Elon Musk's X Terminates Partnership with CNN's Don Lemon Following Premiere Interview

Elon Musk’s X has abruptly terminated a planned partnership with CNN veteran Don Lemon, shortly after Lemon interviewed Musk for the premiere episode of a new show.

Lemon revealed that he received notice of the decision hours after conducting the interview, which is still scheduled to air as the first episode of The Don Lemon Show on 18 March.

News from me…#TheDonLemonShow pic.twitter.com/PzlKuvkZtj

— Don Lemon (@donlemon) March 13, 2024

Despite the dissolution of the partnership, Lemon assured viewers that additional episodes of the series would continue to be available on YouTube, podcast channels, and X.

X initially unveiled the show in January as part of its video programming lineup. The 30-minute episodes were expected to air three times a week, exclusively premiering on the platform, although financial terms remained undisclosed.

In a post on X, Lemon referenced Musk’s public encouragement for him to join X with a new show, expressing disappointment over the outcome after significant commitments were made about the support X would provide for the show.

Confirming the termination of the agreement with the new show, X, formerly known as Twitter, stated in a post, “Like any enterprise, we reserve the right to make decisions about our business partnerships.”

X is a platform that champions free speech, and we’re proud to provide an open environment for diverse voices and perspectives. The Don Lemon Show is welcome to publish its content on X, without censorship, as we believe in providing a platform for creators to scale their work…

— Business (@XBusiness) March 13, 2024

In his response, Musk criticized the show’s approach as “basically just ‘CNN, but on social media,'” asserting that it didn’t resonate, as evidenced by CNN’s declining viewership. Musk further commented on the lack of authenticity in Lemon’s representation, attributing it to former CNN chief Jeff Zucker’s influence.

Lemon expressed his trust in Musk and his team’s purported interest in collaborating with new and diverse voices. The interview between Lemon and Musk covered a range of topics, from SpaceX to the presidential election, reflecting a productive conversation despite Musk’s differing perspective on the partnership.