Don Lemon recently saw his contract with the Elon Musk-owned X platform canceled after a contentious interview with the billionaire. Megyn Kelly alleges there was more to it than the interview conduct, however.
According to various reports, Don Lemon asked Elon Musk for an $8 million annual salary, with $5 million paid upfront. He also reportedly asked for an equity stake in the company, veto power over its news policies and hirings, a free Tesla Cybertruck, and the option to host the first podcast from space. Lemon initially denied that he made the demands, before admitting they were all part of the negotiation.
While discussing how far Lemon’s new digital video program has fallen after his initial interview with Musk on The Megyn Kelly Show, she shared that the contract demands made by the former CNN host were ridiculous, in her opinion.
After playing a clip of Don Lemon appearing on The Tamron Hall Show where the pair agreed that you make outlandish demands while negotiating contracts, Kelly decried the practice.
“That is absurd! Trust me, as somebody who actually has negotiated several contracts in cable news and broadcast news, it’s exactly the opposite of what you do. You make a demand that is reasonable — that you think you could get…but you don’t want to make yourself look like an a–hole. You’re off on a new foot with your employer, you don’t want to make yourself look like an a–hole,” Kelly reiterated.
“Nobody in history has asked to be the first person in space and for full editorial control for news decisions made. Like, maybe Rachel Maddow has that at MSNBC, ’cause she appears to be running the joint. But Don Lemon at Twitter?! When (Elon Musk) is resurrecting him from the dead?! The hubris!”
