Elon Musk’s social media platform X has abruptly canceled the planned “The Don Lemon Show” after the former CNN anchor recorded an interview with the billionaire for the program’s unaired first episode.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), the company stated it “decided not to enter into a commercial partnership with the show” after “careful consideration.” However, X said Lemon’s content is “welcome to publish” uncensored, aligning with Musk’s professed “free speech absolutism.”
Lemon claimed in a video that “Elon Musk is mad at me” following their tense interview exchange. He plans to release the full Musk interview on YouTube and via podcast on Monday.
Though light on specifics, Lemon implied Musk took issue with his questioning, saying “free speech absolutism doesn’t apply when it comes to questions about him from people like me.”
Clips show Musk growing combative when Lemon pressed him on content moderation and spread of hate speech like the racist “great replacement theory” on X.
The Musk Q&A, which would’ve anchored the premiere episode of Lemon’s X show, will nonetheless premiere on the social media platform (as well as YouTube) on Monday, March 18.
“There were no restrictions on the interview that he willingly agreed to, and my questions were respectful and wide ranging, covering everything from Space to the presidential election,” Lemon maintained in Wednesday’s statement. “We had a good conversation. Clearly he felt differently.
“His commitment to a global town square where all questions can be askedand all ideas can be shared seems not to include questions of him from people like me,” Lemon added, before noting that The Don Lemon Show will live on via YouTube.
“This will be just the first of many episodes of The Don Lemon Show,” he concluded. “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.”
X announced the Lemon show in January as part of efforts to bolster content offerings. But the deal appears scrapped after Musk’s apparent displeasure with Lemon’s interview approach.
The cancellation undercuts Musk’s stance as a free speech champion. Lemon, fired by CNN last year, accused Musk of hypocrisy for curtailing his platform over the contentious sit-down.
The dispute spotlights debates around content boundaries as Musk remakes X with an absolutist free speech policy that critics argue enables hate and misinformation to spread unchecked.