What is Don Lemon doing these days? Elon Musk interview controversy explained 

On March 13, 2024, former CNN anchor Don Lemon took to X and announced that Elon Musk abruptly ended a contract with him surrounding his brand-new show, titled The Don Lemon Show.

Lemon further mentioned how Musk canceled the partnership hours after he interviewed him on March 8, 2024. The interview was scheduled to be the premiere episode of his talk show, slated to be released on March 18, 2024.

In his post on X, he wrote:

“Elon publicly encouraged me to join X with a news show, saying I would have his ‘full support,’ and that his ‘digital town square is for all’… 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,” he wrote.

He further continued by saying how the interview was conducted “respectfully” without any “restrictions,” but the Space X owner seemed to think otherwise.

In January 2024, Don Lemon announced on X that he was making a comeback with a new media company and his debut project The Don Lemon Show, months after he was fired by CNN.

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Don Lemon was abruptly fired by CNN in April 2023

in an X post on April 24, 2023, Lemon announced he was “stunned” to hear from his agent that he was “terminated by CNN."

On January 9, 2024, he wrote a post on X, saying his return was “bigger, bolder, freer” and his show would be available to everyone everywhere “streaming on the platforms where the conversations are happening.” His post read:

“You’ll find it first on X, the biggest space for free speech in the world. I know now more than ever that we need a place for honest debate and discussion without the hall monitors. This is just the beginning, so, stay tuned.”

Meanwhile, it remains unknown why CNN and the host of the Don Lemon Tonight parted ways last year. However, before his exit, he faced severe backlash for his on-air heated interview with the then-GOP presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy. He also earned backlash for his controversial remarks about another Republican candidate, Nikki Haley.

In an exclusive interview with ABC24, Don Lemon talked about his sudden departure, saying:

"I don't believe in platforming liars and bigots and insurrectionists and election deniers and putting them on the same footing as people who are telling the truth, people who are fighting for what's right, people who are abiding by the constitution. That would be a dereliction of journalistic duty."

The former CNN This Morning co-anchor’s exit came around the same time that fellow journalist Tucker Carlson was fired by Fox News.

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Exploring the latest Elon Musk interview controversy

On Wednesday, Don Lemon accused Elon Musk of going back on his word and ending their collaboration for his forthcoming venture, The Don Lemon Show.

“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's X post began.

He added that the interview will be the first episode of his show, which is still expected to premiere next week. He also alleged that both Musk and his team made “significant commitments” which they were backing out of.

Lemon also mentioned how he thought that partnering with Musk would allow him to expand his viewership. His post further stated:

“I took Elon and his management team’s word that they, for the first time, were interested in working directly with new and diverse voices. There were no restrictions on the interview that he willingly agreed to, and my questions were respectful and wide-ranging… We had a good conversation. Clearly, he felt differently.”

Lemon further mentioned how the Tesla owner’s commitment was short-lived and did not include questions from “people like me.” He wrapped up by saying he wasn’t going to take down his show and encouraged his followers to view it on YouTube, X, and anywhere that podcasts were streamed.

“While Elon goes back on his word, I will be doubling down on my commitment to free speech, and I cannot wait to get started,” he concluded.

In response to his allegations, Elon Must took to X and wrote that Don Lemon’s approach was “basically just ‘CNN, but on social media,’ which doesn’t work, as evidenced by the fact that CNN is dying.”

The billionaire also added that the interview felt like it was conducted not by the real Don Lemon, but by “Jeff Zucker talking through Don” and hence lacked “authenticity.”

“All this said, Lemon/Zucker are of course welcome to build their viewership on this platform along with everyone else.” Musk wrapped.

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Musk and Lemon joined hands in January, when the talk show contract was announced on X, citing that it would air three 30-minute-long episodes per week. The X owner first offered Lemon the chance to do a show on his platform, saying that the “audience is bigger” than CNN, after the latter announced his departure from the news outlet.