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Former CNN personality Don Lemon thought he had a lucrative deal set with Elon Musk, the unpredictable billionaire who owns Tesla and X, formerly Twitter. The two agreed to terms for a 24-hour exclusive premiere of Lemon’s new self-titled online series.
Musk was the show’s first interview. But that’s where the deal soured, as Lemon’s journalism skills were apparently too much for the mercurial entrepreneur. He canceled the partnership.
“My questions were respectful and wide-ranging, covering everything from SpaceX to the presidential election,” Lemon said in a statement posted, ironically to X. “We had a good conversation. Clearly, he felt differently. 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.”
But Lemon vowed to move forward with his show on YouTube and X without the financial backing of Musk or X.
Musk’s reaction was initiated by hearing himself talking about topics that included his use of the powerful sedative ketamine, often prescribed to treat depression, his belief that DEI is “lowering medical standards,” which he posted on X, and whether or not the outlet should do more to moderate hate speech on its platform.
“His approach was basically just ‘CNN, but on social media,’ which doesn’t work, as evidenced by the fact that CNN is dying,” Musk wrote on X after he was asked why the deal with Lemon fell through. “And, instead of it being the real Don Lemon, it was really just Jeff Zucker talking through Don, so lacked authenticity.”
Lemon says that Musk is especially thin-skinned even in light of all the varying figures from politics, entertainment, sports, music and more that he interviewed in his 17 years at CNN.
“I’ve interviewed many world leaders, presidents to convicts, and no one has been more sensitive or touchy than Elon Musk. And during the interview and during other interviews, he constantly says he doesn’t care what people write or say about him,” Lemon told People. “For someone who doesn’t care about what people write or say about him, he sure does care about what people write or say about him. He’s not used to being held to account. He’s not used to having to answer to anyone, especially someone like me who doesn’t share his worldview, who doesn’t look like him.
After the controversy, Lemon was asked to return to CNN, to be interviewed by its longtime host Erin Burnett on her show. He returned to the network for the first time after his departure, saying it was a bittersweet moment.
“I don’t know if I wanted to go back, but I couldn’t say no. But it just makes me very emotional because there was so many people in that building last night who came into the studio, left their desks, left the control room, just to come say hello. And to thank me for what I have done, just to say, ‘I’m sorry this happened to you. We miss you.’ And that meant a lot.”
See how social media is reacting to the interview below
