional insight into the situation, reporting that Musk promptly terminated the contract after Lemon’s interview, particularly due to questions about Musk’s ketamine use.
In Lemon’s statement, he defended the interview’s integrity, emphasizing that there were no imposed restrictions, and his questions were respectful and wide-ranging. Despite their previous praise for Musk and X as a platform for free speech, Lemon expressed disappointment in Musk’s apparent aversion to critical inquiries.
