Don Lemon has officially filed a lawsuit against Elon Musk and his X social media platform after the billionaire canceled a contract the two had agreed to after an interview between the two in March.
In January, it was announced the social media platform had signed a content deal with the former CNN anchor to produce a digital video program that would air on the platform.
His first interview subject was Musk, which featured more than an hour of dialogue between the two with Musk famously telling Lemon to “be careful” with his questions.
Before the first episode of the program aired, Lemon revealed that Musk had “cnaceled the partnership I had with X,” and had “informed me of his decision hours after an interview I conducted with him.” In his defense, Musk argued that Lemon’s interview was “lacking authenticity” and claimed Lemon was asking questions under the direction of former CNN chief Jeff Zucker. Elon Musk added t hat he felt the interview was “basically just CNN but on social media,” which he did not approve of.
Previous reporting has claimed that Don Lemon did not have a written contract with Musk or the social media platform. However, that does not preclude him from alleging breach of contract if there was an understanding of a deal between emails, verbal conversations, or other means of correspondence
According to The New York Times, the lawsuit alleges X CEO Linda Yaccarino was the driving force behind the creation of The Don Lemon Show. During the announcement at the Consumer Electronic Show earlier this year, Yaccrino championed the program was “ a new chapter for X.”
Don Lemon is seeking unspecified damages from Elon Musk and X in the lawsuit. As of this publication, neither party has commented publicly on the matter.
