Don Lemon Sues Elon Musk and X Over Canceled Talk Show Deal
In a recent legal move, former CNN anchor Don Lemon has filed a lawsuit against Elon Musk and X, accusing them of cancelling a planned talk show partnership. The lawsuit, filed Thursday in San Francisco, claims that Musk and X misled Lemon into investing substantial amounts of money for the show, only to back out of the deal unexpectedly.
Lemon’s lawsuit alleges that Musk sought to leverage Lemon’s reputation to improve the tarnished image of X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, which has struggled with advertiser departures and negative publicity. The lawsuit accuses Musk and X of using Lemon’s name to attract advertisers and then abandoning the partnership, causing Lemon financial and reputational harm.
“This case is straightforward,” said Carney Shegerian, Lemon’s attorney. “X executives used Don to prop up their advertising sales pitch, then cancelled their partnership and dragged Don’s name through the mud. The fraud, negligence, and reputational damage are clear.”
According to the lawsuit, Musk, along with X CEO Linda Yaccarino, promised Lemon a $1.5 million deal with additional revenue-sharing incentives. This agreement included exclusive rights for X to host “The Don Lemon Show” for 24 hours before it could be uploaded to other platforms.
The legal filing details that Lemon initially had reservations about collaborating with Musk, known for his unpredictable behaviour. However, Yaccarino and Brett Weitz, X’s head of talent, assured Lemon of the company’s support during a meeting in New York City, convincing him to proceed.
The partnership reportedly fell apart after an interview at Tesla’s Texas headquarters in March, where Lemon questioned Musk about rising hate speech on X and his use of the prescription drug ketamine. Musk’s dissatisfaction with the interview allegedly led to the abrupt termination of the agreement.
X has not yet responded to the lawsuit, though the company previously stated that it reserves the right to reconsider business partnerships and chose not to proceed with the show after careful evaluation.
