The former CNN anchor’s new venture was planned to feature some exclusive content for X, formerly known as Twitter, before Musk abruptly ended the deal.
Almost a year after his departure from CNN, journalist and anchor Don Lemon has a new show, “The Don Lemon Show,” which has finally premiered online. In a recent interview with People, Lemon opened up about his show and the very public fallout with X owner Elon Musk.
The show was originally part of a deal with X, formerly known as Twitter, but last week, days before the premiere episode (which is an interview with the controversial X owner himself), Musk texted Lemon saying that their deal was off, but Lemon could still post content on the platform. Despite reports of the show’s cancellation, Lemon’s new series was never exclusive to X, rather, the social media site was going to have exclusive access to some of the show’s content before it went wide. It was always going to be available on multiple platforms on the internet, something he breaks down at the top of the episode.
“Contrary to what you might have heard, we weren’t canceled by X,” Lemon explains in the episode. “Yes, after months of begging me, wooing me to offer some exclusive content on his platform, Elon Musk decided to scrap the deal.” Lemon explains that the episodes will be released on YouTube, Spotify, and iHeartRadio, which was always the plan.
“The possibility of Elon Musk being unpredictable and erratic, yeah, of course I knew that,” Lemon told People over the weekend. “I went into this with my eyes open. I’ve interviewed many world leaders, presidents to convicts, and no one has been more sensitive or touchy than Elon Musk.”
He went on to say after their interview that for someone who “constantly says he doesn’t care what people write or say about him,” Musk “sure does care.”
“He’s not used to being held to account,” he continued. “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.”
As to his current relationship with Musk, Lemon told the outlet, “Our business relationship is over, so I’ll move on from there.”
Even in the midst of friction with his former boss, Lemon told People, that he is “energized and excited about the future,” saying, “I’m just sort of rolling with what’s going on. But I haven’t had much sleep.”
The first episode of Lemon’s show, featuring his interview with Musk, is available to watch now.
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