Why was Don Lemon fired from CNN? Former anchor says Elon Musk cancels partnership with his upcoming show after interview

Former CNN anchor, Don Lemon announced Elon Musk canceled his new talk show to be released on the latter's social media platform X. The interview was scheduled to be broadcast on the debut episode of The Don Lemon Show on March 18, 2024. Lemon took to X on Wednesday, March 13, 2024, to inform his followers of the dissolved partnership after Musk was reportedly upset about the interview.

In his statement, he said that the CEO of SpaceX had "willingly agreed" to the interview, noting that his questions were "respectful and wide-ranging."

"There were no restrictions on the interview that he willingly agreed to, and my questions were respectful and wide ranging, covering everything from SpaceX to the presidential election. We had a good conversation. Clearly he felt differently," Lemon said in the statement.

Lemon was previously associated with CNN for 17 years and anchored shows like CNN This Morning along with the prime-time show Don Lemon Tonight. However, he was fired by CNN in 2023 in the wake of sexist and ageist on-air comments and reports of mistreatment by his female colleagues. Lemon, however, denied all allegations.

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Don Lemon's interview with Elon Musk to be released on March 18 across various platforms

In an interview with CNN on Wednesday, Don Lemon stated by the end of his 90-minute-long interview, he could tell Elon Musk was "upset and uncomfortable." In the brief clip of their conversation that was aired, Don asked Musk about hate speech on his platform X and if he feels any responsibility to moderate content.

The tech mogul explained that he wouldn't have agreed to the interview if Lemon didn't have a deal with X. In the clip, he is seen adding that he "didn't have to answer questions from reporters."

"I don’t have to answer questions from reporters... I’m criticized constantly. I could care less," Musk said.

In January 2024, Musk announced a partnership with Don Lemon, former U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, and sports radio commentator Jim Rome, who were set to host shows on X. The move came after several advertisers pulled from the platform following concerns about antisemitism.

In a follow-up video, Lemon iterated he would release the interview on Monday, March 18, 2024, across all channels including X.

"Throughout our conversation, I kept reiterating to him that although it was tense at times, I thought it was good for people to see and hear our exchange and that they would learn from our conversation," Lemon added.

According to a report by CNN Business, a person familiar with the interview claimed that Musk was questioned about a diverse range of topics. These included his use of Ketamine, his government security clearance, and the issue of antisemitism.

Defending Musk's decision, X posted a statement that Don Lemon was free to publish any content without censorship. They added that they did reserve the right to cancel a commercial partnership with the show. When an X user asked about the reason behind the decision, the Tesla CEO said that Lemon's approach was "basically just CNN, but on social media."

"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," Musk wrote on X.

A comment reacting to the news (Image via X/ @elonmusk)

Allison Gollust, a spokesperson for the former anchor told CNBC he would still seek payment from X and "go to court" if needed. It remains unclear what the exact terms of their partnership were. Neither parties have released any additional information about the development.