In the wake of a test interview with Elon Musk, former TV host Don Lemon’s deal for a new talk show on X fell through just days before it was scheduled to air.
Mr. Musk canceled Mr. Lemon’s partnership with X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, the day after he taped an hour-and-a-half interview with the former news anchor at SpaceX’s office in Austin, Texas. The conversation was tense at times, Mr. Lemon said, as he asked probing questions about the upcoming U.S. presidential election, Mr. Musk’s reported drug use and his various business ventures.
Mr. Lemon said he would release the March 18 interview on YouTube and continue to share his content on X. “My questions were respectful and wide-ranging, covering everything from SpaceX to the presidential election,” he said. Mr. Lemon in one statement. “We had a good conversation. He clearly felt differently. His commitment to a global town square where all questions can be asked and all ideas shared seems to exclude his questions from people like me.”
Salespeople at X were blindsided by news of the abrupt cancellation, working as late as Monday to monitor the sale of ads for the show, according to an internal document seen by The New York Times.
The cancellation of a show that Mr. Musk bound would have his “full support” is the latest self-inflicted business disruption at X in recent months. In November, Mr. Musk told advertisers not to spend on his platform, using verbiage to reject them, and accused them of trying to “blackmail” him after he appeared to espouse an anti-Semitic conspiracy theory on X. His comments set off a expensive output.
Mr. Musk said in a post on X that Mr. Lemon’s show lacked originality. “His approach was basically just ‘CNN, but on social media,’ which isn’t working, as evidenced by the fact that CNN is dying.” Mr. Musk wrote. “And, instead of being the real Don Lemon, it was actually just Jeff Zucker speaking through Don, so it lacked authenticity.”
Mr. Zucker, a former chairman of CNN, now heads a media-focused investment firm called RedBird IMI and oversees EverWonder Studio, a production company that services Mr. Lemon’s show.
Mr. Lemon was one of several headline-grabbers, including former Fox News host Tucker Carlson and former Democratic presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard, who have inked deals this year to produce long-form video content on X, as part of an effort by the platform to attract content creators to create high-quality content that brands would want to advertise on.
X had agreed to lend his financial support to the creation of Mr. Lemon, called “The Don Lemon Show.” But the company said in a statement that it would no longer pay Mr. Lemon to create content for the site.
“The Don Lemon Show is welcome to publish its content on X, uncensored, as we believe we provide a platform for creators to scale their work and connect with new communities,” the company said in a statement. statement published in X. “However, like any business, we reserve the right to make decisions regarding our business partnerships and after careful consideration, X has decided not to enter into a commercial partnership with the show.”
In a statement, a spokeswoman for Mr. Lemon said he would continue to seek payment from X. “Don has an agreement with X and expects to be paid for it,” she said. “If we have to go to court, we will.”
X’s recent video deals – including one with Mr. Lemon – led by X chief executive Linda Yaccarino, a former NBC Universal executive who drew on her television experience to grow X’s content portfolio. The upheaval highlighted the challenges Ms. Yaccarino faces as she tries to attract advertisers and content creators on the platform under the shadow of Mr. Musk’s impulsive leadership.
Ryan Mack contributed to the report.
